Ortsgruppenleiter
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''Ortsgruppenleiter'' (Local Group Leader) was a Nazi Party political rank and title which existed between 1930 and 1945. The term first came into being during the German elections of 1930, and was held by the head Nazi of a town or city, or in larger cities, of a neighbourhood, for the purposes of election district organization. After 1933, through the process of ''
Gleichschaltung The Nazi term (), meaning "synchronization" or "coordination", was the process of Nazification by which Adolf Hitler—leader of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany—established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all ...
'', the position of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' evolved into the Nazi leader of a large town or city or of a city district.


Role in Municipal Government

After the founding of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, the political rank of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' was held by the chief Nazi in a municipal area. In many situations, town and city administration overlapped with the Nazi political system, meaning that the traditional local government was overshadowed, if not entirely replaced, by Nazi leadership. Traditional government titles did continue to exist, such as '' Bürgermeister''; however, if these positions were not already held by a corresponding Nazi official, city government was little more than a
rubber stamp A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved, or vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to a rub ...
to Nazi designs.Clark, J. (2007). Uniforms of the NSDAP. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the position of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' encompassed a large amount of responsibility and power as it was these Nazi officials who typically ran the city
civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...
systems as well as the allocation of war
ration Rationing is the controlled distribution (marketing), distribution of scarcity, scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resourc ...
s and civil relief efforts. As Germany was invaded and defeat became imminent, Nazi leaders in major towns and cities also became ''ad hoc'' military commanders in charge of mixed-unit German forces and Volksturm units.


Insignia

Between 1930 and 1932, the political rank of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' was denoted by a braided shoulder cord and a white collar bar worn on a Nazi Party brown shirt. After 1933, the rank was denoted by two light yellow collar bars. The actual rank of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' was phased out of the Nazi Party in 1939, replaced by a large number of expanded paramilitary political titles. The position of ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' was after this time typically held by a Nazi with the rank of '' Abschnittsleiter'', paired as well with a political armband denoting the specific position of ''Ortsgruppenleiter''.


References

{{Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks Nazi political ranks