Erich Schmiedicke
Erich Schmiedicke | |
|---|---|
| Deputy Gauleiter Gau Gross-Berlin | |
(Acting Gauleiter from 28 February 1926) | |
| In office February 1925 – 28 October 1926 | |
| Preceded by | Ernst Schlange |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Deputy Gauleiter Gau Brandenburg | |
(Acting Gauleiter from 16 March 1933) | |
| In office 1932 – 1 June 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Oberburgermeister of Guben | |
| In office July 1933 – February 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Heinrich Lass |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Erich Karl Traugott Schmiedicke 13 May 1887 Salesman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Branch/service |  Imperial German Navy |
| Years of service | 1912-1913 1914–1918 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant zur See |
| Unit | SMS Goeben SMS Breslau |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class |
Erich Schmiedicke (13 May 1887 – date of death unknown) was a German Nazi Party official and politician.
Early life
Schmiedicke was born the son of a fire chief in Neustettin (today,
From August 2, 1914 until the end of the war in 1918, Schmiedicke again served in the Imperial Navy as a
Nazi career
In August 1922, Schmiedicke joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and its paramilitary branch, the Sturmabteilung (SA). He was a co-founder of the first Ortsgruppe (Local Group) in Berlin and organized the first SA branch in the capital as well. He headed the SA Berlin branch until the ban on the Party and the SA in the wake of the failed Beer Hall Putsch in November 1923. When the ban was lifted, Schmiedicke reenrolled on 11 May 1925 (membership number 4,366) and was named Deputy Gauleiter for Gau Gross-Berlin under Gauleiter Ernst Schlange.[2]
The Gau organization in Berlin in early 1926 has been described as being “in a state of disarray bordering on chaos,” with the Gauleiter completely unable to quell the internal feuds that were plaguing the organization.[3] Consequently, on 28 February 1926, Schlange was placed on leave due to his inability to heal the divisions within the local Party and Schmiedicke was left in charge as Acting Gauleiter.[2] Schlange officially resigned on 20 June 1926 and Schmiedicke continued to lead the Gau; however, he was also unable to bring unity to the squabbling factions. Adolf Hitler determined that an outside leader was needed to restore order and offered the position to Joseph Goebbels. Schmiedicke himself wrote to Goebbels on 16 October urging him to take the post. Gau Gross-Berlin was merged with Gau Potsdam to form the expanded new Gau Berlin-Brandenburg on 28 October and Goebbels became Gauleiter.[4] Goebbels gave the post of Deputy Gauleiter to Kurt Daluege, and Schmiedicke was temporarily out of a job.[5]
In 1931 Schmiedicke was appointed as Business Manager for Gau Brandenburg (which again had been separated from Gau Berlin in 1928) and the next year he also became its Deputy Gauleiter, again under Ernst Schlange. At the 5 March 1933
In July 1933, Schmiedicke was named Acting
Schmiedicke rejoined the SA on 9 November 1938 with the rank of SA-Standartenführer, and was placed in charge of Standarte 451 (Guben). In the autumn of 1944, he led a Volkssturm battalion in Guben. He most likely fled from the city when it was evacuated in February 1945 ahead of the Red Army advance. The details of his death are not known.[8]
References
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2021, p. 220.
- ^ a b c d Miller & Schulz 2021, p. 221.
- ^ Orlow 1969, pp. 91–92.
- ^ Friedrich 2012, pp. 75–76.
- ^ Williams 2015, p. 202.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2017, p. 143.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2021, pp. 220–222.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2021, p. 222.
Sources
- Friedrich, Thomas (2012). Hitler's Berlin: Abused City. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-16670-5.
- Miller, Michael D.; Schulz, Andreas (2017). Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925-1945. Vol. 2 (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust). R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 978-1-932970-32-6.
- Miller, Michael D.; Schulz, Andreas (2021). Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies. Vol. 3. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-781-55826-3.
- Orlow, Dietrich (1969). The History of the Nazi Party: 1919-1933. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-3183-4.
- Williams, Max (2015). SS Elite: The Senior Leaders of Hitler's Praetorian Guard. Vol. I. Fonthill Media LLC. ISBN 978-1-78155-433-3.
External website
- Information about Erich Schmiedicke in the Reichstag database