Josef Bürckel
Joseph Bürckel | |
---|---|
Reichsgau Vienna | |
In office 30 January 1939 – 2 August 1940 | |
Preceded by | Odilo Globocnik |
Succeeded by | Baldur von Schirach |
Gauleiter of Gau Westmark | |
In office 13 March 1926 – 28 September 1944 | |
Preceded by | Friedrich Wambsganss |
Succeeded by | Willi Stöhr |
Reichsstatthalter of Westmark | |
In office 11 March 1941 – 28 September 1944 | |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Willi Stöhr |
Member of the German Reichstag | |
In office 14 September 1930 – 28 September 1944 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Lingenfeld, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire (now Germany) | 30 March 1895
Died | 28 September 1944 Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Nazi Germany | (aged 49)
Political party | Nazi Party |
Occupation | Teacher |
Military service | |
Allegiance | German Empire |
Branch/service | Imperial German Army |
Years of service | 1914–1916 |
Unit | Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment 12 |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Joseph Bürckel (30 March 1895 – 28 September 1944) was a German
Biography
Joseph Bürckel was born in Lingenfeld, in the Bavarian Palatinate (German: Rheinpfalz) as the son of a baker.[1] From 1909 to 1914 he studied to become a teacher in Speyer.[2]
Bürckel volunteered for service with Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment 12 in the
From 1921 onwards, Bürckel was engaged in nationalist groups, fighting separatism in the Palatinate. An energetic organizer in the
In February 1938, Bürckel (while remaining Gauleiter in Saarpfalz) was appointed the acting head of the Nazi Party for Austria, and on 13 March 1938 he was assigned to carry out the referendum on the Anschluss (Austria's absorption into Germany). From 23 April 1938 to 31 March 1940, he worked as "Reichskommissar for the Reunification of Austria with the German Reich", in charge of fully integrating it as the Ostmark politically, economically and culturally into Germany.[5] He declared: "This is a revolution. The Jews may be glad that it is not of the French or Russian pattern."[6] Saying Vienna was "overfilled with Jews", he stated his aim to leave them with no more than five percent of their property.[6] On 20 August 1938, he established the Central Agency for Jewish Emigration in Vienna, at first responsible for the forced emigration of Jews, and later for the subsequent deportation and murder of at least 48,767 Austrian Jews out of Vienna.
While remaining Reichskommissar, Bürckel succeeded
On 1 April 1940, he ended his work as Reichskommissar, and was named the
While Bürckel pursued corrupt officials,[1] he also frequently embezzled confiscated money and property instead of turning it over to the state,[citation needed] earning him the displeasure of the Nazi hierarchy and he was removed from his posts in Vienna in August 1940, being succeeded by Baldur von Schirach. Upon his return to Gau Saarpfalz, he continued his previous lifestyle and spent large sums on purchasing artworks.[8]
After the
From 9 November 1937, he also held the rank of general (Gruppenführer) in the Schutzstaffel (SS) and was on the staff of the Reichsführer-SS, Heinrich Himmler. On 30 January 1942, he was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer.[10]
Bürckel died at about 11:04 a.m. in Neustadt-an-der-Weinstrasse on 28 September 1944. A report from Bürckel's personal physician (since 1936), Dr. Ewig, dated 28 September 1944, stated that Bürckel was physically and mentally worn out, spending all of his time at work because of the deteriorating situation in his Gau. He suffered an inflammation of the intestine with diarrhoea, eventually becoming too ill to continue. Ewig was called in on 26 September 1944. Bürckel soon contracted pneumonia and blood failure. Josef Rowies, another physician, stated on 23 October 1944 that the report of Bürckel's death sent to the SS-Personalhauptamt (the personnel records office) by Himmler's personal staff office on 9 October 1944 had been "doctored" to conceal his mental breakdown. On 8 September 1944, in a letter to Martin Bormann (with whom Bürckel did not get along), Bürckel opined that the lack of combat-ready troops to occupy the defensive line of the Moselle from the boundary of Gau Westmark via the arsenal of Metz-Diedenhofen, south of Saint-Avold (part of the Maginot Line), to Sarralbe made construction of defensive positions useless. Bormann responded by dispatching Willi Stöhr (who was to succeed Bürckel after his death) to oversee the construction work.
On 3 October 1944, Hitler posthumously awarded him the
Decorations and awards
- The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords, 1934[12]
- Anschluss Medal, 1939[12]
- Sudetenland Medal, 1939[12]
- Clasp to the Sudetenland Medal, 1939[12]
- Honour Chevron for the Old Guard[12]
- German Order, 1944[11]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781399020961
- ^ Josef Bürckel – Gauleiter der Westmark Archived 15 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine (in German) Josef Bürckel biography, accessed: 10 February 2009
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2012, pp. 95–97.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2012, pp. 97–100.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2012, pp. 100–101.
- ^ a b MacDonogh 2009, p. 137.
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2012, pp. 105–106.
- ^ Google book review: Art As Politics in the Third Reich author: Jonathan Petropoulos, publisher: UNC Press, pp: 239–240, accessed: 10 February 2009
- ^ Miller & Schulz 2012, pp. 107–100.
- ISBN 3-87847-163-7.
- ^ a b Angolia 1989, p. 224.
- ^ a b c d e Miller 2015, p. 344.
Bibliography
- Angolia, John (1989). For Führer and Fatherland: Political & Civil Awards of the Third Reich. R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 978-0912138169.
- MacDonogh, Giles (2009). 1938: Hitler's Gamble. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-84901-212-6.
- Miller, Michael (2015). Leaders Of The Storm Troops Volume 1. England: Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-909982-87-1.
- Miller, Michael D.; Schulz, Andreas (2012). Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925-1945. Vol. I (Herbert Albrecht - H. Wilhelm Hüttmann). R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 978-1-932970-21-0.
External links
- Farewell to Gauleiter Bürckel Translation of the Berliner Morgenpost, 5 October 1944
- Reichsgau Wien (in German) at Verwaltungsgeschichte.de
- Josef Bürckel – Gauleiter der Westmark (in German) Josef Bürckel biography
- Newspaper clippings about Josef Bürckel in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW