Karl Hanke
Karl Hanke | |
---|---|
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda | |
In office 26 November 1937 – 27 January 1941 | |
Appointed by | Adolf Hitler |
Preceded by | None |
Succeeded by | Leopold Gutterer |
Personal details | |
Born | Karl August Hanke 24 August 1903 Lauban, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 8 June 1945 Neudorf, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czechoslovakia | (aged 41)
Political party | Nazi Party |
Spouse |
Baroness Freda von Fircks (m. 1944) |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | Berufspädagogisches Institut, Berlin |
Profession | Politician |
Karl August Hanke (24 August 1903 – 8 June 1945) was an official of the
Life
Hanke was born in Lauban (present-day Lubań) in Silesia, on 24 August 1903.[1] His older brother was killed in World War I. Hanke was too young for service in the war and attended Gymnasium through Obersekunda. He served in the Reichswehr as a Zeitfreiwilliger (temporary volunteer) in the 19th Infantry Regiment (von Courbiere) at Frankfurt/Oder from 1920 to 1921.[2][3]
Hanke obtained an education as a milling engineer by attending the German Millers' School at Dippoldiswalde. He then decided to obtain a year's practical experience as a railway workshop apprentice before returning to milling.[3] From 1921 to around 1926, Hanke mainly worked in the milling industry, serving as a business manager for mills in the vicinity of Silesia, Bavaria, and Tyrol.[3] He later attended the Berufspädagogische Institut in Berlin, receiving a degree that qualified him to teach milling at vocational schools.[3] Later in 1928, he worked in Berlin-Steglitz as a master miller. After this he became a vocational instructor at a technical school in Berlin.[2]
Nazi Party
Hanke joined the Nazi Party on 1 November 1928, with membership number 102606.[3] Hanke began his career at the somewhat low level of Amtswalter, a low ranking speaker and factory cell organizer in Berlin.[4] He joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) Reserve in 1929; that same year he became a deputy street cell leader. In 1930 he was promoted to street cell leader (Strassenzellenleiter) and then a section leader (Sektionsführer) in Berlin.[4][5]
Hanke was fired from his teaching position at the vocational school in April 1931 for his political agitation for the Nazi Party. He went to work full-time for the party.[4] By late 1931, he was Kreisleiter (ward leader) of Westend in Berlin, working under Berlin's Gauleiter Joseph Goebbels.[4] In 1932, Hanke was made chief Gau organizational director and on 1 April 1932, personal adjutant and Referent (advisor) to Goebbels in his capacity as propaganda director of the NSDAP (Reichspropagandaleiter der NSDAP).[4][6]
In his position as Kreisleiter of Westend in Berlin, Hanke was the first party official to establish contact with the young architect
Government service
Adolf Hitler took an early liking to the outspoken young Hanke, who by April 1932 had become an Nazi Party delegate to the Prussian State Parliament (Landtag).[4] Later in November 1932, Hanke was elected to the German Parliament (Reichstag) on the slate of the NSDAP, representing Potsdam. He held this seat until the end of the war in Europe.[6]
Hanke again secured a task for Albert Speer in July 1932, having him build a headquarters for the Berlin NSDAP in the centre of the city (at Vossstrasse 11).
Hanke's seemingly unstoppable ascent on the coattails of Goebbels came to a sudden, albeit temporary, halt when he was drawn into the marital affairs of
World War II
In July 1939, Hanke was called up for military service, having previously obtained a reserve officer's commission in 1937. From September to October 1939, he served with the 3rd Panzer Division in Poland.[21] In May 1940, sensing a good opportunity to further his career, Hanke served under General Erwin Rommel in France with the 7th Panzer Division, 25th Panzer Regiment through June of that year. He "got along" well with Rommel who appreciated good "public relations".[21][22] Hanke was awarded the Iron Cross in Second and First Class. He was discharged from the German Army in 1941 with the rank of 1st lieutenant (Oberleutnant).[23]
He left active military service and in
Hanke had a long affair with
The 1945 fall of Breslau
During the waning months of World War II, as the Soviet
Breslau was the last major city in Germany to surrender. Destruction by Soviet aerial and artillery bombardment, along with acts of destruction committed by the SS and Nazi Party members, brought "80 to 90 percent" of Breslau to a state of ruin.[30]
Hanke's fanaticism and unconditional obedience to Hitler's orders impressed Hitler, who in his
Death
Hanke received word of his promotion on 5 May 1945. He flew to Prague and attached himself to the
Summary of his SS and military career
- Dates of rank
- SS-Anwärter - 15 February 1934[4]
- SS-Sturmbannführer - 1 July 1934[3]
- SS-Obersturmbannführer - 20 April 1935[3]
- SS-Standartenführer - 15 September 1935[3]
- SS-Oberführer - 20 April 1937[3]
- Panzerschütze- 1937
- Leutnant d.R. - 1939[3]
- Oberleutnant d.R. - 1940[3]
- SS-Brigadeführer - 30 January 1941[3]
- SS-Gruppenführer - 20 April 1941[3]
- Hauptmann d.R. - 1942[3]
- SS-Obergruppenführer - 30 January 1944[3]
- Reichsführer-SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei - 29 April 1945[31]
- Decorations
- Honour Chevron for the Old Guard[34]
- SS Honour Ring[34]
- Sword of honour of the Reichsführer-SS[34]
- Golden Party Badge[34]
- SS Long Service Award, 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes
- Nazi Party Long Service Award in Bronze and Silver[34]
- War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class, both without Swords[34]
- Olympic Games Decoration, First Class (1936)[34]
- German Equestrian Badge in Silver (1938)[34]
- Wound Badge in Black (1939)[34]
- Panzer Badge in Silver (1940)[34]
- Iron Cross of 1939, 1st and 2nd class (1940)[35]
- Hitler Youth Badge of Honour in Gold with Oak Leaves (30 August 1941)[34]
- German Order (12 April 1945)[34]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Miller 2015, p. 13.
- ^ a b Mitcham 2007, p. 43.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Miller 2015, p. 15.
- ^ a b c d e f g Miller 2015, p. 16.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, pp. 43, 44.
- ^ a b Mitcham 2007, p. 44.
- ^ Speer, Inside the Third Reich, p. 21
- ^ Speer, Inside the Third Reich, p. 376
- ^ Speer, Inside the Third Reich, p. 24
- ^ Miller 2015, p. 17.
- ^ Miller 2015, pp. 17, 18.
- ^ Miller 2015, pp. 15, 17.
- ^ a b Miller 2015, p. 18.
- ^ Longerich 2015, p. 318.
- ^ a b c Longerich 2015, p. 392.
- ^ Longerich 2015, p. 393.
- ^ Longerich 2015, pp. 392–395.
- ^ Longerich 2015, pp. 394, 420.
- ^ Longerich 2015, p. 420.
- ^ Longerich 2015, pp. 420, 421.
- ^ a b Mitcham 2007, p. 54.
- ^ Reuth 2006, p. 124.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, pp. 54, 55.
- ^ Miller 2015, p. 20.
- ^ a b Miller & Schulz 2012, p. 425.
- ^ Yad Vashem (2015), Hanke Karl (1903–1945). Gauleiter of Lower Silesia 1941–1945, The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority
- ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 56.
- ^ Duffy, Red Storm on the Reich, p. 265
- ^ Cross, Fallen Eagle - The Last Days of the Reich , p. 188
- ^ Schwartz, Michael (2008). Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Vol. 10/2, p. 586, München: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt
- ^ a b c Evans 2008, p. 724.
- ^ a b Manvell & Fraenkel 2007, p. 237.
- ^ Hamburger Allgemeine Zeitung, 11 May 1949
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Miller 2015, p. 23.
- ^ Mitcham 2007, p. 55.
Bibliography
- Duffy, Christopher (1991). Red Storm on the Reich. Atheneum. ISBN 0-689-12092-3.
- Evans, Richard J. (2008). The Third Reich at War. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-14-311671-4.
- Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6751-0.
- Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2007) [1965]. Heinrich Himmler: The Sinister Life of the Head of the SS and Gestapo. London; New York: Greenhill; Skyhorse. ISBN 978-1-60239-178-9.
- Miller, Michael (2015). Leaders of the SS and German Police, Vol. 2. San Jose, CA: R. James Bender. ISBN 978-1-932970-25-8.
- 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.
- Mitcham, Samuel W. (2007). Rommel's Lieutenants: The Men Who Served the Desert Fox, France, 1940. Mechanicsburg, PA: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99185-2.
- Moll, Martin. Der Sturz alter Kämpfer. Ein neuer Zugang zur Herrschaftsanalyse des NS-Regimes, in: Historische Mitteilungen der Ranke-Gesellschaft 5. Jg. (1992), S. 1–51.
- Reuth, Ralf Georg (2006). Rommel: The End of a Legend. London: Haus Books. ISBN 978-1-904950-20-2.
- ISBN 978-0-684-82949-4.
Further reading
- Beevor, Antony (2002). Berlin – The Downfall 1945. Viking-Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-03041-5.
- Richter, Jana. Karl Hanke, in: Hermann Weiß (Hg.): Biographisches Lexikon zum Dritten Reich, Frankfurt a. M. 1998, S. 177f.
- Sereny, Gitta (2005). Albert Speer. Sein Ringen mit der Wahrheit, München. ISBN 3-442-15328-X.
- Cross, Robin (1995). Fallen Eagle - The Last Days of the Third Reich pp187-188. Michael O'Mara Books Limited Books. ISBN 1-85479-736-0.