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35-478: In November 1936, Gauleiter Fritz Wächtler dedicated the Hauzenberg district house. In June 1940, the local National Socialists organized a slide show titled Weltpirat England and U-Boot auf Kaperfahrt . Party leader Heilmaier seized the opportunity to announce regulations about how to deal with Polish farm laborers and prisoners of war. Hauzenberg is twinned with: This Passau district location article

70-655: A brilliant orator, there appeared the ungainly figure of the oratorically untalented and philistine Wächtler, whose dogged adherence to the Party line soon earned him the epithet ‘megalomaniac schoolteacher’. He rigorously put the increasingly draconian new laws into effect, above all those aimed at Jews and the churches, and as an outsider he made enemies in the area … Even Winifred Wagner , daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner, complained repeatedly about his misconduct to her friend Hitler. However, she also frequently tried to intervene with Hitler on behalf of Jewish friends for clemency. This

105-526: A rivalry between them that would have dire consequences for Wächtler. The Gau capital of Bayreuth was home to the family of Richard Wagner and the site of the annual Bayreuth Festival , supported and regularly attended by Adolf Hitler . As such, its Gauleiter was considered a high-profile posting. Wächtler at the same time also succeeded Schemm as head of the National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) and head ( Hauptamtsleiter ) of

140-455: A short period in 1938 he served as the acting Oberburgermeister of the city of Bayreuth. Unlike Schemm, Wächtler was an outsider to Bavarians and enjoyed no popularity among the residents of his Gau or among the Reich leadership. He was brutal with subordinates and prone to uncontrolled alcoholic outbursts in public. One assessment of his character stated: In place of the elegant, affable Schemm,

175-449: A vote of confidence (in practice the king usually appoints the leader of the winning party as formateur to form a government). The federal ministers later swear an oath of allegiance to the king. The minister-presidents of the regions and linguistic communities are not appointed by the king, but are directly appointed by their respective parliament. Ministers of the regions and linguistic communities are not required to swear allegiance to

210-477: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fritz W%C3%A4chtler Fritz Wächtler (7 January 1891 – 19 April 1945) was a Nazi Party official and politician who served as the Gauleiter of the eastern Bavarian administrative region of Gau Bayreuth . Trained as a primary school teacher, he also became head of the National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) in 1935. During World War II he held

245-563: Is called the Landeshauptmann (literally 'state captain'), not Ministerpräsident . In the city-state of Vienna the head of the state government is called the Bürgermeister und Landeshauptmann (Mayor and state captain). The term minister-president ( Dutch : minister-president , French : ministre-président , German : Ministerpräsident ) is also used in Belgium to describe

280-522: Is likely why Wächtler, while not in Hitler's favor, remained untouched until 1945. Wächtler was involved in organizing the anti-Jewish Kristallnacht riots of 9–10 November 1938 in his Gau. The next day, the Reich leadership in Berlin ordered cessation of further property destruction because they feared the riots they had instigated would lead to more radical actions not under their control. Wächtler tried to use

315-406: Is officially referred to as "minister-president", although the informal term "premier" is also frequently used. His responsibilities are defined in the constitution of 1848 as the voorzitter van de ministerraad ('chair of the council of ministers'). The title of minister-president has been in use since 1945 and officially added to the constitution in 1983. In Norway , Vidkun Quisling , head of

350-688: Is the head of government . "Minister-President" in the Constitution of Latvia of February 15, 1922, arose when the German term Ministerpräsident (minister-president) was translated; the term ministru prezidents (literally 'president of ministers', in Latvian) was coined by the member of the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia , Latvian writer Kārlis Skalbe . In the Netherlands the prime minister

385-530: Is used, for instance, as a translation ( calque ) of the German word Ministerpräsident . From 1867 to 1918, the first minister of the government was known as Ministerpräsident (minister-president), before that Staatskanzler (state chancellor). Today the head of the Austrian Federal Government is called the Bundeskanzler (federal chancellor), while the head of a state government

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420-801: The Ortsgruppenleiter (Local Group Leader) there for the next two years. He also joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) becoming the SA- Führer for the Weimar-North district. From 1927 to 1932 he also became the Party Kreisleiter (District Leader) for Weimar-North. From 1928 to 1932 he served as the only Nazi member of the Kreisrat (District Council) in Landkreis Weimar. On 8 December 1929, Wächtler

455-736: The Gauleiter had dedicated a party district house. After seeing the condition of the school in Wegscheid , a new building was decided. In March 1939, when Wächtler spoke at the Passau Nibelungenhalle, the Donau-Zeitung reported an audience of 12,000. In April 1939, Wächtler purchased the Passau Haus, where Hitler had lived for two years. One year later, he donated it to the city of Passau. On 2 June 1942, Wächtler's Gau Bavarian Eastern March

490-580: The Imperial Chancellor . The title of Hungary's head of government in Hungarian is miniszterelnök which literally translated means "minister-president". However, because "prime minister" or "premier" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, miniszterelnök is almost always translated as "prime minister." The Minister president

525-456: The Nazi Seizure of Power in 1933, Sauckel was made Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of Thuringia. Wächtler remained as education minister and, on 8 May 1933, was also named interior minister ; on 13 May he was also made deputy to the new minister president, Willy Marschler . Wächtler retained all these posts until 22 January 1936. As the powerful interior minister, he had control over all

560-546: The Gau near the former Czechoslovakian border, some 140 kilometers from Bayreuth. On 14 April, Bayreuth surrendered to the US 3rd Army without a fight. It is unclear whether communications difficulties prevented Wächtler from informing Führer Headquarters of his location, however his Deputy Gauleiter and longtime political rival Ludwig Ruckdeschel used the opportunity to contact Bormann and accuse Wächtler of desertion . On 19 April, Wächtler

595-708: The Main Office for Education in the Party Reichsleitung (National Leadership). From January 1936 he also was the Expert on All School Questions on the Party headquarters staff of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess . In this position he had supervisory authority over the Reichsschule Feldafing , an elite Party leadership school. At the 29 March 1936 elections, Wächtler was returned as a Reichstag Deputy for electoral constituency 25, Niederbayern ( Lower Bavaria ). For

630-594: The Senate ( Bürgermeister und Präsident des Senates ). On the federal level, the head of the federal government (with an effectively identical function as leader of the cabinet) is called the Chancellor or Federal Chancellor ( Kanzler or Bundeskanzler ). The positions of Minister-president in the German states (during the monarchy days) were mostly established in response to the 1848 German revolutions . The Minister-President of Prussia usually served simultaneously as

665-503: The council of ministers. It is an alternative term for prime minister , premier , chief minister , or first minister and very similar to the title of president of the council of ministers . In English-speaking countries, similar institutions may be called premiers or first ministers (typically at the subnational level) or prime ministers (typically at the national level). The plural is sometimes formed by adding an s to minister and sometimes by adding an s to president . The term

700-466: The death in their districts. A particularly heavy air raid took place on 11 April. With much of the city in ruins and only 200 irregular defenders left, Wächtler fled Bayreuth with his staff the next day as American forces approached. He reportedly left the bomb-ruined city in a convoy of “several lorries of food, spirits and cigarettes.” He set up offices at a hotel in Waldmünchen in the southern part of

735-619: The end of the war in November. During the war he received many decorations , including the Iron Cross , 2nd class. After discharge from the service, Wächtler returned to his teaching position in Vippachedelhausen, working as an educator until 1932. Wächtler joined the Nazi Party (membership number 35,313) on 26 April 1926. He founded the local branch of the Party in Vippachedelhausen, becoming

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770-449: The head of government of a Belgian region or linguistic community , but not the head of the Belgian federal government who is referred to as the prime minister ( Dutch : eerste minister , French : premier ministre , German : Premierminister ). According to the Belgian constitution , the federal prime minister is appointed by the king, and approved by the federal parliament with

805-676: The honorary rank of SS - Obergruppenführer and was the Reich Defense Commissioner of Gau Bayreuth. Prone to alcoholic outbursts and unpopular with the local residents, he eventually ran afoul of Martin Bormann in a political intrigue. Wächtler was executed on orders from Führer Headquarters near the end of the war on 19 April 1945. Fritz Wächtler was born in 1891 in Triebes , in the Principality of Reuss-Gera (present-day Thuringia ),

840-494: The king but simply take an oath in their respective parliament. See: A Minister President ( Ministerpräsident ) is the head of government in 13 of the 16 States of Germany . Exceptions are the city-states of Berlin , Hamburg and Bremen , where the head of government is called, respectively, the Governing Mayor ( Regierender Bürgermeister ), First Mayor ( Erster Bürgermeister ) and Mayor and President of

875-452: The loss of influence, complained that the NSLB was essential for the war effort in long rambling memos to Bormann, to no avail. In 1945 Hitler declared the city of Bayreuth to be a fortress, which led to the destruction of over one third of the city by air raids. On 1 April 1945, Bormann issued a further order that all Gauleiters , Kreisleiters , and other NSDAP political leaders were to fight to

910-504: The opportunity to force public school teachers to sign a personal oath that they would no longer teach any religious subjects. Highly unpopular, Rudolf Hess had to order the directive rescinded. From 1938, Wächtler's district became home to the Flossenbürg concentration camp and its many subcamps . In February 1939, the Donau-Zeitung reported about Wächtler's visit in Hauzenberg , where

945-484: The outbreak of World War I he was deployed to the western front . By August 1915 he had been promoted to Leutnant and served as the commander of a machine gun company with his original regiment and, later, Landwehr Infantry Regiment 7. In the spring of 1916 he was twice wounded in action and classified as unfit for front-line duty. However, in January 1918 he was returned to the front, serving there until discharged at

980-704: The police and security apparatus of the State. Wächtler was elected a member of the Reichstag for electoral constituency 12, Thuringia, on 12 November 1933, and would remain a Reichstag deputy until his death. In November 1934, Wächtler joined the Schutzstaffel (SS-Number 209,058) as an SS- Oberführer . By the end of January 1936 he was promoted to the rank of SS- Brigadeführer , in April 1937 to SS- Gruppenführer and, finally, on 1 August 1944 to SS - Obergruppenführer . He

1015-554: The seizure of the historic Bayreuth Festspielhaus for use in defense of the city. By 1945 his additional failure to send daily situation reports to Führer Headquarters brought him to the attention and suspicion of Martin Bormann , Hitler's powerful Secretary and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery . Bormann had previously ordered the closing of the National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) on 17 February 1943, together with all its Gau offices across Germany. Wächtler, fearing

1050-651: The son of a watchmaker. He attended volksschule in Triebes and Erfurt , and between 1905 and 1911 he attended the Weimar Lehrerseminar , a special training academy for primary school teachers. After two years working as a teacher in Vippachedelhausen , he volunteered for military service in October 1913 as a "one-year volunteer" ( German : Einjährigfreiwilliger ) with Infantry Regiment 94, "Grand Duke of Saxony." On

1085-632: Was assigned to the staff of the Reichsführer-SS from April 1937 until his death. On 5 March 1935 the first Gauleiter of the Gau Bavarian Eastern March , Hans Schemm , died in an airplane crash. For an interim period the Gau was run by the Deputy Gauleiter Ludwig Ruckdeschel in an acting capacity. However, on 5 December Wachtler was appointed the permanent Gauleiter in place of Ruchdeschel. This would engender

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1120-473: Was classified into Group I (Major Offender) resulting in the confiscation of his entire estate. Ruckdeschel was sentenced to 13 years in prison for several executions after the war, albeit not for that of Wächtler. Minister President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over

1155-624: Was elected as a member of the Landtag of Thuringia where he would serve until October 1933. From 1929 to 1932, he was the Business Manager and Training Officer for Gau Thuringia . Then on 15 June 1932, he was made the Organization Leader and Deputy Gauleiter there under Fritz Sauckel . On 26 August 1932, Wächtler was appointed Education Minister in the cabinet formed by Sauckel when he became Minister President of Thuringia. Following

1190-504: Was relieved of all his posts and expelled from the Party for cowardice and desertion. On orders from Führer Headquarters, Ruckdeschel appeared at the hotel with 35 SS troops, pronounced a death sentence and summarily executed Wächtler by firing squad . Ruckdeschel immediately replaced Wächtler as acting Gauleiter and Reich Defense Commissioner. A posthumous denazification proceeding was held in Ansbach , and on 17 February 1949, Wächtler

1225-559: Was renamed Gau Bayreuth , since due to Germany's territorial expansion it was no longer a borderland region . On 16 November 1942, Wächtler was appointed Reich Defense Commissioner ( Reichsverteidigungskommissar ) for his Gau, and in September 1944 he became the commander of the Volkssturm units in the Gau. It was in these positions that he came to realize the war would be lost. This attitude became apparent to his superiors when he prevented

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