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Reichsgau Oberdonau

FieldValue
conventional_long_nameReichsgau Upper Danube
common_nameReichsgau Upper Danube
subdivisionReichsgau
nationNazi Germany
image_flagFlag of German Reich (1935–1945).svg
image_coatFile:Oberoesterreich Wappen (shield).svg
image_mapNS administrative Gliederung 1944.png
image_map_captionMap of Nazi Germany showing its administrative
subdivisions (Gaue and Reichsgaue)
capitalLinz
stat_year11939
stat_pop11,032,115
p1Upper Austria
flag_p1Oberösterreich Dienstflagge.svg
p2Styria
flag_p2Flag of Steiermark (state).svg
p3First Czechoslovak RepublicCzechoslovakia
flag_p3Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg
s1Upper Austria
flag_s1Oberösterreich Dienstflagge.svg
s2Third Czechoslovak RepublicCzechoslovakia
flag_s2Flag of Czechoslovakia.svg
event_startAnschluss
year_start1938
date_start12 March
event_endGerman surrender
year_end1945
date_end8 May
title_leaderGauleiter
leader1August Eigruber
year_leader11938–1945
todayAustria
Czech Republic

subdivisions (Gaue and Reichsgaue) Czech Republic The Reichsgau Upper Danube (German: Reichsgau Oberdonau) was an administrative division of Nazi Germany, created after the Anschluss (annexation of Austria) in 1938 and dissolved in 1945. It consisted of what is today Upper Austria, parts of Southern Bohemia, and a small part of the Salzkammergut which was annexed from Styria.

The Gau had the honorary title of "Home Gau of the Führer" (), since Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn and spent much of his early life in Linz. His home Berghof was located in neighboring Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria.

History

The Nazi Gau (plural Gaue) system was originally established in a party conference on 22 May 1926, in order to improve administration of the party structure. From 1933 onwards, after the Nazi seizure of power, the Gaue increasingly replaced the German states as administrative subdivisions in Germany. On 12 March 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria and on 24 May the Austrian provinces were reorganized and replaced by seven Nazi party Gaue. Under the Ostmarkgesetz law of 14 April 1939 with effect of 1 May, the Austrian Gaue were raised to the status of Reichsgaue and their Gauleiters were subsequently also named Reichsstatthalters.

At the head of each Gau stood a Gauleiter, a position which became increasingly more powerful, especially after the outbreak of the Second World War. Local Gauleiters were in charge of propaganda and surveillance and, from September 1944 onwards, the Volkssturm and the defence of the Gau.

The position of Gauleiter in Upper Danube was held by August Eigruber for the duration of the existence of the Reichsgau.

The Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp was located in the Reichsgau Oberdonau. Of the 199,404 prisoners that were sent to the camp 119,000 died in the harsh conditions of the camp through overwork, malnourishment and exhaustion. After the war, Eigruber was put on trial by the U.S. military for his role in atrocities at Mauthausen. He was sentenced to death and executed in 1947.

References

References

  1. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Vnsq7gMYPYQC&dq=%22Heimatgau%20des%20F%C3%BChrers%22%20oberdonau&pg=PA117 Kriechbaumer, R. 1998, ''Geschichte der österreichischen Bundesländer seit 1945'', p. 117]
  2. "Administration of Austria," ''The Times'' (London) 25 May 1938, page 15.
  3. "Die NS-Gaue". [[Deutsches Historisches Museum]].
  4. "Der "Anschluss" Österreichs 1938". [[Deutsches Historisches Museum]].
  5. "The Organization of the Nazi Party & State". [[The Nizkor Project]].
  6. "Übersicht der NSDAP-Gaue, der Gauleiter und der Stellvertretenden Gauleiter zwischen 1933 und 1945". [[Zukunft braucht Erinnerung]].
  7. "Reichsgau Oberdonau".
  8. "Mauthausen". [[Yad Vashem]].
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

nazi-gaue-in-austria history-of-upper-austria 1939-establishments-in-germany 1945-disestablishments-in-austria
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