Lohse, Henry

At the beginning of World War I he was drafted into the army, fought on the Western Front. After the defeat of Germany in the war, from 1919 to 1922 he worked as a bank clerk.

At this time, a powerful new political entity actively declared itself - the NSDAP , created back in 1920, but so far not representing a significant alternative to the corrupt ruling regime of the Weimar Republic , which was ruined by indemnities and the post-war economic decline. In conditions of general political instability and record stagflation that swept Germany, there was a demand for radical political forces, which over time gained popularity among the masses.

Already at the beginning of 1923, Lohse left the service at the bank and joined the NSDAP, receiving a party ticket number 37522. Here Loze closely became close to Gregor Strasser . Heinrich Lohse, a novice politician, enlisted the support of Strasser and thanks to his petition on February 22, 1925 received a favorable appointment as Gauleiter of Schleswig-Holstein, which could be regarded as a successful start to a political career. The party, however, was not going through the best of times, and as a result, its activities were banned due to numerous internal party intrigues and the disapproving attitude of official authorities (caused by the scandalous Beer putsch). Events developed rapidly, and soon the ban was lifted, not without the participation of the Strasser brothers. Heinrich Lohse rejoined the NSDAP on July 13, 1925, and from that time began a whole series of appointments of the party functionary, who again and again justified the trust of his influential patrons. Soon he became part of the Landtag of Prussia . Then, from 1928 to 1929, Lohse held an important post as the chief (commissioner) of Gau Hamburg .

In the early thirties, Lohse was expecting another career takeoff. He managed to establish himself as a reliable and efficient performer with pronounced administrative skills. On July 15, 1932, a new appointment was made for the post of Landesinspector of the NSDAP in the area of ​​his North. Then came 1933, which, without a doubt, can be considered the climax in Lohse's career. During the year, Heinrich Lohse dramatically advanced through the ranks. On January 30, he was awarded the title of SA Obergruppenführer ( German: Sturmabteilung ) (assault troops, also popularly known as the “Brown Shirts,” the NSDAP paramilitary system; in 1934, SA military leaders who disagreed with Hitler’s policies and the growth of its influence on political processes , decided on a rebellion, which was immediately crushed by Hitler, after which he also led the SA). In May, Lohse was appointed to the post of President-President of Schleswig-Holstein. To top it off, Lohse was awarded the status of Prussian state adviser. After some time, already in 1935, Heinrich Lohse was appointed imperial commissar of defense of the XI military district.

On July 17, 1941, Lohse was appointed to the post of Reich Commissar of the occupied eastern territories - the Reich Commissariat of Ostland. It was at this post that Lohse gained his infamous reputation. The Reichskommissariat included the territories of Latvia, Estonia , Lithuania , Belarus , which received the status of general commissariats with their own leaders.

Lose headquarters was located in Riga. On the territory of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, numerous punitive actions were carried out against civilians.

As Reichskommissar of Ostland, Lohse at the same time continued to act as the Oberpresident of Schleswig-Holstein. In the fall of 1944, during the large-scale offensive of the Soviet troops, he actually fled from the Baltic. May 6, 1945 at the request of the British command, Lohse was removed from his post, and soon arrested.

In 1948 , Heinrich Lohse appeared before the denazification court in Bielefeld . "Bloody Henry" was sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1951, it was decided to release the prisoner for health reasons. The last years of his life, the ex-Reich commissioner lived relatively calmly in his hometown, where he died in 1964 .

• Ernst Klee: Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. 2. Auflage, Frankfurt aM 2007, ISBN 978-3-596-16048-8 , S. 378 f.
• Jörg Fligge: Lübecker Schulen im “Dritten Reich”: eine Studie zum Bildungswesen in der NS-Zeit im Kontext der Entwicklung im Reichsgebiet , Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 2014, S. 980 ( Biographische Hinweise )

• Gegenwind Website - Der Judenmord im Reichskommissariat Ostland (Neopr.) . gegenwind.info. Date of treatment August 6, 2013. Archived on August 20, 2013.