Gau Weser-Ems

The Gau Weser-Ems, formed on 1 October 1928, was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the core part of the Free State of Oldenburg, the state of Bremen and the western parts of the Prussian Province of Hanover. Before that, from 1928 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

Gau Weser-Ems
Gau of Nazi Germany
1928–1945
Flag of Gau Weser-Ems
Flag

CapitalOldenburg
History
Government
Gauleiter 
• 1928–1942
Carl Röver
• 1942–1945
Paul Wegener
History 
1 October 1928
8 May 1945
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Free State of Oldenburg
Bremen (state)
Province of Hanover
Lower Saxony
Bremen (state)
Today part ofGermany

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.[1]

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, with little interference from above. Local Gauleiters often held government positions as well as party ones and were in charge of, among other things, propaganda and surveillance and, from September 1944 onward, the Volkssturm and the defense of the Gau.[1][2]

The position of Gauleiter in Weser-Ems was held by Carl Röver from 1 October 1928 to his death on 15 May 1942, followed by Paul Wegener from 16 May 1942 to 8 May 1945.[3][4][5] Röver, the original Gauleiter, was initially an early supporter of Adolf Hitler in the state of Oldenburg but lost in influence as the years progressed and died in hospital in Berlin under not fully established circumstances.[6] Wegener, his successor, survived the war and died in 1993.

Allied invasion and occupation

Near the end of World War II, the Gau was invaded by the western allies, who would gradually capture its territory until May 1945. The timeline of the allied advance is detailed in the table below.

Date of capture Settlement Reference
2 April 1945 Nordhorn [7]
3-5 April 1945 Lingen [8]
5 April 1945 Bathorn
5 April 1945 Emlichheim [9]
5 April 1945 Neuenhaus [9]
6 April 1945 Schuttorf [10]
7 April 1945 Emsbüren [11]
8 April 1945 Meppen [12]
10 April 1945 Wippingen [13]
12 April 1945 Oberlangen
12 April 1945 Wesuwe [14]
13 April 1945 Cloppenburg [15]
16 April 1945 Rhede [16]
18 April 1945 Bunde [17]
27 April 1945 Bremen [18]
29 April 1945 Leer [17]
3 May 1945 Oldenburg [19]
4 May 1945 Norden
5 May 1945 Südbrookmerland
5 May 1945 Emden [17]
5 May 1945 Krummhörn [20]
8 May 1945 Norderney [21]
11 May 1945 Borkum [22]
11 May 1945 Juist [23]

References
  1. "Die NS-Gaue" [The Nazi Gaue]. dhm.de (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  2. "The Organization of the Nazi Party & State". nizkor.org. The Nizkor Project. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  3. "Übersicht der NSDAP-Gaue, der Gauleiter und der Stellvertretenden Gauleiter zwischen 1933 und 1945" [Overview of Nazi Gaue, the Gauleiter and assistant Gauleiter from 1933 to 1945]. zukunft-braucht-erinnerung.de (in German). Zukunft braucht Erinnerung. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  4. "Gau Weser-Ems". verwaltungsgeschichte.de (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  5. "Gau Weser-Ems der NSDAP".
  6. "Röver, Carl (Karl) Georg". deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Bavarian State Library. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. Nordhorn, Stadt (2020-04-02). "Befreiung vor 75 Jahren". Stadt Nordhorn (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  8. p599452 (2021-11-30). "Kriegsende in Lingen". Heimatverein Lingen (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  9. "Geschichtspfad 6-12". www.lan-neugnadenfeld.de. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  10. "Enschede in de tweede wereldoorlog". www.secondworldwar.nl. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  11. noz.de (2005-03-29). "(Plus) Emsbüren 1945: Heftige Detonation in Langer | NOZ". noz.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  12. 1945 – Einmarsch in den Landkreis Meppen. In: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung vom 6. April 2015, abgerufen am 20. Oktober 2016.
  13. "Kriegsende in Wippingen am 10. April 1945 – Hallo-Wippingen" (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  14. "Kriegsgefangenen in Wietmarschen erhalten ihre Namen zurück". GN-Online (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  15. Chronology, 1941-1945. Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army. 1960.
  16. McGilvray, Evan (2022-07-20). First Polish Armoured Division 1938-47: A History. Pen and Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-5267-2418-2.
  17. Kolbe: Als alles von vorne begann. 1945/1946. S. 15.
  18. Wend, Henry B. (2001-07-30). Recovery and Restoration: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Politics of Reconstruction of West Germany's Shipbuilding Industry, 1945-1955. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-96990-5.
  19. NWZonline.de (2020-01-08). "Die letzten Kriegstage vor 75 Jahren". www.nwzonline.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  20. Rudolf Nassua: Das Kriegsende in Ostfriesland (PDF; 57 kB), Protokoll des Treffens der Arbeitsgruppe der Ortschronisten der Ostfriesischen Landschaft am 13. Mai 2005 im alten Lesesaal der Landschaftsbibliothek Aurich, eingesehen am 30. August 2010.
  21. "Geschichte von Norderney - Norderney Zimmerservice". www.norderney-zs.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-16.
  22. Madsen, Chris (2020-05-05). The Royal Navy and German Naval Disarmament 1942-1947. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-22365-6.
  23. "Naamloos document". www.degroot-juist-altona.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.

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