Friedrich Karl Florian
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Friedrich Karl Florian (4 February 1894 in Essen – 24 October 1975 in Mettmann) was the Gauleiter of Düsseldorf in Nazi Germany. He entered military service in August, 1914, as a Kriegsfreiwilliger and was assigned to Grenadier-Regiment 1 (Garrison: Königsberg). He served in the unit until 1916, when he volunteered for the Fliegertruppe and was assigned after training to Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 51 in Jagdgeschwader Richthofen. Shot down and captured by British troops in May, 1918, he was released from captivity in November, 1919.
He joined the NSDAP on 18.8.1925, member number 16,699.[1]. He worked as Gauleiter of the Düsseldorf Gau from 1 January 1930 to 8 May 1945 – seven days after Adolf Hitler's death. During this time, he was also a member of the Reichstag. On 1 May 1936, he was appointed to the Reich leadership. On 25 September 1933 he became an SA Gruppenführer, and on 30 January 1937 an SA Obergruppenführer.
During his stay in Düsseldorf, the racialist, right-wing journalist Lothrop Stoddard described Florian thus: "He was a distinctly sinister-looking type; hard-faced, with a cruel eye and a still crueler mouth. A sadist, if I ever saw one. I can imagine how unpopular he must be among the good-natured, kindly Duesseldorfers.'"[2]
Florian was sentenced to six years in prison after the war because of his rank in the Nazi Party and released in 1951. He remained a convinced Nazi after the war and maintained contact to former associates from the Nazi era.[3] He was charged with ordering the execution of five Düsseldorf citizens who had attempted to surrender the city to the US Army in April 1945 but was acquitted.[4]
Decorations and awards
- 1914 Iron Cross Second Class[5]
- Golden Party Badge, c.1933[6]
- Honour Chevron for the Old Guard, February 1934[6]
- The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords, 1934[6]
- Anschluss Medal, c.1938[6]
- Sudetenland Medal, c.1939[5]
Notes
- ^ Miller 2015, p. 405.
- ^ Stoddard, Lothrop (1940), Into the Darkness, Project Gutenberg Australia, 2003.
- ^ "ZEITGESCHICHTE / NATIONALSOZIALISTEN" [History/Nazis]. spiegel.de (in German). Der Spiegel. 8 May 1967. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ "Brauner im Bunker" [Brown man in the bunker]. zeit.de (in German). Die Zeit. 7 May 1971. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ a b Miller 2015, p. 415.
- ^ a b c d Miller 2015, p. 416.
References
- Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders Of The Nazi Party And Their Deputies, 1925-1945 (Herbert Albrecht-H. Wilhelm Huttmann)-Volume 1 by Michael D. Miller and Andreas Schulz R. James Bender Publishing, 2012.
- Miller, Michael (2015). Leaders Of The Storm Troops Volume 1. England: Helion & Company. ISBN 978-1-909982-87-1.
External links
- Picture of Friedrich Karl Florian
- Newspaper clippings about Friedrich Karl Florian in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
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