Hinrich Lohse High-ranking figure of the NSDAP and the Third Reich Date of Birth: 02.09.1886 Country: Germany

Biography of Heinrich Lohse

Heinrich Lohse was a high-ranking official of the NSDAP and the Third Reich, and one of the organizers and leaders of the occupation regime in the USSR. He served as the Reich Commissioner of Ostland.

Early Life and Political Career:
Lohse was born on September 2, 1896, in Kiel, Germany. At the beginning of World War I, he was drafted into the army and fought on the Western Front. After Germany's defeat in the war, he worked as a bank clerk from 1919 to 1922. During this time, the NSDAP, a new and powerful political party, emerged. Lohse joined the party in early 1923 and became close with Gregor Strasser, one of its founders. Together, they helped transform the party from a small local organization to a significant political force in Germany.

Political Career and Rise in Power:
In 1925, Lohse became the Gauleiter of Schleswig-Holstein with the support of Strasser. However, due to internal party conflicts and the negative perception of the NSDAP after the Beer Hall Putsch, the party's activities were banned. Lohse rejoined the party in 1925 and began a series of appointments within the party. He became a member of the Landtag of Prussia and then served as the commissioner of the Hamburg district from 1928 to 1929. In the early 1930s, Lohse's career took off, and he was appointed as the inspector of the NSDAP in the Northern region in 1932.

Rise to Prominence:
In 1933, Lohse's career reached its peak. He was promoted to the rank of SA Obergruppenführer and appointed as the Oberpräsident of Schleswig-Holstein. He also became a Prussian State Councilor. In 1935, he was appointed as the Imperial Commissioner of Defense for the XI Military District. With the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Lohse felt that a significant promotion was awaiting him. On July 17, 1941, Lohse was appointed as the Reich Commissioner of the occupied Eastern territories, known as Ostland.

Actions as Reich Commissioner of Ostland:
During his time as Reich Commissioner, Lohse organized and oversaw numerous punitive actions against the civilian population. He actively recruited locals into auxiliary military and police formations that were involved in mass killings of Jews, resistance fighters, and Soviet prisoners of war. Lohse's headquarters was based in Riga, and under his command, millions of people were killed in the occupied territories.

Post-War Trial and Death:
In May 1945, as the Soviet forces advanced, Lohse fled from the Baltic region. He was removed from his position and arrested by the British authorities. In 1948, he stood trial for denazification in Belfort and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Lohse was released in 1951 due to health reasons. He spent his remaining years in his hometown and passed away in 1964. Lohse's subordinate, Friedrich Jeckeln, responsible for the Winter Magic operation in the Sebezh-Osveja-Polotsk area, was executed in Riga in 1946.