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Karl HankeParty leader of the Third Reich, last leader of the SS
Date of Birth: 24.08.1903
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Karl Hanke
Karl Hanke was a prominent figure in the Third Reich and the last leader of the SS. He was born on August 24, 1903, in Lauban, Silesia, into a family of an electric locomotive driver. His older brother was killed during World War I. While Hanke was too young to go to war, he served in the Reichswehr in the early 1920s as a "temporary volunteer" in the 19th Infantry Regiment in Frankfurt on the Oder. After being demobilized in August 1921, Hanke began his education at the German Flour School in Dippoldiswalde. After graduating in 1923, he spent a year practicing in the grain milling industry and then three years as a manager at various mills in Silesia, Tyrol, and Bavaria. Hanke joined the Nazi Party in early November 1928 and started his National Socialist career as a master miller in a school in Berlin-Steglitz. In 1929, he joined the SA and remained a member until 1931.
Political Career
In April 1931, Hanke was dismissed from a professional technical school in Prussia due to his political beliefs, which led him to fully dedicate himself to the Nazi Party. By the end of the year, he became a Kreisleiter in West Berlin under the command of Berlin Gauleiter, Joseph Goebbels. In 1932, he was appointed as the leader of the organization department in the party district and on April 1, he was appointed as Goebbels' personal adjutant and advisor. As the Kreisleiter of West Berlin, Hanke was the first to establish contact with the young architect Albert Speer, who would later bring Hitler's visions to life. Speer and Hanke became close friends. After being elected to the German parliament, the Reichstag, representing Potsdam, Hanke held his seat until the end of World War II.
Minister of Propaganda
After the Nazi seizure of power and parliamentary elections in March 1933, Goebbels established the Ministry of Propaganda, where Hanke became his personal assistant. In 1938, he was appointed as the State Secretary of the ministry. In 1939, while serving in the military, Hanke participated in the Polish campaign. Hanke, who maintained a close relationship with Goebbels' wife, Magda, demanded the resignation of the minister during a scandal involving Goebbels and actress Lida Baarova, with whom he was having an affair. In May and June 1940, Hanke served under General Erwin Rommel in the 7th Panzer Division in France and was demobilized from the German army with the rank of Oberleutnant and Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class.
Gauleiter of Lower Silesia
In February 1941, thanks to Hitler's personal preference, Hanke became the Gauleiter and Oberpräsident of Lower Silesia. As a prominent enforcer of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, Hanke promoted Nazi policies with fanatical zeal. He ordered the execution of over 1000 people in Breslau, earning him the nickname "The Executioner of Breslau." Hanke also became known for his long-term affair with Baroness Freida von Fircks, the daughter of a professor at the University of Berlin. They married on November 25, 1944, and their only daughter was born in December 1943. In 1945, while in Silesia, Hanke, disguised as an SS officer, was captured by Czech partisans. On the morning of June 8, he attempted to escape from the prisoner of war camp, but was shot in the back by one of the guards. Hanke died on the spot. According to another version, the Czechs did not capture him – they immediately beat him to death.
