Gau Westmark
The Gau Westmark was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Previous to that, since 1926, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party.
History
The Gau was originally established in the parts of Bavaria left of the river Rhine, the Palatinate (German:Pfalz). As such, it carried the name Gau Rheinpfalz. The territory of Oldenburgs Birkenfeld was also annexed to the Gau in 1934. With the return of the Saar Basin to Germany in 1935, the two regions were merged and formed the new Gau Pfalz-Saar. This Gau was renamed Gau Saarpfalz in 1937.
After the outbreak of the Second World War and the defeat of France in 1940, parts of Lorraine were added to the Gau and on 7 December 1940 it was again renamed, now Gau Westmark. Gauleiter Bürckel hoped that Westmark would be extended as far as Germany's future western border, especially keeping in mind the ore region of Briey-Longwy in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle..[1] Bürckel further laid claims to parts of Alsace and even Baden. The Gau, however, remained as such until the defeat of Germany in 1945.[1]
Gauleiter
See also
Sources
References
- ^ a b Kroener, Bernhard R.; Müller, Rolf-Dieter; Umbreit, Hans (2000). Germany and the Second World War:Organization and mobilization of the German sphere of power. Wartime administration, economy, and manpower resources 1939-1941. Oxford University Press. p. 169. ISBN 0198228872.