Otto Drechsler
| Otto-Heinrich Drechsler | |
|---|---|
Nazi propaganda photograph of Otto-Heinrich Drechsler, as published in a Latvian newspaper (with original captions.)
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| Born |
1 April 1895 Lübz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
| Died | 5 May 1945 (aged 50) Lübeck, Germany |
| Occupation | Dentist, politician, Holocaust perpetrator |
Otto-Heinrich Drechsler (1 April 1895 – 5 May 1945) was the General Commissioner of Latvia for the Nazi Germany's occupation regime (Reichskommissariat Ostland) during World War II. In this capacity, he played a role in setting up the Riga ghetto and was implicated in the extermination of the Latvian Jews. He committed suicide on 5 May 1945, after being captured by the British forces.
Drechsler became an officer cadet (Fahnenjunker) in the Lübeck infantry regiment of the German Army in 1914. He was severely wounded and lost a leg. He was mustered out of the Reichswehr in 1920. During the Weimar Republic Drechsler began the study of dentistry, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Dental Arts. In this time, he became a member of the Nordic Union.
In 1925 Drechsler joined the Nazi party; later, he became supervisor ("Oberstaffelführer") of an SA motor pool.
From 1 August 1932 to 31 May 1933, Drechsler was acting Gauleiter (a high rank in the Nazi party) for the party district ("Gau") encompassing Mecklenburg and Lübeck. On 26 May 1933, Lübeck together with both Mecklenburgs was placed under the authority of a National Governor (Reichsstathalter) named Friedrich Hildebrandt. He assumed office Lübeck on 8 June 1933 and promoted his fellow veteran Drechsler as mayor (Bürgermeister) and Friedrich Völtzer as Senator for Finance and Economy. Additional senators included the Nazis Emil Bannemann (Labor and Welfare), Walther Schröder (Interior), Ulrich Burgstaller (Education and Theater) and Hans Böhmcker (Justice).
Between 1933 and 1937, Drechsler was mayor of Lübeck and President of the Senate of Lübeck as in the Prussian state council.
Starting 1 April 1937 he was the first "Senior Mayor of the Prussian Hansa City Lübeck Metropolitan Area ("Oberbürgermeister des preußischen Stadtkreises Hansestadt Lübeck"), and simultaneously from 17 July 1941 through 1944, as Commissioner General (Generalkommissar) for the Nazi occupation authority Reichskommissariat Ostland, he was responsible for the concentration camps in Latvia.
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