Paul Giesler

Paul Giesler
Giesler in 1943
Gauleiter of Gau Westphalia-South
In office
9 November 1941 – 26 January 1943
Preceded byJosef Wagner
Succeeded byAlbert Hoffmann
Gauleiter of Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria
In office
23 June 1942 – 8 May 1945
Preceded byAdolf Wagner
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Ministerpräsident of Bavaria
In office
2 November 1942 – 28 April 1945
Preceded byLudwig Siebert
Succeeded byFritz Schäffer
Reichsminister of the Interior
In office
30 April 1945 – 2 May 1945
Appointed byAdolf Hitler
PresidentKarl Dönitz
ChancellorJoseph Goebbels
Preceded byHeinrich Himmler
Succeeded byWilhelm Stuckart
Personal details
Born
Paul Heinrich Hermann Giesler

(1895-06-15)15 June 1895
Siegen, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died8 May 1945(1945-05-08) (aged 49)
Stanggaß [de], Bavaria, Nazi Germany
Cause of deathSuicide
NationalityGerman
Political partyNazi Party
RelativesHermann Giesler (brother)
Alma materDarmstadt University of Applied Sciences
Technische Universität Darmstadt
ProfessionArchitect
Civilian awardsGolden Party Badge
Military service
Allegiance German Empire
 Nazi Germany
Branch/serviceRoyal Prussian Army
German Army
Years of service1914–1918
1939–1940
RankLeutnant of reserves
Hauptmann of reserves
Unit1st Foot Guards Regiment
2nd Foot Guards Regiment
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
Military awardsIron Cross 1st and 2nd class
Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class
War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class
Wound Badge

Paul Giesler (15 June 1895 – 8 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party politician and SA-Obergruppenführer. From 1941, he was the Gauleiter of Westphalia-South, and he was appointed to the same position for the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria in 1942. From 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945, he was also Ministerpräsident of Bavaria. He was responsible for multiple acts of brutality, which included killing opponents of the regime in southern Germany. Giesler was also named in Hitler's Political Testament as Interior Minister, replacing Heinrich Himmler, in the short-lived Goebbels Cabinet. He committed suicide together with his wife in the closing days of the war in Europe.