Wilhelm Weiß (journalist)

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Wilhelm White

William White (* 31 March 1892 in Stadtsteinach ; † 24. February 1950 in Wasserburg am Inn ) was during the time of National Socialism SA -Obergruppenführer and chief editor of People's Observer .

White came to journalism after the First World War through his work in the press department of the Bavarian War Ministry . He became involved in the nationalist movement early on and became an ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler's ideas . Before 1933, the year the NSDAP came to power, he was convicted of political offenses several times.

As soon as Hitler and the NSDAP were in power, Weiß organized the synchronization of the press. In some cases, however, he also ensured that journalists were allowed to keep their profession despite the editors' law .

However , he never questioned National Socialism .

Life

Training and First World War

After graduating from the Maximiliansgymnasium in Munich, which he only attended in the course of the final year, the son of the royal rentier a. D. Karl Weiß joined the Bavarian army in 1911 as a flagjunker . Promoted to lieutenant in 1913 , he was transferred from the foot artillery to the Metz fortress aviation detachment during the First World War in 1915 . During a reconnaissance flight, White was seriously wounded as an observer ; his left lower leg had to be amputated. Nevertheless, he was promoted to first lieutenant in 1917, before being transferred to the Bavarian War Ministry in 1918, shortly before the end of the war . In 1920 he was dismissed with the rank of characterized captain .

Already 1919, White was a member of the national leadership of the Bavarian Einwohnerwehr operated via which it to editor of the magazine in 1921 homeland was appointed an already strong Nazi- dominated periodical.

Career with the NSDAP

November 19, 1941: During a press conference, Wilhelm Weiß sits to the right of Alfred Rosenberg , who is standing at a table and speaking on the occasion of the public announcement of his new office as East Minister. To the left of Rosenberg is his representative Alfred Meyer .

In 1922 he was one of the first to join the NSDAP and also took part in the Hitler-Ludendorff putsch and the march on the Feldherrnhalle .

Between 1924 and 1926, Weiss was employed as editor-in-chief of the Völkischer Kurier and was editor-in-chief of the weekly Arminius in 1926 , before becoming head of the department of the Völkischer Beobachter (VB) in January 1927 .

A military career boost followed in 1930 when he was appointed SA-Oberführer in the staff of the Supreme SA Leadership (OSAF). At the same time, Weiß was appointed head of the SA press office. In addition to his work at the VB, from 1931 he also acted as editor-in-chief of the anti-Semitic magazine Brennessel and in 1932 became head of the central publication management of the central publishing house of the NSDAP .

It was not until 1933 that Weiß became deputy editor-in-chief of the VB, and from 1938, as successor to Alfred Rosenberg . Other important functions that he held were from 1933 to 1945 the management of the Reich Association of the German Press (RDP) and from March 1933 membership in the Reichstag (MdR).

Promoted to SA group leader in February 1934, he served as a member of the People's Court from July of the same year . In 1935, Weiß became a member of the Reichskultursenate and in 1936 chief office manager in the Reich leadership of the NSDAP. In 1937 he was promoted to SA Obergruppenführer.

After the end of the Nazi regime, Weiß was arrested and interned in 1945 as a Nazi burden. In 1949 he was sentenced to three years in a labor camp, thirty percent confiscation of property and ten years' professional ban before a Munich ruling chamber . As usual, internment detention was offset against the time penalty. Wilhelm Weiß died at the age of 57, before the decision of the Spruchkammer became final.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Paul Hoser: Völkischer Beobachter. In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria.
  2. ^ Annual report on the K. Maximilians-Gymnasium in Munich for the school year 1910/11
  3. ^ Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv IV , war ranking list 15451; digitized copy at ancestry.com, accessed July 3, 2018
  4. ^ Paul Hoser: Bavaria and Reich. German weekly. In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
personal data
SURNAME White, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (NSDAP), MdR, editor-in-chief of the Völkischer Beobachter
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Stadtsteinach
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 1950
Place of death Wasserburg am Inn