Reichsleiter (German Reichsleiter; Imperial leader) – the highest party functionary who led one of the main spheres of the NSDAP.

As a rule, the Reichsleiter headed one of the main departments of the Nazi party in the system of the Imperial leadership of the NSDAP („Reichsleitung"). Rank Reichsleiter was appropriated at the discretion of Adolf Hitler personally and was not directly linked to the party position held by the functionary. It was a kind of title, denoting the belonging of its bearer to the highest elite of the Nazi party.

In total, before the collapse of Germany in 1945, it was assigned to 25 party leaders, in most cases after the Nazis came to power. Five of them were deprived of this title during the war (Baldur von Schirach, Rudolf Hess, Wilhelm Grimm, Hans Frank, Richard Walter Darre); three were killed (Ernst Rohm, Adolf H_nlein and Viktor Lutze).

On June 2, 1933, the rank of Reichsleiter received:


Max Amann – Imperial Head of the Press (Reich Minister of the Press)

Philip Buhler – Imperial Clerk (Reich Minister of Records Management)

Walter Buch – Chairman of the Investigative and Arbitration Committee (Schlichtungsausschuss und ein Untersuchungsausschuss)

Joseph Goebbels – Reich propaganda chief (Reich propaganda minister)

Rudolf Hess – Personal Adjutant of the Fuhrer and Commissioner of the NSDAP for Political Affairs (Reichsleiter for Political Affairs)

Heinrich Himmler – Reichsfuehrer SS

Wilhelm Grimm – Chairman of the 2nd Chamber

Richard Walter Darre – Reich Head of the Agrarian-Political Administration (Reich Minister of the Agrarian-Political Administration)

Otto Dietrich – Reich Press Chief (Reich Press Minister)

Robert Leigh – Reich Organizational Leader (Reichsleiter of the Organization)

Ernst Rohm – Chief of Staff of the SA



Alfred Rosenberg – Imperial Head of the Foreign Office (Reich Minister of the Foreign Policy Office)

Karl Filer – Reich Head of the Main Directorate of Municipal Policy of the NSDAP (Reichsleiter of the Main Directorate of the NSDAP

Hans Frank – Reich Head of the Legal Administration (Reich Minister of Legal Administration / Legal Office)

Franz Xaver Schwarz – Imperial Treasurer

Baldur von Schirach – Reich Youth Leader (Reichsfuehrer Youth)


On August 3, 1933, he became the Reichsleiter:


Franz Xaver von Epp Imperial Head of the Political-Military Directorate (Reich Minister of the VPU)


October 10, 1933:


Martin Bormann – Chief of Staff of the Deputy Fuehrer for the Party (Reichsleiter NSDAP)

Wilhelm Frick – leader of the NSDAP faction in the Reichstag (Reich representative)


June 30, 1934:


Viktor Lutze is the new Chief of Staff of the SA.


In subsequent years, the Reichsleiter became –

September 10, 1936:


Konstantin Hirl – Head of the Reich Labor Service (Reichsleiter Labor Service / Labor Front)


September 8, 1938:


Adolf H_nlein – Head of the National Socialist Automobile Corps (Reich Minister of the NSDAP Automobile Corps)


August 8, 1940


Arthur Axmann – Reich Youth Leader


1943:


Wilhelm Schepmann is the new Chief of Staff of the SA


In 1940, there were 20 Reichsleiters in the leadership of the Nazi Party:


Martin Bormann – Chief of Staff of the Deputy Fuehrer; (Reichsleiter NSDAP)

Max Amann – party publishing houses;

Philip Bowler – Chief of the Party Leader’s Office;

Walter Buch – Chairman of the Supreme Party Court of the NSDAP;

Richard Darre – Head of the Reich Administration of the NSDAP for Agrarian Policy;

Otto Dietrich – Press Secretary of the NSDAP;

Franz Xaver von Epp – Head of the Military Colonial Directorate of the NSDAP;

Karl Filer – Head of the Main Directorate of Municipal Policy of the NSDAP;

Hans Frank – Head of the Legal Department of the NSDAP; (Reichsleiter of Legal Office / Legal Office / Legal Office)

Wilhelm Frick – head of the NSDAP parliamentary faction in the Reichstag;

Joseph Goebbels – Head of the Reich Propaganda Office (Reichspropagandaleiter);

Constantin Hirl – Head of the Imperial Labor Service;

Heinrich Himmler – Reichsfuehrer SS

Adolf H_nlein – head of the National Socialist Automobile Corps (NSKK);

Robert Leigh – head of the NSDAP Organizational Directorate and at the same time – the head of the German Labor Front;

Viktor Lutze – Chief of Staff of the SA;

Alfred Rosenberg – Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the NSDAP and at the same time – the Fuhrer’s authorized representative to control the general spiritual and ideological education of the NSDAP;

Baldur von Schirach – leader of Hitler’s youth (Hitler Youth);

Franz Xaver Schwarz – Reich Treasurer of the NSDAP;

Wilhelm Grimm – Chairman of the 2nd Chamber of the Supreme Party Court of the NSDAP.


Buttonholes of the highest ranks of the NSDAP20: Bereichsleiter, 21: Oberbereichsleiter, 22: Hauptbereichsleiter, 23: Dienstleiter, 24: Oberdinsleiter, 25: Hauptdinstleiter, 26: Befelsleiter, 27: Oberbefelsleiter, 28: Hauptbefelsleiter, 28: Hauptbefelsleiter, 28: Hauptbefelsleiter, 28: Hauptbefelsleiter, 28: Hauptbefelsleiter,