Friedrich Karl Florian

Friedrich Karl Florian

Friedrich Karl Florian (4 February 1894 in Essen – 24 October 1975 in Mettmann) was the Gauleiter of Düsseldorf in Nazi Germany. He entered military service in August, 1914, as a Kriegsfreiwilliger and was assigned to Grenadier-Regiment 1 (Garrison: Königsberg). He served in the unit until 1916, when he volunteered for the Fliegertruppe and was assigned after training to Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 51 in Jagdgeschwader Richthofen. Shot down and captured by British troops in May, 1918, he was released from captivity in November, 1919.

He worked as Gauleiter of the Düsseldorf Gau from 1 January 1930 to 8 May 1945 – seven days after Adolf Hitler's death.

During this time, he was also a member of the Reichstag. On 1 May 1936, he was appointed to the Reich leadership. On 25 September 1933 he became an SA Gruppenführer, and on 30 January 1937 an SA Obergruppenführer.

During his stay in Düsseldorf, the racialist, right-wing journalist Lothrop Stoddard described Florian thus: "He was a distinctly sinister-looking type; hard-faced, with a cruel eye and a still crueler mouth. A sadist, if I ever saw one. I can imagine how unpopular he must be among the good-natured, kindly Duesseldorfers.'"

References

• Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders Of The Nazi Party And Their Deputies, 1925-1945 (Herbert Albrecht-H. Wilhelm Huttmann)-Volume 1 by Michael D. Miller and Andreas Schulz R. James Bender Publishing, 2012.

External links

• Picture of Friedrich Karl Florian