Reichsgau Sudetenland

History

In the course of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, on 30 September 1938 the Heads of Government of the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany signed the Munich Agreement, which enforced the cession of the Sudetenland to Germany. Czechoslovak representatives were not invited. On 1 October, invading Wehrmacht forces occupied the territory. The new Czechoslovak-German borders were officially fixed in a treaty on 21 November 1938. In consequence, the Czechoslovak Republic lost about one third of its population, its most important industrial area, and also its extended border fortifications.

Initially, the German Army (Heer) established a civil administration under occupational law. On 1 October 1938, Konrad Henlein was appointed Reichskommissar of Sudetenland; however he did not assume power until 20 October. The Sudeten German Party was merged into the Nazi Party, all other political parties were banned. The Czech population had to accept German citizenship or were expelled and forcibly relocated to the Czechoslovak rump state, which itself from March 1939 was occupied by Germany and incorporated as "Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia".

The Reichsgau was established by law of 25 March 1939, with effect from 15 April. The administrative structure was fixed on May 1. Smaller areas in the east, such as the Hlučín Region, were ceded to the Prussian Province of Silesia, while the western and southern Sudetenland territories were attached to the Bavarian Gau Bayreuth as well as to the Austrian Reichsgaue Oberdonau and Niederdonau.

After Germany's defeat in World War II, the Czechoslovak state was re-established and the Sudeten German population was expelled.

The Theresienstadt concentration camp was located in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, near the border to the Reichsgau Sudetenland. It was designed to concentrate the Jewish population from the Protectorate and gradually move them to extermination camps and also held Western European and German Jews. While not an extermination camp itself the harsh and unhygienic conditions still reuslted in the death of 33,000 of the 140,000 Jews brought to the camp while a further 88,000 were sent to extermination camps and only 19,000 survived.

Gauleiter

Administration

The Reichsgau Sudetenland was divided into three Regierungsbezirke. These were subdivided into 58 districts (Kreise), largely corresponding to the former Czechoslovak okresy:

Regierungsbezirk Aussig

President:

Urban districts

1. Aussig
2. Reichenberg

Rural districts

1. Aussig
2. Bilin
3. Böhmisch Leipa
4. Braunau
5. Brüx
6. Dauba
7. Deutsch Gabel
8. Dux
9. Friedland (Isergebirge)
10. Gablonz an der Neiße
11. Hohenelbe
12. Komotau
13. Leitmeritz
14. Reichenberg
15. Rumburg
16. Schluckenau
17. Teplitz-Schönau
18. Tetschen-Bodenbach
19. Trautenau
20. Warnsdorf

Regierungsbezirk Eger

President:

Urban districts

1. Eger
2. Karlsbad

Rural districts

1. Asch
2. Bischofteinitz
3. Eger
4. Elbogen
5. Falkenau an der Eger
6. Graslitz
7. Kaaden
8. Karlsbad
9. Luditz
10. Marienbad
11. Mies
12. Neudek
13. Podersam
14. Preßnitz
15. Saaz
16. Sankt Joachimsthal
17. Tachau
18. Tepl

Regierungsbezirk Troppau

President:

Urban districts

1. Troppau

Rural districts

1. Bärn
2. Freiwaldau
3. Freudenthal
4. Grulich
5. Hohenstadt
6. Jägerndorf
7. Landskron
8. Mährisch Schönberg
9. Mährisch Trübau
10. Neu Titschein
11. Römerstadt
12. Sternberg
13. Troppau
14. Wagstadt
15. Zwittau