# Generalbezirk Litauen

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Nazi German occupation regime in Lithuania

Generalbezirk Litauen Lietuvos generalinė sritis (Lithuanian) Generalbezirk of the Reichskommissariat Ostland 1941–1944 Flag Emblem Map of Generalbezirk Litauen (in shades of purple) within the Reichskommissariat Ostland Capital Kauen Area • 1942 67,056 km2 (25,890 sq mi) Population • 1942 2,844,000 Government Civil administration Generalkommissar • 1941–1944 Adrian von Renteln SS and Police Leader • 1941-1943 Lucian Wysocki • 1943-1944 Hermann Harm • 1944 Kurt Hintze Historical era World War II • Established 25 July 1941 • Disestablished 1 August 1944 Political subdivisions 6 Kreisgebiete Kauen-Land Kauen-Stadt Ponewesch Schaulen Wilna-Land Wilna-Stadt Preceded by Succeeded by Lithuanian SSR Lithuanian SSR Today part of Lithuania Belarus

***Generalbezirk Litauen*** ([Lithuanian](/source/Lithuanian_language): *Lietuvos generalinė sritis*, lit. 'General District Lithuania') was an [administrative subdivision](/source/Administrative_division) of the *[Reichskommissariat Ostland](/source/Reichskommissariat_Ostland)* of [Nazi Germany](/source/Nazi_Germany) that covered [Lithuania](/source/Lithuania) from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi [civilian](/source/Civil_authority) administration for the [German occupation of Lithuania](/source/German_occupation_of_Lithuania_during_World_War_II) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II).

[Adrian von Renteln](/source/Adrian_von_Renteln) was the only *[Generalkommissar](/source/Reich_Ministry_for_the_Occupied_Eastern_Territories)* of Generalbezirk Litauen during its existence.

## Organization and structure

*Generalbezirk Litauen* was established in [Lithuania](/source/Lithuania) on 25 July 1941, as one of the [administrative districts](/source/Administrative_districts) of *[Reichskommissariat Ostland](/source/Reichskommissariat_Ostland)* along with *[Generalbezirk Lettland](/source/Generalbezirk_Lettland)*. It was organized on the territory of [German-occupied Lithuania](/source/German_occupation_of_Lithuania_during_World_War_II), which had until then been under the military administration of the *[Wehrmacht](/source/Wehrmacht)'s* [Army Group North Rear Area](/source/Army_Group_North_Rear_Area). By 1 August 1941, in the wake of further German gains, it expanded to its full extent, when the areas around [Vilnius](/source/Vilnius) were added. The capital of *Generalbezirk Litauen* was [Kauen](/source/Kaunas) (Kaunas).[1]

## Administrative divisions

*Generalbezirk Litauen* had 6 subdivisions called *Kreisgebiete* (County Areas). The seat of administration is in parentheses.[1]

- Kauen-Land ([Kaunas](/source/Kaunas))

- Kauen-Stadt (Kaunas)

- Ponewesch ([Panevėžys](/source/Panev%C4%97%C5%BEys))

- Schaulen ([Šiauliai](/source/%C5%A0iauliai))

- Wilna-Land ([Vilnius](/source/Vilnius))

- Wilna-Stadt (Vilnius)

## Civil and police leadership

Civil administration was led by a *Generalkommissar* (General Commissioner) directly appointed by [Adolf Hitler](/source/Adolf_Hitler), and who reported to Ostland *[Reichskommissar](/source/Reichskommissar)* [Hinrich Lohse](/source/Hinrich_Lohse), headquartered in [Riga](/source/Riga).[2] In addition, police and security matters were overseen by an [SS and Police Leader](/source/SS_and_Police_Leader) (SSPF) directly appointed by *[Reichsführer-SS](/source/Reichsf%C3%BChrer-SS)* [Heinrich Himmler](/source/Heinrich_Himmler), and who reported to the Higher SS and Police Leader (HSSPF) *Ostland und Russland-Nord* in Riga, SS-*[Gruppenführer](/source/Gruppenf%C3%BChrer)* [Hans-Adolf Prützmann](/source/Hans-Adolf_Pr%C3%BCtzmann) until 1 November 1941, and SS-*[Obergruppenführer](/source/Obergruppenf%C3%BChrer)* [Friedrich Jeckeln](/source/Friedrich_Jeckeln) after that date.[3]

- *Generalkommissar*: Dr. [Adrian von Renteln](/source/Adrian_von_Renteln) (25 July 1941 – August 1944).[2]

- [SS and Police Leader](/source/SS_and_Police_Leader): SS-*[Brigadeführer](/source/Brigadef%C3%BChrer)* [Lucian Wysocki](/source/Lucian_Wysocki) (11 August 1941 – 2 July 1943); SS-*Brigadeführer* [Hermann Harm](/source/Hermann_Harm) (2 July 1943 – 8 April 1944); SS-*Brigadeführer* [Kurt Hintze](/source/Kurt_Hintze) (8 April – 15 September 1944).[3]

## Holocaust

Main article: [The Holocaust in Lithuania](/source/The_Holocaust_in_Lithuania)

Following the German invasion in June 1941, the death squads of *[Einsatzgruppe](/source/Einsatzgruppe)* A and their [Lithuanian collaborators](/source/Collaboration_with_Nazi_Germany_and_Fascist_Italy), including the [Lithuanian Security Police](/source/Lithuanian_Security_Police), immediately began the systematic murder of [Lithuanian Jews](/source/Lithuanian_Jews). Out of approximately 208,000 to 210,000 Jews, an estimated 190,000 to 195,000 were murdered before the end of the war, most between June and December 1941. More than 95% of Lithuania's Jewish population was massacred over the three-year German occupation, representing a more complete destruction than befell any other country affected by the Holocaust.[4]

## Dissolution

On 28 July 1944, the [Red Army](/source/Red_Army) launched the [Kaunas offensive](/source/Kaunas_offensive) as part of [Operation Bagration](/source/Operation_Bagration), and *Generalbezirk Litauen* effectively ceased to exist when the city fell on 1 August. Administration of those parts of Lithuania still under German occupation reverted to military administration of [Army Group North](/source/Army_Group_North) under the command of *[General der Infanterie](/source/General_of_the_Infantry_(Germany))* [Johannes Frießner](/source/Johannes_Frie%C3%9Fner). Renteln disappeared during the German collapse, reportedly being captured by the Red Army and subsequently executed in the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) in 1946, but this is unconfirmed.[5] According to another account, Renteln managed to successfully escape to [South America](/source/South_America).[6]

## See also

- [German occupation of Lithuania during World War II](/source/German_occupation_of_Lithuania_during_World_War_II)

- [The Holocaust in Lithuania](/source/The_Holocaust_in_Lithuania)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-territory_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-territory_1-1) [Generalbezirk Litauen](http://www.territorial.de/ostl/litauen/lita.htm) in [Territorial changes in Germany and German administered areas, 1874-1945](http://www.territorial.de/index.htm) Retrieved 26 May 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-miller_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-miller_2-1) Michael D. Miller & Andreas Schulz: Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925–1945, Volume 2 (Georg Joel - Dr. Bernhard Rust), R. James Bender Publishing, 2017, p. 249, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-932-97032-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-932-97032-6).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-yerger_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-yerger_3-1) Yerger, Mark C.: Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS (Schiffer Publishing Ltd.), 1997, pp. 23, 44, 59. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7643-0145-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7643-0145-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bubnys_vanished219_4-0)** Bubnys, Arūnas (2004). ["Holocaust in Lithuania: An Outline of the Major Stages and Their Results"](https://books.google.com/books?id=mdXRKbcyi5oC&pg=PA219). *The Vanished World of Lithuanian Jews*. Rodopi. pp. 218–219. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-90-420-0850-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-420-0850-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Ernst Klee: Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945, Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt-am-Main, 2007, p.492 [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-596-16048-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-596-16048-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Christoph Dieckmann: *Überlegungen zur deutschen Besatzungsherrschaft in Osteuropa 1941–1944: das Beispiel Litauen.* In: *Annaberger Annalen.* 5 (1997), p.41.

v t e The Holocaust in Lithuania Main article The Holocaust Related articles by country Belarus Estonia Latvia Poland Russia Slovakia Ukraine People Perpetrators and collaborators Algimantas Dailidė Erich Ehrlinger Joachim Hamann Karl Jäger Bruno Kittel Algirdas Klimaitis Aleksandras Lileikis Hinrich Lohse Franz Murer Jonas Noreika Mike Pasker Helmut Rauca Adrian von Renteln Rudolf Joachim Seck Franz Walter Stahlecker Martin Weiss Victims and resistance Chaim Yellin Alexander Bogen Josef Glazman Jay M. Ipson Shmerke Kaczerginski Zelig Kalmanovich Vitka Kempner Rozka Korczak Abba Kovner Ephraim Oshry Abraham Sutzkever Elchonon Wasserman Yitzhak Wittenberg Jacob Wygodzki Wolf Durmashkin Rescuers Kazys Binkis Anna Borkowska Petronėlė Lastienė Bronislovas Paukštys Karl Plagge Antanas Poška Ona Šimaitė Anton Schmid Chiune Sugihara Jan Zwartendijk Groups Perpetrators Einsatzgruppen Lithuanian Auxiliary Police battalions Lithuanian Security Police Rollkommando Hamann TDA battalions Ypatingasis būrys Resistance Fareinigte Partizaner Organizacje Paper Brigade Events Jäger Report Kaunas June 1941 Kaunas 29 October 1941 Ninth Fort November 1941 Ponary Švenčionėliai Places HKP 562 forced labor camp Kailis forced labor camp Kauen concentration camp Kovno Ghetto Lukiškės Prison Marcinkonys Ghetto Ninth Fort Šiauliai Ghetto Švenčionys Ghetto Vilna Ghetto Occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany History of the Jews in Lithuania List of Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations Songs of the Vilna Ghetto

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Generalbezirk Litauen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalbezirk_Litauen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalbezirk_Litauen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.