Hans Lammers was born on this day in 1879. He held the high position of Head of the Reich (German: Chef der Reichskanzlei). He was also a minister (Reichsminister), as the Head of the Reich, i.e. a member of Hitler’s cabinet (the government of the Third Reich). Lammers held the high rank of SS-Obergruppenführer (equivalent to a army corps general).
Since 1943, Lammers was also head of the German government during Hitler’s absence. Namely, Hitler had several services, which played the role of the secretariat. There were:
- Kanzlei des Führers – led by Philipp Bouhler,
- Reichskanzlei – headed by Hans Lammers,
- Präsidialkanzlei – headed by Otto Meissner,
- Parteikanzlei – headed by Martin Bormann.
The mentioned services fought for power. Lammers, Bormann, and Field Marshal Keitel (the head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) tried to organize a sort of triumvirate. Lammers would represent the country, Bormann the Nazi party, and Keitel the Army. The plan failed because of the lack of unity and opposition of the senior Nazis. After the war, Lammers was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released in 1952. He died in Düsseldorf.
