German politician, born near Liberec, N Czech Republic. He was the leader in the agitation on the eve of World War 2 leading in 1938 to Germany's seizure of Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 to the institution of the German protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Gauleiter of Sudetenland (1938) and civil commissioner for Bohemia (193945), on Germany's subsequent defeat in the war he committed suicide when in US hands.
| Konrad Henlein | |
|---|---|
| 6 May 1898 - 10 May 1945 | |
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Konrad Henlein |
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| Place of birth | Maffersdorf |
| Place of death | Plzeň |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Years of service | 1938-1945 |
| Rank | Obergruppenführer |
| Commands | Gauleiter of the Sudetenland |
| Awards | Golden Party Badge |
Konrad Henlein (May 6, 1898 - May 10, 1945) was the most important pro-Nazi politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists. As Henlein pursued against mixed marriages after 1938, he was forced to change his mother's name from Dvořáček to Dworatschek, which sounded more German and thus was more comfortable for Henlein's career as a high Nazi official.
Leader of SdP
In the first half of the 1930s, Henlein made a pro-Czechoslovak and overtly anti-Nazi point in his public speeches and did not become a follower of Adolf Hitler until 1937, when the pro-German camp within the Sudeten-German Party (SdP) represented by Karl Hermann Frank emerged victorious. Henlein presented his party's policy as one striving to fulfill the "justified claims" of the then largely nazified German minority of Czechoslovakia. Since the turmoil was quickly suppressed by Czechoslovak forces, Henlein fled to Germany and made numerous intrusions into Czechoslovak territory as a commander of Sudeten German guerilla bands of Freikorps. SS-Obergruppenführer: June 21, 1943
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