Otto-Heinrich Drechsler (1 April 1895 – 5 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who served as the General Commissioner of Latvia for the Nazi Germany's occupation regime (Reichskommissariat Ostland) during World War II. In this capacity, he played a role in setting up the Riga ghetto and was implicated in the extermination of Latvian Jews. He committed suicide on 5 May 1945, after being captured by British forces.
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👉 Otto-Heinrich Drechsler in the context of German occupation of the Baltic states during World War II
After the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states were under military occupation by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. Initially, many Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians considered the Germans liberators from the Soviet Union. The Balts hoped for the restoration of independence, but instead, the Germans established a provisional government. During the occupation, the Germans carried out discrimination, mass deportations, and mass killings, generating Baltic resistance movements.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Otto-Heinrich Drechsler
- 👉 Otto-Heinrich Drechsler in the context of German occupation of the Baltic states during World War II
- Otto-Heinrich Drechsler in the context of Generalbezirk Lettland
Otto-Heinrich Drechsler in the context of Generalbezirk Lettland
Generalbezirk Lettland (German for "General District Latvia"; Latvian: Latvijas ģenerālapgabals) was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered Latvia from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Latvia during World War II, and supervised the collaborationist Latvian Self-Administration of Oskars Dankers.
Otto-Heinrich Drechsler was the only Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Lettland during its existence.
View the full Wikipedia page for Generalbezirk Lettland