Reichsprotektors

The Reichsprotektor was an administrative title used in Nazi Germany to denote the governor of a Reich Protectorate. The most prominent and infamous Reich Protectorate was the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, established in 1939 after the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. The office of Reich Protector was held by high-ranking Nazi Party officials who exercised considerable authority over the occupied territories.

The Reich Protector was subordinate to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party leadership, but within the protectorate, they held significant power. Their role involved overseeing the political, economic, and security affairs of the region. This included implementing Nazi racial policies, suppressing dissent, and exploiting the resources of the protectorate for the benefit of the German Reich. The Reich Protector was typically supported by a deputy, known as the State Secretary, who handled the day-to-day administration.

The first Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia was Konstantin von Neurath, a nominal figurehead who was later sidelined. His successor, Reinhard Heydrich, was a far more brutal and effective administrator who ruthlessly implemented Nazi policies. Heydrich's assassination in 1942 led to a period of intense reprisal and further tightened Nazi control. The title of Reich Protector symbolized the direct imposition of German rule and the subjugation of the local populations. The office was abolished with the end of World War II.