17 Dec. 45
The Ortsgruppenleiter was the local chapter leader. The
area of the Ortsgruppenleiter was comprised of one or more communes, or,
in a town, a certain district. The Ortsgruppe was composed of a
combination of blocks and cells according to local circumstances, and
contained up to 1,500 households. The Ortsgruppenleiter also had a staff
of office leaders to assist him in the various functional activities of
the Party. All other Political Leaders in his area of responsibility
were subordinate to and under the direction of the Ortsgruppenleiter.
For example, the leaders of the various affiliated organizations of the
Party, within his area, such as the German Labor Front and the Nazi
organizations for lawyers, students, and civil servants, were all
subordinate to the Ortsgruppenleiter. In accordance with the Führerprinzip
the Ortsgruppenleiter, or local chapter leaders, were appointed by the
Gauleiter and were directly under and subordinate to the Kreisleiter.
The Party manual provides as follows with reference to the
Ortsgruppenleiter, and I quote from Pages 16 and 17 of Document 1893-PS:
"As Hoheitsträger" —
bearer of sovereignty — "he is competent for all expressions
of the Party will; he is responsible for the political and ideological
leadership and organization within his zone of sovereignty.
"The Ortsgruppenleiter carries the over-all responsibility for
the political results of all measures initiated by the offices,
organizations, and affiliated association of the Party....
"The Ortsgruppenleiter has the right to protest to the
Kreisleiter against any measures contrary to the interests of the
Party with regard to a united political appearance in public."
The Zellenleiter was responsible for from four to eight blocks. He was
the immediate superior of, and had control and supervision over, the
Blockleiter. His mission and duties, according to the Party manual,
corresponded to the missions of the Blockleiter. I quote from the last
paragraph of Page 15, just one line of that same document: "The
missions of the cell-leader correspond to the missions of the
block-leader."
The Blockleiter was the one Party official who was peculiarly in a
position to have continuous contact with the German people. The block
was the lowest unit in the Party pyramidal organization. The block of
the Party comprised 40 to 60 households and was regarded by the Party as
the focal point upon which to press the weight of its propaganda. I
quote from Pages 13 and 14 of this same document:
"The household is the basic community
upon which the block and cell system is built. The household is the
organizational focal point of all Germans united in an apartment, and
includes roomers, domestic help, et cetera .... The
Blockleiter has