Paul Giesler (15 June 1895 – 8 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party functionary responsible for acts of brutality which included killing opponents of the regime in southern Germany. He first joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1922; he reenrolled on 1 January 1928 with Party number 72,741. From 1941 he was Gauleiter of Westphalia-South (Westfalen-Süd) and in 1942 was appointed to the position for the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria (Gau München-Oberbayern). From 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945 he was also Minister-President (Ministerpräsident) of Bavaria. Life and career The trained architect was from 1924 a Party speaker, from 1929 a Nazi Party district leader (Ortsgruppenleiter), and from January 1931 a member of the SA. In November 1933 he was elected to the Reichstag. During these early years he served chiefly in multiple SA leadership posts, rising to the rank of SA-Brigadeführer by 20 April 1934. During the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, he only narrowly missed being arrested and murdered. Brought up on charges before the Supreme Party Court, he was acquitted in April 1935. He resumed his SA career and, when the war began, he served in the Poland and France campaigns. Only from August 1941 did Giesler once again take up important Party functions, at Martin Bormann's instigation, first becoming Gauleiter of Gau Westphalia-South on 9 November 1941 and a member of the Prussian State Council. Then on 23 June 1942, he was made Acting Gauleiter of Munich-Upper Bavaria during Adolf Wagner's illness. Retaining his position in Westphalia-South, Giesler was in command of two Gaue until he turned over the Westphalia position to Albert Hoffmann on 26 January 1943. When Wagner died on 12 April 1944, Giesler was made permanent Gauleiter in Munich. After Ludwig Siebert's death on 1 November 1942, he was also appointed acting Ministerpräsident of Bavaria. He thus accumulated both high party and governmental offices. On 16 November 1942, he was appointed the Reich Defense Commissioner for both his Gaue. On 30 January 1943 he was promoted to SA-Obergruppenführer. In Munich, Giesler was known for speaking out against higher education for women, provoking student walk-outs of his speeches. He was also known for the capture and defeat of the White Rose (Weiße Rose) student resistance movement. In April 1945, he was appointed Reich Defense Commissioner - South and, in addition to his own Gau, was placed in charge of Gau Swabia,