Korpsführer Erwin Kraus

[Mark Costa]

Included here for your viewing is a very rare unpublished photo from the National Archives of Korpsführer NSKK and Reichsleiter Erwin Kraus. Kraus is another of those very obscure men who held high rank in the Party. Kraus was an NSKK Obergruppenführer and head of the Techincal branch of the NSKK. He was promoted to succeed Adolf Huhnlein as Korpsführer, upon Hühnlein's death in June of 1942. He survived war and was imprisoned with the other top leaders for a short time -- after that, his whereabouts or his death is unknown.

If anyone has any further photos of Kraus or knows of his activities after the war or when he died, please advise. It would be much appreciated. To see a couple of other photos of Kraus check out Angolia's book on the NSKK/NSFK.

Thanks.

Mark

[Zachary]

Nice picture
What was the NSKK?
Regards,
Zachary

[Marcus]

Mark,

Thanks for sharing that photo.

/Marcus

[Marcus]

What was the NSKK?

From this very site:

The history of the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps (NSKK) began 1 Apr 1930 when the Nationalsozialistischen Automobil Korps (NSAK) was founded on the order of Martin Bormann. It was founded to organize all NSDAP-members who owned a car or motorcycle in a single nation-wide unit. The SturmAbteilung (SA) had organized these since 1928 in Kraftfahrstaffeln but these were poorly organized.
When the NSAK was formed the Kraftfahrstaffeln was not transferred to the NSAK but was reorganized as the Motor-SA. The members of Motor-SA was however automatically members of the NSAK, but not reverse. All commanders of NSAK were SA-officers but most of the regular members were not.
SA-Gruppenführer Adolf Hühnlein was made commander of the NSAK and suggested renaming it to the NSKK and this was accepted by SA-leader Ernst Röhm who was in the process of reorganizing the SA.
When Adolf Hitler became chancellor in 1933 the NSKK expanded rapidly to 30.000 members. After Röhm and the SA-leadership was murdered during the Night of long knives (30 June 1934) the Motor-SA became a part of the NSKK and it was made an independent organization.
The NSKK took over all german motorclubs Sep 1933 and expanded to 350.000 members.
After Austria was made a part of Germany Mar 1938 the NSKK expanded to over 500.000 members.
In 27 Jan 1939 the NSKK was made responsible for the training of drivers for the army in the NSKK Motor Sports Schools. When the war broke out the NSKK provided trasports for the construction of the Siegfried Line (the defenses along the western border), assisted in traffic condrol, resettlement of volksdeutsche from Soviet-controlled areas (in cooperation with the SchutzStaffel (SS) in the NSKK Kommando Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle), pre- and postmilitary training, assisting the armed forces with trasport etc.
When Adolf Hühnlein died in June 1942 the was replaced by NSKK-Obergruppenführer Erwin Kraus.

/Marcus

[Zachary]

Thanks Marcus

[Alex Dekker]

Kraus died in München, in 1966. He was fined after the war for 10.000 DM and in jail for three years.
See also
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=44566

[Alex Dekker]

Kraus also was inspector of the Volkssturm motorized forces. Does anyone know if he had any kids?

[Max Williams]

Hermann Höfle saw himself as Hühnlein's natural successor and he was bitterly disappointed not to succeed Hühnlein on the latter's death. I believe Kraus was selected more as a compromise between the various power bases who had their own champions. Höfle's disappointment led him to transfer to the SS, a decision which would later cost him his life.
Max.

[Helly Angel]

GREAT Info Marcus, Max, Alex and others!!!

[udondave]

Hi all,
I'm looking for information about Kraus serving in the 7. Panzer-Division under Rommel during the 1940 French Campaign.
Thank you,
Dave

[Mark Costa]

Dave:

I have been researching Kraus for over 50 years as he is one of my interests. I have never come across any reference to his being attached to the 7th Panzer Division. What can tell us about this or its source info. Thanks.

Mark Costa

[udondave]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your reply. I'm researching a new book on Rommel in France 1940 and came across this on the Net:

"He had brought with him as officers to the 7th Panzer Division several Nazi members of the Reichstag, including Kraus, the Chief of the Nazi Motor Corps (NSKK), and his financial adviser, Koebele, who later succeeded Julius Streicher as Gauleiter of Franken. And there was another man called Karl Holz, who had to remain a sergeant because he had twenty-four ‘previous convictions’-twenty-two of them ‘political’ and two criminal!"

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2018/08/1 ... -division/

I'd love to see some referenced sources to support this.

Cheers,

David Mitchelhill-Green

[allenstein]

As far as I know it was Karl Holz who succeeded Streicher as Gauleiter.

/Bengt

[WAR LORD]

Have any one the Party Number, date of Party Entery, date of birth of Korpsführer Erwin Kraus

[Mark Costa]

David:

Several NSKK units were attached to the Divisions during the French Campaign of 1940. Kraus and Kobele may have joined Rommel's staff as observers but certainly were not members of the division itself or were in the Wehrmacht. Huhnlein was known to visit the front and divisions at various times to review his NSKK units attached to the Wehrmacht. I am sure Kraus was doing the same in his capacity as Head of the NSKK Technical Office in 1940. And as Allenstein as stated above, it was Karl Holz who succeeded Streicher as Gauleiter and not Kobele. These errors make this source very questionable.

Mark Costa