Generalbezirk Estland

Generalbezirk Estland (German for "General District Estonia"; Estonian: Eesti kindralkomissariaat) was an administrative subdivision of the Reichskommissariat Ostland of Nazi Germany that covered Estonia from 1941 to 1944. It served as the Nazi civilian administration for the German occupation of Estonia during World War II, and supervised the collaborationist Estonian Self-Administration of Hjalmar Mäe.

Karl-Siegmund Litzmann was the only Generalkommissar of Generalbezirk Estland during its existence.

Organization and structure

Generalbezirk Estland was established in Estonia on 5 December 1941, the last of the four administrative districts of Reichskommissariat Ostland to be formally created. It was organized on the territory of German-occupied Estonia, which had until then been under the military administration of the Wehrmacht's Army Group North Rear Area and its commander Franz von Roques during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In the autumn of 1941, Roques had begun to form the Estonian Self-Administration, a puppet state composed of Estonian collaborators to govern the country. The ceremony was held to officially transfer power to Hjalmar Mäe of the Estonian Self-Administration and Karl-Siegmund Litzmann of Generalbezirk Estland from Martin Matthiessen, a representative of Hinrich Lohse, the Reichskommissar of Reichskommissariat Ostland.

The capital of Generalbezirk Estland was Reval (Tallinn) and the administration was headquartered at the Kadriorg Palace.

Administrative divisions

Generalbezirk Estland had 7 subdivisions called Kreisgebiete (County Areas). The seat of administration is in parentheses.