Bruno Gustav Scherwitz
Bruno Gustav Scherwitz was a German Nazi Party official who served as the Gauleiter of Gau East Prussia in the Party's early years, until he was removed from that post and expelled from the Party. During the Second World War, he served as a Luftwaffe officer from 1939 to 1942 when he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Stalingrad.
Early life
Scherwitz was born in Labiau in East Prussia, the son of a locksmith and factory owner. He was educated in the local Volksschule and Gymnasium until 1914. On the outbreak of the First World War, he entered military service with the Imperial German Army as a one-year volunteer. He fought with Reserve Infantry Regiment 204, and attained the rank of Leutnant of reserves. He was wounded in action and awarded the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class and the Wound Badge, in black. Returning to civilian life after the war, he was employed as a salesman.Nazi Party career
On 10 September 1925, Scherwitz became a member of the Nazi Party. He was a participant in the founding assembly of Gau East Prussia on 6 December 1925 in Königsberg. When the first Gauleiter of East Prussia, Wilhelm Stich, was unable to solve the financial problems of the Gau, he was removed from office. On 1 February 1926, Scherwitz was appointed as the new Gauleiter by Gregor Strasser, who at the time was the chief organizer for the Party in northern Germany.However, in March 1927, Scherwitz was removed from his post. He was succeeded by Hans Albert Hohnfeldt, the Gauleiter of the neighboring Free City of Danzig, who took over temporarily as acting Gauleiter. Furthermore, on 27 September 1927 Scherwitz was expelled from the Party in a decree issued by Adolf Hitler. This notice of expulsion was published in the Völkische Beobachter on 5 October.