Hans Nieland Hans Heinrich Nieland ( October 3 , 1900 in Hagen – August 29 , 1976 in Reinbek near Hamburg ) was a politician of the German Nazi - Party ( NSDAP ) and Lord Mayor of Dresden from 1940 until 1945 . Life . Nieland was drafted into the Imperial Army in June 1918 just after his final examinations at modern grammar school . He remained a soldier until one month after the end of World War I ( discharge in December 1918 ) . From February 1919 he studied jurisprudence and economic science in Göttingen and Hamburg . After the end of his studies in July 1922 he worked as a commercial clerk for three years in two Hamburg export firms . Hereupon followed a job training in the local and provincial administration . Afterwards Nieland went to the small town Kirchhörde ( which now forms part of Dortmund ) as a candidate for the career of a Westphalian bailiff . His political career started as a head of the district authority in his native town Hagen , later on Nieland became district president in Münster . In June 1925 he completed his political science dissertation on the topic " " The power as a governmental concept of law : at the same time an analysis of the German Reich ' s constitutional law situation under the rule of the Versailles Treaty " " ( German : " " Die Macht als staatlicher Rechtsbegriff : Zugleich eine Untersuchung über die staatsrechtliche Stellung des Deutschen Reiches unter der Herrschaft des Versailler Vertrages " " ) . In January 1926 Hans Nieland joined the NSDAP ( membership number 33 333 ) , became " Bezirksführer " ( ) at home and then " Sektionsführer " ( ) in Hamburg . Moreover he entered the SS ( membership number 61 702 ) , was promoted " SS Major General " Brigadeführer on January 30 , 1939 and achieved his assignment to the " Staff SS Upper Sector " Elbe " " ( German : " Stab SS - Oberabschnitt " Elbe " " ) on November 9 , 1944 . From November 1926 until March 1928 he applied himself to law studies again in Münster and Göttingen . In December 1928 he became an intern with the Altona legal authorities . On September 14 , 1930 he was elected Member of the Reichstag for the Hamburg constituency . On May 1 , 1931 Hans Nieland was appointed Leader of the " NSDAP Foreign Organization " ( , abbreviated : NSDAP / AO ) , which was founded in Hamburg , by NSDAP " Reichsorganisationsleiter " ( ) Gregor Strasser . Nieland already resigned from this party office on May 8 , 1933 because he had acceeded more important duties in the meantime . As from March 5 , 1933 he was head of the Hamburg police authority for a short time and since May 18 , 1933 member of the Hamburg provincial government . Nieland assumed the Hamburg revenue office in May 1933 . Additionally , he directed parts of the Administration for Economics , Technology and Labour since November 1934 . After the Groß - Hamburg Gesetz came into force in April 1937 Nieland was awarded the title Senator and the position of a city treasurer for life . In February 1940 he was appointed Lord Mayor of regional capital Dresden at the suggestion of " Reichsstatthalter " ( ) Martin Mutschmann by Reich Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick . After the heavy air raids of February 13 and 14 , 1945 , which destroyed the baroque historic section totally , Nieland left precipitously Dresden on February 23 , 1945 , disappeared completely for 8 days and turned up in Berlin on March 3 , 1945 . From June 2 , 1945 until February 21 , 1948 Nieland was detained in several British detention centers , for example in Neumünster - Gadeland and in " Civil Internment Camp No 5 Staumühle " ( near Paderborn ) . In August 1948 a fine was imposed on Nieland in the course of a " " Spruchkammerverfahren " " ( English : " " proceedings before denazification tribunals " " ) in Bielefeld , which was regarded as compensated by the term of imprisonment , however . In 1949 he was classified as " minderbelastet " ( ) and in 1950 as " Mitläufer " ( or ) .