I've come across the signature "Der Kreishauptmann" on dozens of Nazi documents, particularly from occupied Poland. I can't find any half decent explanation of this term online in English, all I can seem to find is that it's a rank or position of some sort. Does anyone know the details of this term or position?
Kreishauptmann, in general, is indeed the name of a leading administrative position in the general German governmental structure up to 1944. The word itself can basically be split in two word root-elements: 1) The "Kreis" which can be translated as a governmental district or state; and the "Hauptmann" which is a term close to the military rank (roughly equalling Captain), but means a leading high ranked official in a governmental position here. German governmental structures have been very closely to the organisational structures of the military at this point, so there is a lot of overlap in titles. This often leads to a bit of confusion between what is a non-military rank, and military ranks when it comes down to translations, especially when these translations are done via software. There are also no direct terms that can be used one-on-one from German to english, so this further complicates things.
In this case you have an administrative state official in a leading position on the district or state level. He commanded the officials manning individual governmental district offices as a form of head administrator and stood rather high in the governmental structure of an individual state or governmental district but below the overall government of the country. He was in a controlling position, but also dealt with overseeing organisational issues within the governmental structure.
During the occupation of Poland, they took over these titles and the governmental structure to manage the occupied area in form of a Generalgouvernement. Another German term meaning they placed a central Governer above the entire administration of the occupied country and put controlling officials on top of the already existing structure. Thus, during the occupation the highest non-military official of the individual districts in Poland was called a Kreishauptmann, while cities without a surrounding governmental distirct attached to them were administrated by a so called Stadthauptmann. All these officials ranked below the Governor put in place to control the entire area of occupied Poland, but stood above the individual officials of the local district`s individual towns and cities.
It`s pretty complicated and rather hard to translate, but i hope this could answer your question.