Translated as "region leader", the title of Gauführer was influenced by the similarly named Nazi Party political position of Gauleiter.

There originally were 19 Gaustürme established by Franz Pfeffer von Salomon, who Hitler named Supreme SA Leader in November 1926.

[1] The Gaustürme and the Gauführer rank were phased out in March 1928 when Pfeffer reorganized the SA into seven even larger geographic commands, each headed by an SA-Oberführer.

[4] The rank of SS-Gauführer ceased to exist after January 1929 when Heinrich Himmler, the newly-appointed Reichsführer-SS, consolidated the SS-Gaue into three new larger SS units known as SS-Oberführerbereiche (senior leadership areas), each commanded by an SS-Oberführer.

These were named Ost (Berlin-Brandenburg, East Prussia and Silesia), Süd (Baden-Württemberg, Franken, Niederbayern, Oberbayern and Österreich) and West (Hesse-Nassau, Rheinland-Nord, Rheinland-Süd, Südhannover-Braunschweig and Thüringin).