On 26 January 1943 Hoffmann was appointed Acting "Gauleiter" of Westphalia-South, when Paul Giesler took up new duties in Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria. At the same time, Hoffmann also was made Reich Defense Commissioner for his Gau. On 1 August he was named to the Prussian State Council. On 9 November he was promoted to SS-"Gruppenführer". In December of the same year, Hoffmann was appointed Deputy to Joseph Goebbels in his capacity as Reich Inspector for Civil Aerial Warfare Measures. On 17 April 1944, Hofmann was made permanent "Gauleiter" of Westphalia-South. On 25 September 1944 he was placed in command of the "Volksturm" units in his jurisdiction. In October he was named Reich Defense Commissioner for the Rhine and Ruhr regions.