German Combat League

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The German Combat League was a paramilitary organization that emerged in 1923 from the working group of the patriotic combat units. Part of this association were the Sturmabteilung under Hermann Göring , the Bund Reichsflagge under Adolf Heiss and the Bund Oberland under Friedrich Weber . The Kampfbund was founded on September 1 and 2, 1923 in Nuremberg on the German Day and played a key role in various right-wing radical actions. Important people involved included Hermann Kriebel , Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter , Adolf Hitler and Erich Ludendorff . After the failure of the Hitler putsch on November 9, 1923, the Kampfbund was dissolved.

Origin and participating organizations

The Kampfbund emerged from the working group of the Patriotic Combat Associations founded in February 1923 on the initiative of Ernst Röhm . The working group was an umbrella organization of various right-wing extremist associations, in which, in addition to the Sturmabteilung , the Bund Oberland and the Bund Reichsflagge , the combat association of Lower Bavaria and the Patriotic District Association also participated. The military leadership, as later in the German Combat League, was held by Hermann Kriebel , the former Chief of Staff of the Resident Defense.

On the German Day in Nuremberg, the German Combat League was formed from a part of the working group, namely the Sturmabteilung, the Reichsflagge and the Bund Oberland. The driving force behind this was Erich Ludendorff . The Reichsflagge soon left the Kampfbund, which led to its split. The Reich war flag under Röhm remained with the Kampfbund. Christian Roth was replaced as managing director in the Kampfbund by Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter .

Project and goals

Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter created on 23/24. September 1923 a program for the seizure of power in Bavaria, the main task was to "fight down Marxism " . However, this could only take place if the Kampfbund had state power at its disposal or if the State Ministry of the Interior were to be assigned a trusted person to control the police. According to Scheubner-Richter, these goals should be achieved "in a way that is at least outwardly legal," which can be seen as a risk, because at that time the Kampfbund could not be sure that the police and the military in Bavaria would support it .

Abolition of the passive resistance in the Ruhr area and Hitler's appointment as political leader of the Kampfbund

On September 23, 1923, Wilhelm Cuno's successor , Gustav Stresemann , announced that the Reich government had decided to lift the state of passive resistance in the Ruhr area in order to gradually normalize the Franco-German relationship. The Kampfbund was therefore forced to take further measures and two days later gave Adolf Hitler political leadership. In response to this, the Bavarian cabinet unceremoniously appointed Gustav von Kahr as State Commissioner General on September 26 and temporarily suspended the constitution.

Kahr immediately used his position to demonstrate his power to Hitler and banned a Hitler meeting announced by the NSDAP . Hitler's decision to take action against Kahr or not to support him in his plans led to a dispute within the Kampfbund. As a result, he left the organization with the northern Bavarian part of the imperial flag and joined Kahr. The remaining part remained under the leadership of Röhm as the Reich war flag in the Kampfbund. Shortly afterwards, the Munich Kampfbund joined the German Kampfbund, which had now reached its final form.

The Kampfbund and the Triumvirate

The Bavarian triumvirate Kahr , Lossow and Seißer pursued the goal of creating a national dictatorship free from parliament in Berlin. This plan was supposed to be carried out largely without Ludendorff and Hitler and relied on the support of the Reichswehr .

The Kampfbund, on the other hand, demanded a directory in Munich fixed on Hitler and Ludendorff , which should do without Kahr.

The End

Since Hitler feared being passed over by the triumvirate , he decided on November 7, 1923 to try to seize power in the Bavarian capital of Munich by attempting a coup . To do this, he used the Bürgerbräukeller , which was well-filled on November 8th on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the 1918 revolution , in which Kahr , Lossow and Seißer were also present at the appropriate time . However, the triumvirate only apparently accepted Hitler's plans and ensured that the uprising was put down by the Bavarian state police and the Reichswehr the following day . After the failed coup attempt, in addition to the ban on the NSDAP , the organizations of the German Combat League had to disband on November 9, 1923. All weapons were confiscated and all forms of military exercises were prohibited.

literature

  • Ernst Deuerlein (ed.): The rise of the NSDAP in eyewitness reports . dtv, Munich 5th edition 1982, ISBN 3-423-02701-0 .
  • Robert Gellately: Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. Three dictators who led Europe into the abyss . Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach, 2009, ISBN 978-3-7857-2349-4 .
  • Werner Maser: The storm on the republic. Early history of the NSDAP . DVA, Stuttgart 1973, ISBN 3-421-01662-3 .
  • Harold J. Gordon Jr .: Hitler putsch 1923. Power struggle in Bavaria 1923–1924 . Bernard & Graefe, Frankfurt am Main 1971, ISBN 3-7637-5108-4 .
  • Klaus Mües-Baron: Heinrich Himmler. Rise of the Reichsführer SS (1900–1933) , V & R Unipress, Göttingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-89971-800-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klaus Mües-Baron, Heinrich Himmler. Rise of the Reichsführer SS (1900–1933) , Göttingen 2011, p. 184.
  2. ^ A b c Siegfried Zelnhefer: Deutscher Kampfbund, 1923. In: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns . October 15, 2009, accessed February 25, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Ernst Deuerlein (ed.), The rise of the NSDAP in eyewitness reports , Munich 5th edition 1982, p. 183.
  4. ^ A b Robert Gellately, Lenin, Stalin and Hitler. Three dictators who led Europe into the abyss , Bergisch Gladbach, 2009, p. 161.
  5. ↑ Werner Maser, The Storm on the Republic. Early history of the NSDAP , Stuttgart 1973. p. 425.
  6. ↑ Werner Maser, The Storm on the Republic. Early history of the NSDAP , Stuttgart 1973. p. 426.
  7. ↑ Harold J. Gordon Jr., Hitler putsch 1923. Power struggle in Bavaria 1923–1924, Frankfurt am Main 1971. p. 92.
  8. ↑ Harold J. Gordon Jr., Hitler putsch 1923. Power struggle in Bavaria 1923–1924, Frankfurt am Main 1971. p. 93.
  9. ↑ Ernst Deuerlein (ed.), The rise of the NSDAP in eyewitness reports , Munich 5th edition 1982. P. 190.
  10. ↑ Ernst Deuerlein (ed.), The rise of the NSDAP in eyewitness reports , Munich 5th edition 1982. p. 192.
  11. ↑ Ernst Deuerlein (ed.), The rise of the NSDAP in eyewitness reports , Munich 5th edition 1982. p. 196.