Albert Leo Schlageter
Encyclopedia
Albert Leo Schlageter was a member of the German Freikorps
. His activities sabotaging French occupying troops after World War I
led to his arrest and eventual execution by French forces. His death created an image of martyr
dom around him, which was cultivated by German nationalist groups, in particular the Nazi Party. During the Third Reich he was widely commemorated as a national hero.
to Catholic parents.
After the outbreak of the First World War he became a voluntary emergency worker for the military. During the war he participated in several battles, notably Ypres
(1915), the Somme (1916) and Verdun
, earning the Iron Cross
both first and second class. Following his promotion to second lieutenant
he took part in the Third Battle of Ypres (1917). After the war, and his dismissal from the greatly reduced army, Schlageter described himself as a student of political sciences; but he studied the subject at the most for one year. About this time he became a member of a right-wing Catholic student group. Soon he also joined the Freikorps and took part in the Kapp Putsch
and other battles between military and communist factions that were convulsing Germany. In 1922 his Freikorps unit in Upper Silesia
merged with the Nazi Party. During the occupation of the Ruhr
in 1923, he led an illegal "combat patrol" that tried to resist the French occupying forces by means of sabotage
. A number of trains were derailed in order to disrupt supplies to the occupiers. On 7 April 1923 Schlageter was betrayed, possibly from within his own ranks, and was arrested (on 8 April) by the French. Tried by court-martial on 7 May 1923, he was condemned to death. On the morning of 26 May he was executed on the Golzheimer heath near Düsseldorf
.
On 8 May Schlageter had written to his parents: "from 1914 until today I have sacrificed my whole strength to work for my German homeland, from love and pure loyalty. Where it was suffering, it drew me, in order to help… I was no gang leader, but in quiet labour I sought to help my fatherland. I did not commit any common crime or murder." The truth of this statement may be doubted, since he is thought to have been involved in assassinations of presumed "informers".
Almost immediately after Schlageter's death, Rudolf Höss assassinated his alleged betrayer, Walther Kadow
. He was assisted by Martin Bormann
. Höss was sentenced to ten years but only served four; Bormann received a one-year sentence.
portraying him as an honourable but misguided figure. It was the Nazi party who most fully exploited the Schlageter story. Hitler refers to him in Mein Kampf
.
Rituals were constructed to commemorate his death, and in 1931 the Memorial Society succeeded in getting a monument erected near the site of his execution. This was a giant cross placed amid sunken stone rings. Other smaller memorials were also created.
After 1933 Schlageter became one of the principal heroes of the Nazi regime. Hanns Johst
, the Nazi playwright, wrote Schlageter (1933), a heroic drama about his life. It was dedicated to Hitler, and was performed on his first birthday in power as a theatrical manifesto of Nazism. The line "when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun", often misattributed to Nazi leaders, derives from this play. The original line is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning," "Whenever I hear of culture... I release the safety-catch of my Browning
!" (Act 1, Scene 1). It is spoken by another character in conversation with the young Schlageter.
Several important military ventures were also named for him, including the Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter
fighter-wing of the Luftwaffe, and the naval vessel Albert Leo Schlageter. His name was also given as a title to two SA groups, the SA-Standarte 39 Schlageter at Düsseldorf and SA-Standarte 142 Albert Leo Schlageter at Lörrach. An army barracks on the south side of Freiburg was also named after him; after World War II, the site of this barracks was occupied by the French army and renamed Quartier Vauban
after the French military architect. (When the French left in the 1990s, the area became the site of the eco-friendly suburb of Vauban
.)
Schlageter also featured as a prominent character in British author Geoffrey Moss
's 1933 novel I Face the Stars, about the rise of Nazism.
After the war, the main Schlageter memorial was destroyed by occupying Allied forces as part of the denazification
process.
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
. His activities sabotaging French occupying troops after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led to his arrest and eventual execution by French forces. His death created an image of martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom around him, which was cultivated by German nationalist groups, in particular the Nazi Party. During the Third Reich he was widely commemorated as a national hero.
Life
Schlageter was born in Schönau im SchwarzwaldSchönau im Schwarzwald
Schönau im Schwarzwald is a town in the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Black Forest, on the river Wiese, northeast of Basel, Switzerland, and south of Freiburg. Schwarzwald transliterally is defined as "Black Forest" in German....
to Catholic parents.
After the outbreak of the First World War he became a voluntary emergency worker for the military. During the war he participated in several battles, notably Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
(1915), the Somme (1916) and Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
, earning the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
both first and second class. Following his promotion to second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
he took part in the Third Battle of Ypres (1917). After the war, and his dismissal from the greatly reduced army, Schlageter described himself as a student of political sciences; but he studied the subject at the most for one year. About this time he became a member of a right-wing Catholic student group. Soon he also joined the Freikorps and took part in the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
and other battles between military and communist factions that were convulsing Germany. In 1922 his Freikorps unit in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
merged with the Nazi Party. During the occupation of the Ruhr
Occupation of the Ruhr
The Occupation of the Ruhr between 1923 and 1925, by troops from France and Belgium, was a response to the failure of the German Weimar Republic under Chancellor Cuno to pay reparations in the aftermath of World War I.-Background:...
in 1923, he led an illegal "combat patrol" that tried to resist the French occupying forces by means of sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
. A number of trains were derailed in order to disrupt supplies to the occupiers. On 7 April 1923 Schlageter was betrayed, possibly from within his own ranks, and was arrested (on 8 April) by the French. Tried by court-martial on 7 May 1923, he was condemned to death. On the morning of 26 May he was executed on the Golzheimer heath near Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.
On 8 May Schlageter had written to his parents: "from 1914 until today I have sacrificed my whole strength to work for my German homeland, from love and pure loyalty. Where it was suffering, it drew me, in order to help… I was no gang leader, but in quiet labour I sought to help my fatherland. I did not commit any common crime or murder." The truth of this statement may be doubted, since he is thought to have been involved in assassinations of presumed "informers".
Almost immediately after Schlageter's death, Rudolf Höss assassinated his alleged betrayer, Walther Kadow
Walther Kadow
Walther Kadow was a German school teacher who was murdered by Rudolf Höss and accomplices in May 1923 in the forest near Parchim. Kadow was a communist, and was suspected of having betrayed German nationalist Albert Leo Schlageter to the French occupation authorities in the Ruhr. Schlageter was...
. He was assisted by Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
. Höss was sentenced to ten years but only served four; Bormann received a one-year sentence.
Heroic symbol to Nazism
After his execution he became a hero to some sections of the German population. Immediately after his death a Schlageter Memorial Society was formed, which agitated for the creation of a monument to honour him. The German Communist Party sought to debunk the emerging mythology of Schlageter by circulating a speech by Karl RadekKarl Radek
Karl Bernhardovic Radek was a socialist active in the Polish and German movements before World War I and an international Communist leader after the Russian Revolution....
portraying him as an honourable but misguided figure. It was the Nazi party who most fully exploited the Schlageter story. Hitler refers to him in Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
.
Rituals were constructed to commemorate his death, and in 1931 the Memorial Society succeeded in getting a monument erected near the site of his execution. This was a giant cross placed amid sunken stone rings. Other smaller memorials were also created.
After 1933 Schlageter became one of the principal heroes of the Nazi regime. Hanns Johst
Hanns Johst
Hanns Johst was a German playwright and Nazi Poet Laureate.Hanns Johst was born in Seehausen as the son of an elementary school teacher. He grew up in Oschatz and Leipzig. As a juvenile he planned to become a missionary. When he was 17 years old he worked as an auxiliary in a Bethel Institution...
, the Nazi playwright, wrote Schlageter (1933), a heroic drama about his life. It was dedicated to Hitler, and was performed on his first birthday in power as a theatrical manifesto of Nazism. The line "when I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun", often misattributed to Nazi leaders, derives from this play. The original line is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning," "Whenever I hear of culture... I release the safety-catch of my Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
!" (Act 1, Scene 1). It is spoken by another character in conversation with the young Schlageter.
Several important military ventures were also named for him, including the Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter
Jagdgeschwader 26
Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and...
fighter-wing of the Luftwaffe, and the naval vessel Albert Leo Schlageter. His name was also given as a title to two SA groups, the SA-Standarte 39 Schlageter at Düsseldorf and SA-Standarte 142 Albert Leo Schlageter at Lörrach. An army barracks on the south side of Freiburg was also named after him; after World War II, the site of this barracks was occupied by the French army and renamed Quartier Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
after the French military architect. (When the French left in the 1990s, the area became the site of the eco-friendly suburb of Vauban
Vauban, Freiburg
Vauban is a new neighborhood of 5,000 inhabitants and 600 jobs 4 km to the south of the town center in Freiburg, Germany. It was built as "a sustainable model district" on the site of a former French military base, and is named after Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the 17th century French...
.)
Schlageter also featured as a prominent character in British author Geoffrey Moss
Geoffrey Moss
Major Geoffrey Cecil Gilbert McNeill-Moss was a British soldier and writer who published under the name Geoffrey Moss....
's 1933 novel I Face the Stars, about the rise of Nazism.
After the war, the main Schlageter memorial was destroyed by occupying Allied forces as part of the denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
process.