Gerhard Roßbach
Encyclopedia
Gerhard Roßbach was a German Freikorps
leader and organizer of nationalist groups after World War I
.
Roßbach was born in Kehrberg
, Pomerania
. During the Baltic fighting of 1919
, his Freikorps made an extremely long march from Berlin across Eastern Europe to rescue the Iron Division (another Freikorps) from destruction by the Latvian Army. It went on to participate in the Kapp Putsch
in 1920, get banned, and reform under various front organizations. Money came from the Landbund
, Heavy Industry, and arms dealing. In the early 20s he was arrested for trying to overthrow the government.
He also joined the Nazi Party. He took part in the Beer Hall putsch
of 1923 mobilising students, cadets and officer candidates of the Reichswehr
Infantry, fleeing to Austria
after the putsch failed. He was then recruited by Hitler to help organize the SA
By 1928, he could claim to have killed "a number of Mecklenburg
laborers and Spartacist sympathizers". He later fell out with Adolf Hitler
during his rise to power and was arrested but not killed during the Roehm Purge
of 1934.
Historian Robert G L Waite described him as a "sadistic murderer of the so-called Fehmgericht and the notorious homosexual who, according to his own testimony, perverted Ernst Röhm
"
He helped start the Schilljugend, a youth organization, to get rid of "intellectual elements" in the youth movements and instill children with "nationalistic, socialistic, authoritative, and militaristic" ideas.
Roßbach organised music festivals which combined folk and classical music to instil national pride and construct conservative community values.
After World War II
he operated an export-import company near Frankfurt
and wrote his memoirs in 1950. In his last years he took a prominent part in organising the Bayreuth festivals of Richard Wagner
's music.
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...
leader and organizer of nationalist groups 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...
.
Roßbach was born in Kehrberg
Krzywin, Gryfino County
Krzywin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Widuchowa, within Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, close to the German border. It lies approximately south-east of Widuchowa, south of Gryfino, and south of the regional capital Szczecin.Before...
, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
. During the Baltic fighting of 1919
Freikorps in the Baltic
After 1918, the term Freikorps was used for the paramilitary organizations that sprang up around the German Empire, including in the Baltic states as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I...
, his Freikorps made an extremely long march from Berlin across Eastern Europe to rescue the Iron Division (another Freikorps) from destruction by the Latvian Army. It went on to participate 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...
in 1920, get banned, and reform under various front organizations. Money came from the Landbund
Landbund
The Landbund was an Austrian political party during the period of the First Republic .-History:The Landbund was founded in 1919 as Deutsche Bauernpartei and represented liberal and protestant farmers in Styria, Carinthia and Upper Austria...
, Heavy Industry, and arms dealing. In the early 20s he was arrested for trying to overthrow the government.
He also joined the Nazi Party. He took part in the Beer Hall putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
of 1923 mobilising students, cadets and officer candidates of the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
Infantry, fleeing to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
after the putsch failed. He was then recruited by Hitler to help organize the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
By 1928, he could claim to have killed "a number of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
laborers and Spartacist sympathizers". He later fell out with Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
during his rise to power and was arrested but not killed during the Roehm Purge
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
of 1934.
Historian Robert G L Waite described him as a "sadistic murderer of the so-called Fehmgericht and the notorious homosexual who, according to his own testimony, perverted Ernst Röhm
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
"
He helped start the Schilljugend, a youth organization, to get rid of "intellectual elements" in the youth movements and instill children with "nationalistic, socialistic, authoritative, and militaristic" ideas.
Roßbach organised music festivals which combined folk and classical music to instil national pride and construct conservative community values.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he operated an export-import company near Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and wrote his memoirs in 1950. In his last years he took a prominent part in organising the Bayreuth festivals of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's music.