Hermann Souchon
Encyclopedia
Hermann Wilhelm Souchon was a German Navy officer who, according to the testimonies of two accomplices, assassinated Rosa Luxemburg
on January 15, 1919, in Berlin
.
, Hermann Souchon served in the First World War as lieutenant in an artillery regiment. In 1915, he went to the Imperial Navy
as an ensign
. After the end of the war, he was discharged and became a member of Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
. This Freikorps
was active in Berlin in January 1919, as part of the Garde-Kavallerie-Schützen-Division under General Lieutenant Heinrich von Hofmann.
On January 15, 1919, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
were captured at Berlin-Wilmersdorf by the Garde-Kavallerie-Schützendivision and brought to their headquarters at Hotel Eden. Captain Waldemar Pabst
, along with Horst von Pflugk-Harttung questioned them and gave the order to execute them. When they were being transported, Souchon jumped onto the car. He shot Luxemburg in the head after Otto Runge had knocked her down with a rifle butt.
In 1920, he flew to Finland
where he worked as a bank clerk.
After Hitler
had granted amnesty to those involved in the murders of Liebknecht and Luxemburg, Souchon returned to Germany in 1935 and joined the Luftwaffe
, where he rose to the rank of colonel during the war. After the war he lived in Bad Godesberg
.
When a documentary report on the Liebknecht-Luxemburg story was first shown in 1969 on German television ARD
, Souchon with his lawyer Otto Kranzbühler
sued the broadcaster which had to retract their statement of Souchon's guilt in February 1970. Since the 1980s, the documentary has been shown again a few times and is now publicly available.
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
on January 15, 1919, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Biography
A nephew of Admiral Wilhelm SouchonWilhelm Souchon
Wilhelm Anton Souchon was a German and Ottoman admiral in World War I who commanded the Kaiserliche Marine's Mediterranean squadron in the early days of the war...
, Hermann Souchon served in the First World War as lieutenant in an artillery regiment. In 1915, he went to the Imperial Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
. After the end of the war, he was discharged and became a member of Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
The Marinebrigade Ehrhardt was a Free Corps group of around 6,000 men formed by Captain Hermann Ehrhardt in the aftermath of World War I, also known as II Marine Brigade or the Ehrhardt Brigade...
. This Freikorps
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...
was active in Berlin in January 1919, as part of the Garde-Kavallerie-Schützen-Division under General Lieutenant Heinrich von Hofmann.
On January 15, 1919, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht
was a German socialist and a co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. He is best known for his opposition to World War I in the Reichstag and his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919...
were captured at Berlin-Wilmersdorf by the Garde-Kavallerie-Schützendivision and brought to their headquarters at Hotel Eden. Captain Waldemar Pabst
Waldemar Pabst
Waldemar Pabst was a German soldier and political activist involved in far right and anti-communist activity in both his homeland and Austria.-Anti-communism:...
, along with Horst von Pflugk-Harttung questioned them and gave the order to execute them. When they were being transported, Souchon jumped onto the car. He shot Luxemburg in the head after Otto Runge had knocked her down with a rifle butt.
In 1920, he flew to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
where he worked as a bank clerk.
After 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...
had granted amnesty to those involved in the murders of Liebknecht and Luxemburg, Souchon returned to Germany in 1935 and joined the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, where he rose to the rank of colonel during the war. After the war he lived in Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg
Bad Godesberg is a municipal district of Bonn, southern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. From 1949 till 1990 , the majority of foreign embassies to Germany were located in Bad Godesberg...
.
When a documentary report on the Liebknecht-Luxemburg story was first shown in 1969 on German television ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
, Souchon with his lawyer Otto Kranzbühler
Otto Kranzbühler
Flottenrichter Otto Kranzbühler was a German Naval Judge who is most notably known for representing defendant Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz before the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life and education:Otto Kranzbühler was born in Berlin, German Empire, on July 8, 1907...
sued the broadcaster which had to retract their statement of Souchon's guilt in February 1970. Since the 1980s, the documentary has been shown again a few times and is now publicly available.
Further reading
- Elisabeth Hannover-Drück, Heinrich Hannover: Der Mord an Rosa Luxemburg und Karl Liebknecht. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt 1967.
External links
- Die Mörder Rosa Luxemburgs. In: Geo Epoche, Nr. 27, August 2007
- Wolfram Wette: Der Feind im Inneren
- Hermann Souchon in the files of the Reich ChancelleryReich ChancelleryThe Reich Chancellery was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany in the period of the German Reich from 1871 to 1945...