Jakob Grimminger
Encyclopedia
Jakob Grimminger was a member of the Schutzstaffel
(SS) who was famous for carrying the Blutfahne
, the ceremonial Nazi
flag.
He was born in Augsburg
, Bavaria
, entered the Imperial German Army
when he was sixteen years old and served during World War I
. Mechanic in an air regiment between 1914 and 1917, he fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and after one year destined in Palestine he returned to Germany and with the iron cross second class, Bavarian medals and the Turkischer Eiserner Halbmond was discharged in 1919. Working as a tallist he joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and became a member of the Sturmabteilung
, taking part in the fights for Coburg in 1922 and the Munich
Beer Hall Putsch
of 9 November 1923. After serving in the das Braune Haus, the general headquarters of the NSDAP, he was selected in 1926 to become a member of the SS. Grimminger was promoted many times during his service in the SA and the SS, eventually reaching the rank of Standartenführer
(equivalent to Colonel). He was also City council man in Munich. As a member of the SS he was given the honour of carrying the blood-stained Blutfahne from the Munich putsch. Grimminger was decorated with the Goldenes Parteiabzeichen, the Blood Order (nº 714) or the Coburger Ehrenzeichen, the three most important decorations of the NSDAP.
He survived the Second World War, and was put on trial by the Allies in 1946 for being a member of the SS and carrying the Blutfahne for nineteen years. He was not sent to prison for this – but all of his property was confiscated.
He reportedly attempted to enter politics, and served as a councillor in Munich; however his past prevented him from continuing this career. He died in poverty in 1969, in Munich, Germany (then West Germany
).
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS) who was famous for carrying the Blutfahne
Blutfahne
The Blutfahne was a Nazi Swastika flag which was used in the attempted Nazi Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, Germany on 9 November 1923 and one of the most revered objects of the German Nazi Party...
, the ceremonial Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
flag.
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, entered the Imperial German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
when he was sixteen years old and served during 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...
. Mechanic in an air regiment between 1914 and 1917, he fought in the Gallipoli Campaign and after one year destined in Palestine he returned to Germany and with the iron cross second class, Bavarian medals and the Turkischer Eiserner Halbmond was discharged in 1919. Working as a tallist he joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and became a member of the Sturmabteilung
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...
, taking part in the fights for Coburg in 1922 and the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
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 9 November 1923. After serving in the das Braune Haus, the general headquarters of the NSDAP, he was selected in 1926 to become a member of the SS. Grimminger was promoted many times during his service in the SA and the SS, eventually reaching the rank of Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
(equivalent to Colonel). He was also City council man in Munich. As a member of the SS he was given the honour of carrying the blood-stained Blutfahne from the Munich putsch. Grimminger was decorated with the Goldenes Parteiabzeichen, the Blood Order (nº 714) or the Coburger Ehrenzeichen, the three most important decorations of the NSDAP.
He survived the Second World War, and was put on trial by the Allies in 1946 for being a member of the SS and carrying the Blutfahne for nineteen years. He was not sent to prison for this – but all of his property was confiscated.
He reportedly attempted to enter politics, and served as a councillor in Munich; however his past prevented him from continuing this career. He died in poverty in 1969, in Munich, Germany (then West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
).
Ranks in the SS
Dates of rank- SS-Mann: 25.02.1926
- SS-Scharführer: 00.09.1926
- SS-Truppführer: 00.03.1929
- SS-Sturmführer:17.07.1931
- SS-Obersturmführer: 31.07.1933
- SS-Hauptsturmführer: 15.11.1933
- SS-Sturmbannführer: 20.04.1935
- SS-Standartenführer: 13.04.1943 (20.04.1943)