Jakob Ritter von Danner
Encyclopedia
Jakob Ritter von Danner was a Bavaria
n general
in the Imperial German Army
and the Reichswehr
. As commandant of the Munich garrison of the Reichswehr, he was a central figure in putting down the attempted Beer Hall Putsch
by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in 1923.
Born Jakob Danner, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Royal Bavarian Army on 7 July 1886. He was promoted to Oberleutnant (1st lieutenant) on 6 November 1894 and captain on 28 October 1901. He served in the German expeditionary forces sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion
, where he earned the Bavarian Military Merit Order
4th Class with Swords, the Prussian Crown Order 4th Class with Swords and the Austrian Military Merit Cross
3rd Class with War Decoration.
Danner was promoted to major on 7 March 1910 and at the onset of World War I commanded the 2nd Battalion of Royal Bavarian 7. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Leopold. On 29 December 1914, he took command of the newly formed Bavarian 18th Reserve Infantry Regiment (Bayerisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 18). He would command the regiment, except for brief respites, until July 1918. During the war, he was again decorated for valor. On 22 December 1914 he was awarded the Bavarian Military Merit Order
3rd Class with Swords, followed by the 3rd Class with Crown and Swords on 29 January 1917 and the Officer's Cross with Swords on 26 September 1917. He received both the Iron Cross
1st and 2nd Class and the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern from Prussia. Austria-Hungary
awarded the Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with War Decoration. He was wounded several times, which would be recognized with the Silver Wound Badge.
For valor on 1 December 1916, then-Lieutenant Colonel Danner was decorated with the Military Max Joseph Order, Bavaria's highest military honor, on 1 September 1917. For a Bavarian commoner, award of this order of knighthood conferred nobility, and Lt. Col. Danner received his patent of nobility from the King of Bavaria on 20 September 1917, taking the title "Ritter
von".
From 6 July to 15 September 1918, Colonel Ritter von Danner commanded the 12th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade. He took command of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Brigade 5 Oct., which he led through the end of the war and into 1919. From mid-1919 until 30 September 1920, he commanded Reichswehr Brigade Nr. 24 in Nuremberg
.
On 1 October 1920, Colonel Ritter von Danner took command of the Munich city garrison (Stadtkommandantur München) and was soon promoted to Generalmajor. He would lead this command, which would also entail serving as deputy commander of Wehrkreis VII, until retiring on 31 July 1925 as a Generalleutnant. It was during this period that the Nazi Party, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler
and its allies, attempted a coup d'état
to overthrow the Bavarian government. General Ritter von Danner reacted quickly, placing troops on alert and acting to ensure that the commander of Wehrkreis VII, which controlled all troops in Bavaria, did not support the putsch attempt or vacillate in the face of it. Three days after the failure of the Beer Hall Putsch
, Hitler was arrested and charged with treason.
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...
n general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 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...
and the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
. As commandant of the Munich garrison of the Reichswehr, he was a central figure in putting down the attempted 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...
by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in 1923.
Born Jakob Danner, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Royal Bavarian Army on 7 July 1886. He was promoted to Oberleutnant (1st lieutenant) on 6 November 1894 and captain on 28 October 1901. He served in the German expeditionary forces sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, where he earned the Bavarian Military Merit Order
Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
The Bavarian Military Merit Order was established on July 19, 1866 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was the kingdom's main decoration for bravery and military merit for officers and higher-ranking officials. Civilians acting in support of the army were also made eligible for the decoration...
4th Class with Swords, the Prussian Crown Order 4th Class with Swords and the Austrian Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary)
The Military Merit Cross was a decoration of the Empire of Austria and, after the establishment of the Dual Monarchy in 1867, the Empire of Austria-Hungary. It was first established on October 22, 1849 and underwent several revisions to its design and award criteria over the years of its existence...
3rd Class with War Decoration.
Danner was promoted to major on 7 March 1910 and at the onset of World War I commanded the 2nd Battalion of Royal Bavarian 7. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Leopold. On 29 December 1914, he took command of the newly formed Bavarian 18th Reserve Infantry Regiment (Bayerisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 18). He would command the regiment, except for brief respites, until July 1918. During the war, he was again decorated for valor. On 22 December 1914 he was awarded the Bavarian Military Merit Order
Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
The Bavarian Military Merit Order was established on July 19, 1866 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was the kingdom's main decoration for bravery and military merit for officers and higher-ranking officials. Civilians acting in support of the army were also made eligible for the decoration...
3rd Class with Swords, followed by the 3rd Class with Crown and Swords on 29 January 1917 and the Officer's Cross with Swords on 26 September 1917. He received both 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....
1st and 2nd Class and the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern from Prussia. Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
awarded the Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with War Decoration. He was wounded several times, which would be recognized with the Silver Wound Badge.
For valor on 1 December 1916, then-Lieutenant Colonel Danner was decorated with the Military Max Joseph Order, Bavaria's highest military honor, on 1 September 1917. For a Bavarian commoner, award of this order of knighthood conferred nobility, and Lt. Col. Danner received his patent of nobility from the King of Bavaria on 20 September 1917, taking the title "Ritter
Ritter
Ritter is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "Edler" and below "Freiherr"...
von".
From 6 July to 15 September 1918, Colonel Ritter von Danner commanded the 12th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Brigade. He took command of the 21st Bavarian Infantry Brigade 5 Oct., which he led through the end of the war and into 1919. From mid-1919 until 30 September 1920, he commanded Reichswehr Brigade Nr. 24 in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
.
On 1 October 1920, Colonel Ritter von Danner took command of the Munich city garrison (Stadtkommandantur München) and was soon promoted to Generalmajor. He would lead this command, which would also entail serving as deputy commander of Wehrkreis VII, until retiring on 31 July 1925 as a Generalleutnant. It was during this period that the Nazi Party, under the leadership of 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...
and its allies, attempted a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
to overthrow the Bavarian government. General Ritter von Danner reacted quickly, placing troops on alert and acting to ensure that the commander of Wehrkreis VII, which controlled all troops in Bavaria, did not support the putsch attempt or vacillate in the face of it. Three days after the failure of 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...
, Hitler was arrested and charged with treason.