Walther von Lüttwitz | |
|---|---|
 Lüttwitz asGeneralleutnant | |
| Born | (1859-02-02)2 February 1859 |
| Died | 20 September 1942(1942-09-20) (aged 83) |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Service years | 1878-1920 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite with Oak Leaves |
| Relations | Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz (son) Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz (nephew) Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord (son in law) |
Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr[a] von Lüttwitz[1] (2 February 1859 – 20 September 1942) was aGerman general who fought inWorld War I. Lüttwitz is best known for being the driving force behind theKapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 which attempted to replace the democratic government of theWeimar Republic with amilitary dictatorship.
Lüttwitz was born on 2 February 1859 in the city of Bodland nearKreuzburg O.S. inUpper Silesia, then part ofPrussia (nowBogacica, Poland).[2] His father was Ernst von Lüttwitz (1823–92), anOberförster ("head forest warden"),Hauptmann (captain) andDeichhauptmann ("overseer of dikes"). His mother was Countess Cecile (1835–1910), the daughter of Count Heinrich Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz.[3]
Lüttwitz received his military training in 1878–87, finishing as an officer. He then attended theKriegsakademie in 1887–90. Between 1890 and 1912 he served in various army commands. In 1912, Lüttwitz was appointedOberquartiermeister at theGroßer Generalstab (theGerman General Staff).[2]Crown Prince Wilhelm described him as: "mehr Truppenführer als Armeechef, mehr Blücher als Gneisenau"[3] ("more leader of men than army chief, moreBlücher thanGneisenau").
DuringWorld War I, Lüttwitz held several high military ranks. From 2 August to 26 September 1914, he was Chief of Staff of the4th Army. He led the33rd Division from 26 September 1914 to 28 June 1915 and the2nd Guards Infantry Division from 29 June to 25 September. He took over command of theX Corps on 25 September from the ailingOtto von Emmich and led the corps in theSecond Battle of Champagne.[2][4] With Emmich's death on 22 December 1915, Lüttwitz was formally named commanding general of the corps, which he led until 20 August 1916.[2][4] On 21 August 1916, he became Chief of Staff of the 5th Army (whose commander-in-chief was Prince Wilhelm) and managed to minimize the military fallout from the drain on resources of theBattle of Verdun.[3]
On 25 November 1916, Lüttwitz was made commanding general ofIII Corps. Having received the orderPour le Mérite on 24 August 1916, in March 1918 he was commanding general during theGerman spring offensive near Saint-Quentin/La Fère and for his actions received the "oak leaves" addition to this medal on 26 March 1918.[2][3] In August 1918, Lüttwitz becameGeneral der Infantrie.[3]
After thearmistice and theGerman Revolution in 1918, on 28 December theRat der Volksbeauftragten, the provisional German government, appointed himcommander-in-chief of the German military inBerlin and vicinity (Befehlshaber der Truppen in und um Berlin andOberbefehlshaber in den Marken). Besides being in command of all the regular forces of the demobilizing Imperial Army in that region, he was also in charge of all theFreikorps in the area.[2][3] He was called "Father of the Freikorps" as he relied heavily on these paramilitary units in late 1918 and early 1919 after the regular troops had turned out to be unreliable.[3]
In this function, he directed the suppression of theSpartakus Uprising by theFreikorps in January 1919 under the orders of Minister of DefenceGustav Noske.[2] In March 1919, Lüttwitz' position was renamedOberbefehlshaber des Reichswehr-Gruppenkommandos 1.[3] In May 1919, the government named him as supreme commander of all military troops of the Reich in case of an emergency or war.[2] However, even at that time, Lüttwitz was making political demands outside the area of responsibility of a military commander, like outlawing strikes and abolishing unemployment insurance.[5]: 216
Like many members of the Reichswehr, Lüttwitz was an outspoken opponent of theTreaty of Versailles that was signed in June 1919. He was concerned that the treaty's stipulations could cause the army to disintegrate during its period of re-organisation and he especially disliked the treaty articles that demanded the reduction of the army to 100,000 men, disbandment of theFreikorps, and the extradition of about 900 men whom theAllies accused ofwar crimes. He planned to defy these stipulations of the treaty. As early as July 1919, Lüttwitz was involved in plots to topple the Weimar Republic and replace the government ofFriedrich Ebert with a military dictatorship.[2]
On 29 February 1920, Defence Minister Noske ordered the disbandment of two of the most powerfulFreikorps, theMarinebrigade Loewenfeld and theMarinebrigade Ehrhardt. The commander of the latter,KorvettenkapitänHermann Ehrhardt, declared that the unit would refuse to disband.[6]: 51 On 1 March, it staged a parade without inviting Noske.[5]: 218 Lüttwitz said at the parade that he would "not accept" the loss of such an important unit. Several of Lüttwitz's officers were horrified at this open rejection of the government's authority and tried to mediate by setting up a meeting between von Lüttwitz and the leaders of the two major right-wing parties. Lüttwitz listened to and remembered their ideas, but was not dissuaded from his course of action.[5]: 218 Noske then removed theMarinebrigade from Lüttwitz's command. Lüttwitz ignored the order, but agreed to a meeting with President Ebert suggested by his staff.
On the evening of 10 March, Lüttwitz came with his staff to Ebert's office. Ebert had also asked Noske to attend. Lüttwitz, drawing on demands by the right-wing parties and adding his own, now demanded the immediate dissolution of the National Assembly, new elections for the Reichstag, the appointment of technocrats (Fachminister) as Secretaries for Foreign Affairs, Economics and Finance, the dismissal of GeneralWalther Reinhardt asChef der Heeresleitung, his own appointment as supreme commander of the regular military and the revocation of the orders of dissolution for theMarinebrigaden. Ebert and Noske rejected these demands. Noske told Lüttwitz that he expected his resignation the next day.[5]: 219
Instead of resigning, Lüttwitz went toDöberitz on 11 March and asked Ehrhardt whether he would be able to occupy Berlin that very evening. Ehrhardt said he needed another day, but in the morning of 13 March he could be in the centre of Berlin with his men. Lüttwitz gave the order, and Ehrhardt began his preparations. It was only at this point that Lüttwitz brought the group known asNationale Vereinigung into the plot. These includedDNVP memberWolfgang Kapp, retired GeneralErich Ludendorff, as well asWaldemar Pabst andTraugott von Jagow [de], the last Berlin head of police in the old Reich.[5]: 219 [6]: 50–51 [7]: 25 Their goal was to establish an authoritarian regime (though not a monarchy) with a return to the federal structure of the Empire.[8] Lüttwitz asked them to be ready to take over the government on 13 March.[5]: 219–220 Lüttwitz had not been dismissed, but only suspended from his post on 11 March.[6]: 51
On the morning of 13 March, theMarinebrigade reached theBrandenburger Tor, where it was met by Lüttwitz, Ludendorff, Kapp and their followers. Shortly thereafter, the putschists moved into theReich Chancellery (Reichskanzlei).[5]: 222 Supported by a battalion of the regular Reichswehr, they occupied the government quarter.[7]: 26 Kapp declared himselfChancellor (Reichskanzler) and formed a provisional government.[7]: 26 Lüttwitz served as commander of the armed forces and Minister of Defence.[2]
Although the putsch received support from military commanders and other conservative and monarchistic groups around the Reich, the rank and file of the bureaucracy mostly refused to cooperate. A general strike, called by the legitimate government, the unions and the parties of the left paralyzed the country and made it impossible for Kapp to govern. After negotiations with those members of the legitimate government who had remained in Berlin, Kapp resigned on 17 March, but Lüttwitz tried to hold on for another day as head of a military dictatorship. When Lüttwitz offered his resignation on 18 March, Vice-ChancellorEugen Schiffer accepted—granting him full pension rights. Schiffer also suggested Lüttwitz should leave the country until the National Assembly had decided on the question of an amnesty and even offered him a false passport and money.[5]: 229–230
After the collapse of the putsch, Lüttwitz first went to Saxony and only later left forHungary.[7]: 26 He used a passport provided by supporters in the Berlin police department.[5]: 231 Lüttwitz returned to Germany after anamnesty in 1924. He went back to Silesia and supported theDNVP but was not politically active.[2] In 1931, he called for the creation of theHarzburger Front and in 1933 congratulatedWilhelm Frick on the successfulMachtergreifung (take-over) by the NSDAP. His book,Im Kampf gegen die November-Republik was published in 1934.[2]
Lüttwitz was married twice. In 1884 atNimkau, he married Louise (1864–1918), daughter of the Austrian Hauptmann Viktor Graf von Wengersky and Eleonore Gräfin Haller von Hallerstein. In 1921 atSalzburg, he married Adelheid (1869–1956), daughter of Johann Freiherr Sardagna von Meanberg und Hohenstein and Irma von Dorner. With Louise, Lüttwitz had three daughters and a son. His son wasSmilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz who served as a General inWorld War II and in the earlyBundeswehr. His daughter Maria marriedKurt von Hammerstein-Equord and was mother ofMarie Luise von Hammerstein-Equord.[3]
Lüttwitz died on 20 September 1942 inBreslau.[3]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
