Editing Beer Hall Putsch (section)

== The putsch ==
[[File:Erich Ludendorff Time cover 1923.jpg|thumb|200px|Erich Ludendorff on the cover of [[Time (magazine)|Time]], 19 November 1923<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,716989-1,00.html|title=GERMANY: Eeer Hall Revolt|magazine=Time |date=19 November 1923|via=content.time.com}}</ref>]]

The putsch was inspired by [[Benito Mussolini]]'s successful [[March on Rome]].<ref name="Childers 4">{{Cite episode| title= The Twenties and the Great Depression | url= https://www.wondrium.com/a-history-of-hitlers-empire-2nd-edition|access-date=28 March 2023| series= A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition| first= Thomas| last= Childers| author-link= Thomas Childers| publisher= [[The Great Courses]] | date= 2001| number= 4 | language= English}}</ref> From 22 to 29 October 1922, Hitler and his associates planned to use Munich as a base for a march against Germany's [[Weimar Republic]] government, but circumstances differed from those in Italy. Hitler came to the realisation that Kahr sought to control him and was not ready to act against the government in Berlin. Hitler wanted to seize a critical moment for successful popular agitation and support.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|pp=125–127}} He decided to take matters into his own hands. Hitler, along with a large detachment of [[Sturmabteilung|SA]], marched on the [[Bürgerbräukeller]], where Kahr was making a speech in front of 3,000 people.<ref name="brendon36">[[Piers Brendon]], ''The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s'', p. 36 {{ISBN|0-375-40881-9}}</ref>

On the evening of 8 November 1923, 603 SA surrounded the beer hall and a [[machine gun]] was set up in the auditorium. Hitler, surrounded by his associates [[Hermann Göring]], [[Alfred Rosenberg]], [[Rudolf Hess]], [[Ernst Hanfstaengl]], [[Ulrich Graf]], Johann Aigner, [[Adolf Lenk]], [[Max Amann]], [[Max Erwin von Scheubner-Richter]], [[Wilhelm Adam]], [[Robert Heinrich Wagner|Robert Wagner]] and others (some 20 in all), advanced through the crowded auditorium. Unable to be heard above the crowd, Hitler fired a shot into the ceiling and jumped on a chair, yelling: "The national revolution has broken out! The hall is surrounded by six hundred men. Nobody is allowed to leave." He went on to state that the Bavarian government was deposed and declared the formation of a new government with Ludendorff.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=128}}

Hitler, accompanied by Hess, Lenk, and Graf, ordered the triumvirate of Kahr, Seisser and Lossow into an adjoining room at gunpoint and demanded they support the putsch<ref>[[Piers Brendon]], ''The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s'', pp. 36–37 {{ISBN|0-375-40881-9}}</ref> and accept the government positions he assigned them.<ref name="Shirer">{{cite book|last1=Shirer| first1=William| title=The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich| url=https://archive.org/details/risefallofthirdr00shir_1|url-access=limited| date=2011| publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4516-4259-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/risefallofthirdr00shir_1/page/69 69]|edition=Fiftieth Anniversary}}</ref> Hitler had promised Lossow a few days earlier that he would not attempt a coup,<ref name="knickerbocker1941">{{cite book | title=Is Tomorrow Hitler's? 200 Questions on the Battle of Mankind | publisher=Reynal & Hitchcock | author=Knickerbocker, H. R. | author-link=Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker | year=1941 | page=12}}</ref> but now thought that he would get an immediate response of affirmation from them, imploring Kahr to accept the position of Regent of Bavaria. Kahr replied that he could not be expected to collaborate, especially as he had been taken out of the auditorium under heavy guard.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 PT20]}}

[[Heinz Pernet]], Johann Aigne and [[Scheubner-Richter]] were dispatched to pick up Ludendorff, whose personal prestige was being harnessed to give the Nazis credibility. A telephone call was made from the kitchen by [[Hermann Kriebel]] to [[Ernst Röhm]], who was waiting with his ''[[Bund Reichskriegsflagge]]'' in the ''[[Löwenbräukeller]]'', another beer hall, and he was ordered to seize key buildings throughout the city. At the same time, co-conspirators under [[Gerhard Rossbach]] mobilised the students of a nearby infantry officers' school to seize other objectives.

Hitler became irritated by Kahr and summoned [[Ernst Pöhner]], [[Friedrich Weber (veterinarian)|Friedrich Weber]], and Hermann Kriebel to stand in for him while he returned to the auditorium flanked by [[Rudolf Hess]] and Adolf Lenk. He followed up on Göring's speech and stated that the action was not directed at the police and Reichswehr, but against "the Berlin Jew government and the November criminals of 1918".{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=128}} Dr. Karl Alexander von Mueller, a professor of modern history and political science at the [[University of Munich]] and a supporter of Kahr, was an eyewitness. He reported:

<blockquote>I cannot remember in my entire life such a change in the attitude of a crowd in a few minutes, almost a few seconds ... Hitler had turned them inside out, as one turns a glove inside out, with a few sentences. It had almost something of hocus-pocus, or magic about it.</blockquote>
Hitler ended his speech with: "Outside are Kahr, Lossow and Seisser. They are struggling hard to reach a decision. May I say to them that you will stand behind them?"{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=129}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 119-1426, Hitler-Putsch, München, Odeonsplatz.jpg|left|upright=1.5|thumb|Odeonsplatz in Munich, 9 November]]

The crowd in the hall backed Hitler with a roar of approval.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=129}} He finished:

<blockquote>You can see that what motivates us is neither self-conceit nor self-interest, but only a burning desire to join the battle in this grave eleventh hour for our German Fatherland ... One last thing I can tell you. Either the German revolution begins tonight or we will all be dead by dawn!{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=129}}</blockquote>

Hitler, Ludendorff, ''et al.'', returned to the main hall's podium, where they gave speeches and shook hands. The crowd was then allowed to leave the hall.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=129}} In a tactical mistake, Hitler decided to leave the Bürgerbräukeller shortly thereafter to deal with a crisis elsewhere. Around 22:30, Ludendorff released Kahr and his associates.

The Bund Oberland, under the command of Max Ritter von Müller, was sent to seize weapons from the Army Engineer Barracks under the pretence of performing training manoeuvres. Oskar Cantzler, captain of the 1st company of the 7th Engineer Battalion, did not believe them, but allowed them to perform the manoeuvres inside the building. He locked the building with the 400 men inside and positioned two machine guns at the entrance. Hitler attempted to have the men released, but Cantzler refused. Hitler considered using artillery to destroy the building but chose not to.{{sfn|King|2017|pp=54–55}}

The night was marked by confusion and unrest among government officials, armed forces, police units, and individuals deciding where their loyalties lay. Units of the ''Kampfbund'' were scurrying around to arm themselves from secret caches, and seizing buildings. At around 03:00, the first casualties of the putsch occurred when the local garrison of the ''[[Reichswehr]]'' spotted Röhm's men coming out of the beer hall. They were ambushed while trying to reach the ''Reichswehr'' barracks by soldiers and state police; shots were fired, but there were no fatalities on either side. Encountering heavy resistance, Röhm and his men were forced to fall back. In the meantime, the ''Reichswehr'' officers put the whole garrison on alert and called for reinforcements.

[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2007-0003, Soldaten bei der Verhaftung von Stadträten.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Early Nazis who participated in the attempt to seize power during the 1923 Putsch]]

In the morning, Hitler ordered the seizure of the {{ill|Munich city council|de|Münchner Stadtrat}} as [[hostage]]s.

By mid-morning on 9 November, Hitler realised that the putsch was going nowhere. The putschists did not know what to do and were about to give up. At this moment, Ludendorff cried out, "Wir marschieren!" ('We will march!'). Röhm's force together with Hitler's (a total of approximately 2000 men) marched out – but with no specific destination. On the spur of the moment, Ludendorff led them to the Bavarian Defence Ministry. However, at the ''[[Odeonsplatz]]'' in front of the ''[[Feldherrnhalle]]'', they met a force of 130 soldiers blocking the way under the command of State Police Senior Lieutenant {{ill|Michael von Godin|de|Michael Freiherr von Godin}}. The two groups exchanged fire, which resulted in the deaths of 16 Nazis, four police officers, and one bystander.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=73–75}}

Although their defeat by the government forces forced Hitler and Ludendorff to flee Munich,{{r|irvine193111}} it was the origin of the ''[[Blutfahne]]'' ('blood flag'), which was stained with the blood of two SA members who were shot: the flag bearer Heinrich Trambauer, who was badly wounded, and Andreas Bauriedl, who fell dead onto the fallen flag.<ref>[[Hilmar Hoffmann]], ''The Triumph of Propaganda: Film and National Socialism'', 1933–1945, Vol. 1, pp. 20–22.</ref> A bullet killed Scheubner-Richter.<ref>[http://stevenlehrer.com/beerhall_putsch.htm] Hitler Sites by Steven Lehrer. McFarland & Co, Publishers, {{ISBN|0-7864-1045-0}}.</ref> Göring was shot in the leg, but escaped.{{sfn|Kershaw|2008|p=131}} The rest of the Nazis scattered or were arrested. Hitler was arrested two days later.

In a description of Ludendorff's funeral at the ''Feldherrnhalle'' in 1937 (which Hitler attended but without speaking) [[William L. Shirer]] wrote: "The World War [One] hero [Ludendorff] had refused to have anything to do with him [Hitler] ever since he had fled from in front of the Feldherrnhalle after the volley of bullets during the Beer Hall Putsch." However, when a consignment of papers relating to Landsberg prison (including the visitor book) was later sold at auction, it was noted that Ludendorff had visited Hitler a number of times. The case of the resurfacing papers was reported in ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' on 23 June 2006; the new information (which came out more than 30 years after Shirer wrote his book, and which Shirer did not have access to) nullifies Shirer's statement.<ref>''Der Spiegel'', 23 June 2006.</ref>{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=312}}

=== Counterattack ===  
Police units were first notified of trouble by three police detectives stationed at the ''Löwenbräukeller''. These reports reached Major [[Sigmund von Imhoff]] of the state police. He immediately called all his ''[[Grüne Polizei]]'' units and had them seize the central telegraph office and the telephone exchange, although his most important act was to notify [[Jakob Ritter von Danner|Major-General Jakob von Danner]], the ''[[Reichswehr]]'' city commandant of Munich. As a proud war hero, Danner loathed the "little corporal" and those "''[[Freikorps]]'' bands of rowdies". He also did not much like his commanding officer, Generalleutnant [[Otto von Lossow]], "a sorry figure of a man". He was determined to put down the putsch with or without Lossow. Danner set up a command post at the 19th Infantry Regiment barracks and alerted all military units.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 PT22]}}

Meanwhile, Captain Karl Wild, learning of the putsch from marchers, mobilised his command to guard Kahr's government building, the ''Commissariat'', with orders to shoot.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 PT22]}}

Around 23:00, Major-General von Danner, along with fellow generals {{ill|Adolf Ritter von Ruith|de|Adolf von Ruith}} and [[Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein]], compelled Lossow to repudiate the putsch.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 PT22]}}

There was one member of the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] who was not at the Bürgerbräukeller: [[Franz Matt]], the vice-premier and minister of education and culture. A staunchly conservative [[Roman Catholic]], he was having dinner with the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising|Archbishop of Munich]], Cardinal [[Michael von Faulhaber]], and with the [[Apostolic Nunciature to Bavaria|Nuncio to Bavaria]], Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli (who would later become [[Pope Pius XII]]), when he learned of the putsch. He immediately telephoned Kahr. When he found the man vacillating and unsure, Matt made plans to set up a rump government-in-exile in [[Regensburg]] and composed a proclamation calling upon all police officers, members of the armed forces, and civil servants to remain loyal to the government. The action of these few men spelt doom for those attempting the putsch.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 PT22]}} The next day the archbishop and Rupprecht<!--who?--> visited Kahr and persuaded him to repudiate Hitler.<ref name="irvine193111">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/improvementera3501unse#page/n13/mode/2up | title=Adolf Hitler / The Man and His Ideas | work=The Improvement Era | date=November 1931 | access-date=13 November 2014 | author=Irvine, Wendell C. | page=13}}</ref>

Three thousand students from the University of Munich rioted and marched to the ''[[Feldherrnhalle]]'' to lay wreaths. They continued to riot until 9 November, when they learned of Hitler's arrest. Kahr and Lossow were called [[Judas Iscariot|Judases]] and traitors.{{sfn|Bear|2016|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=wSMzDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 PT22]}}