Franz Pfeffer Von Salomon
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Franz Pfeffer von Salomon (19 February 1888 – 12 April 1968) during the Nazi regime known as Franz von Pfeffer, was the first Supreme Leader of the ''
Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
'' (SA) after its re-establishment in 1925. Pfeffer resigned from his SA command in 1930 and was expelled from the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
in 1941. He died in 1968.


Early years

Pfeffer was born the son of a
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n bureaucrat, the oldest of seven children. He was from a noble family of the
Lower Rhine Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...
. After graduating from the gymnasium he studied law at the
University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
. He worked briefly as a law clerk prior to starting a military career. He attended military school for two years and entered military service in October 1910. He became a '' Fahnenjunker'' (officer candidate) and served in Infantry Regiment No. 13 (1st Westphalian) throughout the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
on the Western Front in both combat and staff positions, earning the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
1st and 2nd Class. Discharged with the rank of ''
Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'' at the war's end in November 1918, he became active in the ''
Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...
''. He formed and led the Westphalian ''“Freikorps von Pfeffer”'' in the
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, the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
and
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until March 1920. He then participated in the failed Kapp Putsch and was detained for a time, but granted an amnesty in 1921. He was very active in organizing resistance groups to put an end to the French occupation of the Ruhr (1923–25). He began to be involved in right wing politics, joining the '' Völkisch-Social Bloc'' in 1924 and becoming the Chairman of its ''Landesverband'' (State Association) in the
Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar ...
from May 1924 to March 1925.


Nazi Party and SA career

Pfeffer joined the Nazi Party in March 1925 (membership number 16,101) shortly after the ban on it in the aftermath of the
Beer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other leaders i ...
was lifted. He was named ''
Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of Westphalia on 27 March 1925. In September 1925, he became a member of the National Socialist Working Association, a short-lived group of northern and western German ''Gauleiters'', organized and led by Gregor Strasser, which unsuccessfully sought to amend the Party program. It was dissolved in 1926 following the Bamberg Conference. Pfeffer remained ''Gauleiter'' in Westphalia until 7 March 1926 when his Gau was merged with Gau North Rhineland to form ''Großgau'' Ruhr. He then ran the large new Gau in a
triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...
of sorts with ''Gauleiters''
Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...
and Karl Kaufmann. Pfeffer was simultaneously the ''Gau SA-Führer''. However, disputes and jealousies between them led to a reorganization ordered by
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
on 20 June 1926 with Kaufmann remaining as the sole ''Gauleiter''. In August 1926, Pfeffer was charged by Hitler with the leadership of the entire SA. This was formalized on 1 November, when he was granted the title '' Oberster SA-Führer'' (Supreme SA Leader). He was the first SA commander upon its re-establishment in 1925, following its temporary abolition in 1923 in the wake of the abortive Beer Hall Putsch.
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
became Pfeffer's secretary in Munich. Pfeffer set about strengthening and reorganizing the SA. He established seven new regional level SA-''
Oberführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically an NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geograph ...
'' commands in March 1928. In February 1929, their title was changed to OSAF-''Stellvertreter'' (Deputy Supreme SA Leader). During his tenure, the SA expanded from around 30,000 to over 60,000. On 1 April 1930, Pfeffer was made ''Korpsführer'' of the newly established National Socialist Automobile Corps, the forerunner of the
National Socialist Motor Corps The National Socialist Motor Corps (, NSKK) was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that officially existed from May 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organisation to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps (, NS ...
(NSKK). Pfeffer developed fundamental disagreements with Hitler about the nature of the SA. Whereas Hitler tried to place limitations on the autonomy of the SA, Pfeffer sought to strengthen the organization and make it more independent of the Party organization. Pfeffer saw the SA as a military/revolutionary institution that would eventually displace the ''
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
'' to become a mass people's army and overthrow the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. Hitler, however, favored a legal seizure of power through the electoral process. In his view, the SA's job was to assist in the party's propaganda efforts through leafleting, to provide security at Party rallies and, when necessary, to battle political opponents in the streets. Pfeffer demanded (at a Nazi leadership conference held on 2 and 3 August 1930) that the SA be represented on the NSDAP electoral list in the upcoming '' Reichstag'' elections and that it be granted three secure seats in the ''Reichstag''. Hitler refused and Pfeffer submitted a letter of resignation on 12 August, effective 29 August. Hitler accepted Pfeffer's resignation and on 2 September assumed personal command of the SA as ''Oberster SA-Führer''. He then summoned Ernst Röhm to return to Germany from
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
to effectively run the SA as its '' Stabschef'' (Chief of Staff), since Hitler had no interest in running the day-to-day operations of the SA. Röhm took up his new post in January 1931.


Later years

Pfeffer remained a member of the SA on active service with its General Inspectorate until April 1933. He was then put into the reserve leadership cadre of the SA. He was, however, elected to the ''Reichstag'' on 6 November 1932 and at the next two elections on the Nazi Party
electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...
. At the March 1936 election, he switched to represent electoral constituency 16 ( South Hanover–Braunschweig) and was reelected in April 1938. Despite this, Pfeffer was treated with suspicion in Nazi Party circles. Following
Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
’s flight to Scotland in May 1941, he was briefly arrested and released. However, he was expelled from the party on 14 November 1941 and from the ''Reichstag'' on 27 November. He was by that point essentially retired, living on his estate in Pommern. Following the failed assassination attempt on Hitler in the 20 July 1944 plot, Pfeffer was arrested once more and this time held for several months. He survived the Second World War, even commanding a ''
Volkssturm The (, ) was a ''levée en masse'' national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was set up by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and established on 25 September 1944. It was staffed by conscri ...
'' division near the war's end. He was then briefly interned in
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...
by the Allies until 1946. He was active in the Hessian State Association of the German Party during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He lived in
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
until 1960 and then in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, dying in 1968 at the age of 80.


Family

His brother, Friedrich Pfeffer von Salomon (1892–1961), was an SA-''
Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...
'', who served as the Police President in
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
(1933–1936) and the Nazi Party '' Regierungspräsident'' in Wiesbaden (1936–1939; 1941–1943)


Awards and decorations

*1914
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
2nd Class *1914
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
1st Class *1918
Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...
in Black , -


See also

* Gausturm


Notes


Weblink

*


References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pfeffer von Salomon, Franz 1888 births 1968 deaths 20th-century Freikorps personnel 20th-century German nobility Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof Gauleiters German Army personnel of World War I German prisoners of war in World War II German untitled nobility Heinrich Himmler Kapp Putsch participants Members of the Reichstag 1932–1933 Members of the Reichstag 1933 Members of the Reichstag 1933–1936 Members of the Reichstag 1936–1938 Members of the Reichstag 1938–1945 Military personnel from Düsseldorf National Socialist Working Association members Nobility in the Nazi Party People from the Rhine Province Prisoners and detainees of Germany Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Supreme SA Leader Volkssturm personnel