Joseph Berchtold
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Joseph Berchtold (6 March 1897 – 23 August 1962) was a German
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
official and journalist who was the 2nd ''
Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest Uniforms and insignia of the Schut ...
'' from 1926 to 1927. An early senior
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 ...
member, he was a co-founder of the (SA) and (SS). Berchtold served in
World War I 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 ...
and upon Germany's defeat joined the
German Workers' Party The German Workers' Party (, DAP) was a short-lived far-right political party established in the Weimar Republic after World War I. It only lasted from 5 January 1919 until 24 February 1920. The DAP was the precursor of the National Socialist ...
(DAP), a small extremist organization at the time. He remained in the party after it became known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party; NSDAP) and went on to become the second commander of the (SS) from April 1926 to March 1927. After resigning as the SS leader, Berchtold spent much of his time writing for Nazi magazines and journals. He survived the war, but was arrested by the Allies. Berchtold was later released and died in 1962. He was the last surviving person to hold the rank of and the only one to survive the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Early life

Born on 6 March 1897 in
Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...
, Berchtold attended school 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 ...
from 1903 to 1915. He went on to serve in the Royal Bavarian Army during
World War I 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 ...
(1914–1918) and held the rank of '' Leutnant'' at the end of the war. After the war, he studied economics at the University of Munich and gained employment as a journalist. In early 1920, he joined the small right-wing extremist group the
German Workers' Party The German Workers' Party (, DAP) was a short-lived far-right political party established in the Weimar Republic after World War I. It only lasted from 5 January 1919 until 24 February 1920. The DAP was the precursor of the National Socialist ...
(DAP). He remained in the party after it became known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party; NSDAP). Berchtold became the treasurer of the Nazi Party, until he resigned at the end of July 1921.


SA career

Upon re-joining the party in 1922, Berchtold became a member 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 ...
'' ("Storm Detachment"; SA), a
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
wing formed to protect its speakers at rallies, and to police Nazi meetings.
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 ...
, leader of the party since 1921, ordered the formation of a small separate bodyguard dedicated to his protection instead of less trustworthy ordinary party members in 1923. Originally the unit was composed of only eight men, commanded by Julius Schreck and Berchtold. It was initially designated the ''Stabswache'' ("Staff Guard"). Later that year, the unit was renamed '' Stoßtrupp-Hitler'' ("Shock Troop-Hitler"). On 9 November 1923 the ''Stoßtrupp'', along with the SA and several other paramilitary units, took part in what would become known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The plan was to first take control of
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 ...
, then
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
and then seize total power by marching on
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, much like how Mussolini and his
Blackshirts The Voluntary Militia for National Security (, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts (, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the National Fascist Party, known as the Squadrismo, and after 1923 an all-vo ...
had done in Italy. The
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
failed and resulted in the death of 16 Nazis, three police officers, and one bystander. In the aftermath of the putsch both Hitler and other Nazi leaders were incarcerated at
Landsberg Prison Landsberg Prison is a prison in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west-southwest of Munich and south of Augsburg. It is best known as the prison where Adolf Hitler was held in 1924, after the ...
. The Nazi Party and all associated formations, including the ''Stoßtrupp'', were officially disbanded and outlawed. Berchtold ended up fleeing to Tirol,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. He was tried in absentia in Munich before the special People's Court in 1924 for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch and sentenced to a prison term. During his time in Austria, Berchtold continued to be involved with Nazi Party activities, even though it was illegal. When Hitler was released from prison on 20 December 1924, Berchtold was District Director of the Nazi Party in
Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...
, Austria and was leader of the SA there. After the re-formation of the Nazi Party on 20 February 1925, he rejoined it, documented as member #964. In March 1926, Berchtold returned to Munich from Austria. He became chief of the SA in Munich not long after.


SS career

On 15 April 1926, Berchtold became the successor to Schreck as chief of the ''
Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...
'' ("Protection Squadron"; SS), a special elite branch of the party under the control of the SA. Berchtold changed the title of the office position which became known as the ''
Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest Uniforms and insignia of the Schut ...
''. He issued new rules to establish the position of the SS. The rules stated the unit was "...neither a military organisation nor a group of hangers-on, but a small squad of men that our movement and our Führer can rely on." He further stressed that the men must follow "only party discipline". He was considered to be more dynamic than his predecessor, but was still unable to keep the party organizers at bay. He was frustrated in his efforts to have a more independent unit and became disillusioned by the SA's authority over the SS. On 1 March 1927, he handed over leadership of the SS to his deputy Erhard Heiden.


After the SS

In 1927, he became a lead writer for '' Völkischer Beobachter'', the Nazi Party newspaper. From 1928 to 1945, Berchtold was an SA leader, serving on the staff of the Supreme SA leadership (OSAF). In 1934, he became the permanent deputy editor-in-chief of the ''Völkischer Beobachter''. In the following years, he was primarily a Nazi Party journalist and propagandist. In 1928, Berchtold founded the newspaper ''SA-Mann'' ("SA Man"), which was published by the OSAF. Until January 1938, he was its main writer. Berchtold was also the author of various Nazi publications and on the staff of additional magazines. Additional posts in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
were of secondary importance to Berchtold. From March 1934 to the end of the war, Berchtold served on the city council in Munich. On 15 November 1935, Berchtold was appointed Reich Culture Senator. In addition, he belonged to the "Cultural Circle of the SA" from 6 March 1936. On 29 March 1936, he was elected to the '' Reichstag'' from electoral constituency 32 (
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...
) and retained this seat until the fall of Nazi Germany. From 29 April 1940, Berchtold served as a '' Hauptmann'' (captain) of reserves in the ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' on a temporary basis.


Post-war

After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
ended, Berchtold was arrested in 1945 and interned at Oberpfaffenhofen. He died on 23 August 1962, in Herrsching am Ammersee, near Munich.


Promotions


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 * Military Merit Cross (Bavaria) with Swords * The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 with Swords, 1934 * Blood Order #9, 1934 * Honour Chevron for the Old Guard, 1934 * Golden Party Badge, 1933 * Nazi Party Long Service Award (bronze, silver, gold)


References


Citations


Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berchtold, Joseph 1897 births 1962 deaths 20th-century German journalists German Army personnel of World War I German Nazi propagandists German newspaper editors German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Members of the Reichstag 1936–1938 Members of the Reichstag 1938–1945 Military personnel from Ingolstadt Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Nazi Party officials Nazis who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Reichsführer-SS SA-Obergruppenführer