Hans-Adam Otto von Heydebreck, commonly known as Peter von Heydebreck (1 July 1889

Köslin Koszalin (; ; , ) is a city in northwestern Poland, in Western Pomerania. It is located south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomera ...

– 30 June 1934) was a German military officer in 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 ...

, a ''

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 ...

'' commander and a ''

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) general. He was also a

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 who was elected to the '' Reichstag'', and who was murdered during the

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...

Early life and military career

Heydebreck was born the son of a Prussian ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' in Köslin (today,

Koszalin Koszalin (; ; , ) is a city in northwestern Poland, in Western Pomerania. It is located south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomera ...

). Intended for a military career, he attended military cadet academies in Köslin and the ''

Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt The Preußische Hauptkadettenanstalt (Trans. Royal Prussian Cadet's Institute) in Groß-Lichterfelde near Berlin, was the main military academy training officer corps of the Prussian Army from 1882 to 1919. From 1933 till 1945, the buildin ...

'' in Lichterfelde. He was commissioned a ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' in the Royal Prussian Army in June 1908 and was assigned to the 6th (2nd Silesian) Jäger Battalion. He fought in the

and was severely wounded on 26 September 1914 in the

Forest of Argonne The Forest of Argonne () is a long strip of mountainous and wild woodland in northeastern France, approximately east of Paris. The forest measures roughly long and wide filled with many small hills and deep valleys formed by water run-off fr ...

, which resulted in the amputation of his left arm. After a long recovery, Heydebreck returned to the

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...

in the spring of 1916 and, 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 ...

'', he was deployed as a company and battalion commander at

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

, in

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Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and on the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

. Toward the end of the war, he commanded a Jäger cycling battalion on the western front.Hans von Heydebreck biography
in th
''Reichstag'' Members Database
/ref> Remaining in the military, Heydebreck founded a ''

'' unit from his bicycle battalion that was active in the Third Silesian Uprising. His unit played a crucial role in the reconquest from the Polish defenders of a strategic hill at the

Battle of Annaberg The Battle of (the) Annaberg () was the biggest battle of the Silesian Uprisings. The battle, which took place between May 21–26, 1921, was fought at the Annaberg (Polish: ''Góra Św. Anny''), a strategic hill near the village of Annabe ...

in May 1921. Consequently, Heydebreck was acclaimed as the "Hero of Annaberg". He continued to be active with the ''Freikorps'' until 1923.

The Weimar years

Heydebreck was elected to the '' Reichstag'' at the May 1924 parliamentary election as a candidate on the

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 ...

of the far-right German Völkisch Freedom Party, and joined the

National Socialist Freedom Movement The National Socialist Freedom Movement (, NSFB) or National Socialist Freedom Party (, NSFP) was a short-lived political party in Weimar Germany created in April 1924 during the aftermath of the Beer Hall Putsch. Adolf Hitler and many Nazi le ...

parliamentary faction that included members of the

. However, he did not stand for reelection at the following election in December 1924. Heydebreck continued to be active in

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 ...

organizations hostile to 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 ...

. After

Ernst Röhm Ernst Julius Günther Röhm (; 28 November 1887 – 1 July 1934) was a German military officer, politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party. A close friend and early ally of Adolf Hitler, Röhm was the co-founder and leader of the (SA), t ...

founded the '' Frontbann'' in the spring of 1924 as a

front organization A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, secret societies, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy ...

for the banned ''

'' (SA), Heydebreck joined the new organization.

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 ...

reestablished the Nazi Party in February 1925, after the ban imposed on it following the failed

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. Heydebreck joined the Party (membership number 20,525) in October 1925 and participated in establishing the district party organization in

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

. He also joined the re-established SA and he founded the SA in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

, recruiting many of his former ''Freikorps'' comrades. Röhm took over the leadership of the SA in January 1931 as SA-''

Stabschef (, ) was an office and paramilitary rank in the (SA), the paramilitary stormtroopers associated with the Nazi Party. It was a rank and position held by the operating chief of the SA. The rank was equivalent to the rank of in the German Army an ...

'', and Heydebreck was appointed to the staff of the Supreme SA Leadership (OSAF) on 1 April 1932 with the rank of SA-''

Standartenführer __NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...

''.

Career in Nazi Germany

After the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

, Heydebreck was transferred from OSAF to the staff of the SA-''Obergruppe'' I in Berlin. Following a reorganization on 1 June 1933, this became SA-''Obergruppe'' III with headquarters in Breslau (today,

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

) under Edmund Heines. On 20 August 1933, Heydebreck was promoted to 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 ...

''. On 15 September 1933, he was given temporary command of SA-''Gruppe'' Pomerania. On 20 April 1934, his appointment was made permanent and he was promoted to SA-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

''. At the November 1933 election, Heydebreck again was elected as a deputy to the '' Reichstag'', this time as a Nazi Party member from electoral constituency 6 (

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

). On 16 March 1934, the Upper Silesian town of Kandrzin (today,

Kędzierzyn-Koźle Kędzierzyn-Koźle () is a city in south-western Poland, the administrative center of Kędzierzyn-Koźle County. With 58,899 inhabitants as of 2021, it is the second most-populous city in the Opole Voivodeship. Founded from the merger of the prev ...

) was renamed ''Heydebreck'' in his honor for his exploits during the Silesian uprising.

Arrest and death

On the morning of 30 June 1934, Heydebreck was arrested 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 ...

and taken to the

Stadelheim prison Stadelheim Prison (), in Munich's Giesing district, is one of the largest Prisons in Germany, prisons in Germany. Founded in 1894, it was the site of many executions, particularly by guillotine during the Nazi period. Notable inmates *Ludwig Thom ...

together with several other high-ranking SA officers who were gathering for a meeting of the SA leadership. In what has become known as the

, Heydebreck was executed that evening by a firing squad from the

Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...

, along with five fellow officers ( Hans Hayn, Edmund Heines, Wilhelm Schmid,

August Schneidhuber Ludwig Ernst August Schneidhuber (8 May 1887 – 30 June 1934) was a German military officer and an SA-''Obergruppenführer'' in the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the Nazi Party's paramilitary organization. He held several high-level SA commands and ...

and Hans Erwin Graf von Spreti-Weilbach. Heydebreck was one of the eleven victims named by Hitler in his speech to the ''Reichstag'' of 13 July 1934 justifying his actions in ordering the executions. On 31 October 1934, Heydebreck was posthumously expelled from the SA with effect from 1 July 1934. However, despite his execution and official ostracism, the Nazis did not rename the Silesian town named after him and it continued to be called Heydebreck until it was ceded to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

following the end of 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 ...

. In May 1957, the former SS-'' Oberst-Gruppenführer''

Sepp Dietrich Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German politician, general and war criminal in the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) during the Nazi era. Despite having no formal staff officer training, Dietrich was, along with Paul Hausser, t ...

was sentenced to 18 months in prison as an accessory to manslaughter due to his role in the firing squad that executed Heydebreck and the others.Zentner, Christian; Bedürftig, Friedemann (eds.) (1997). The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. New York: Da Capo Press. p. 197.

''Sturmabteilung'' ranks

References

External links

*
Peter von Heydebreck
in th

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heydebreck, Peter Von 1889 births 1934 deaths 20th-century Freikorps personnel 20th-century German nobility German amputees German Army personnel of World War I German Protestants German untitled nobility German Völkisch Freedom Party politicians Members of the Reichstag 1924 Members of the Reichstag 1933–1936 Military personnel from the Province of Pomerania National Socialist Freedom Movement politicians Nazis executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad Nazis killed during the Night of the Long Knives Nobility in the Nazi Party People from Koszalin Prussian Army personnel SA-Brigadeführer