Otto Wilhelm Heinrich Wagener (29 April 1888 – 9 August 1971) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
and, for a period,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
's economic advisor and confidant.
Life and career
An industrialist's son, Wagener was born in
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.
History
Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession.
It was chosen by the margrave Ch ...
, graduated from
''Gymnasium'' and then became an
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
officer. In 1916 during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Wagener was promoted to the
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...
.
After the war, Wagener was involved in the planning of an attack against the city of Posen (now
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
), but had to flee to the
Baltic countries
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Euro ...
to avoid arrest. There he merged all ''
Freikorps
(, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...
'' associations into the German Legion, and assumed leadership after its leader, Paul Siewert, was murdered. After returning to Germany, he was active in ''Freikorps'' operations in
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...
,
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...
, and the
Ruhr area
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , 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 2,800/km ...
.
In 1920 he studied
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...
and managed to broaden his knowledge by traveling abroad. In 1929 Wagener joined the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
(NSDAP) and the ''
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ralli ...
'' (SA), having been recruited by his old ''Freikorps'' comrade
Franz Pfeffer von Salomon
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'' (SA) after its re-establishment in 1925. Pfeffer resigned from his SA comman ...
.
[''Kershaw'' p. 348.] Wagener was able to put his business acumen and contacts to good usage for the Nazi Party, in this case for the SA:
Wagener had used his business contacts to persuade a cigarette firm to produce "Sturm" cigarettes for SA men – a "sponsorship" deal benefiting both the firm and SA coffers. Stormtroopers were strongly encouraged to smoke only these cigarettes. A cut from the profit went to the SA ....
He functioned as SA
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
from October 1929 through December 1930, assuming effective command of the SA for a few months in the wake of the
Stennes Revolt until the assumption of command by
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Günther Röhm (; 28 November 1887 – 1 July 1934) was a German military officer and an early member of the Nazi Party. As one of the members of its predecessor, the German Workers' Party, he was a close friend and early ally ...
as the new Chief of Staff in early January 1931.
[After the first Stennes Revolt in August 1930, Hitler assumed Supreme Command of the SA, having cashiered Wagener's friend and war comrade Pfeffer von Salomon as SA head. Wagener was the de facto leader of the SA from this time until Röhm's return in January 1931. See Stennes Revolt.] In 1933 he became a member of the
Reichstag for the NSDAP. In January 1931, Wagener led the Political-economic Department of the NSDAP, and in September 1932 he was appointed Hitler's personal economic advisor. Hitler appointed him
Reich Commissar for the Economy from April to June 1933.
By late 1930 or early 1931 Wagener had made a mark on National Socialist economic policy. As Patch notes (p. 201-02):
Wagener formulated an original set of economic policies based on corporatist and leadership principles in confidential talks with Hitler and succeeded in recruiting many middle echelon industrial managers and owners of small factories for the NSDAP.... confidential draft by Wagenerembraced the ideal of the corporatist "company union" (''Werksgemeinschaft'') and described the employer as the "Fuhrer" within his factory. All disputes over wages and working conditions would be settled within the "family" of the individual company in the National Socialist state of the future. Trade unions would be responsible merely for vocational training.
Wagener was replaced in his role as Commissioner for Economic Questions by
Wilhelm Keppler, as Wagener had become embroiled in "coordination" disputes with leaders of industry after the National Socialist assumption of national power in January 1933, even forcibly occupying the industry-run trade association "Reich Association of German Industry" with the intention of shutting it down. Internal conflicts led to legal proceedings against Wagener in 1933 and 1934 in a case brought before the
USCHLA (Party tribunal). After the
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...
, Wagener was detained for a short time. Nevertheless, he was rehabilitated, and he resumed his career in the army.
In the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Wagener served at the front, rising to the rank of
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
and becoming a
division commander. Under his command of the island of
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
, a post he held from 20 July 1944, almost the complete Jewish population was
murdered
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...
. After the war, Wagener was kept first in
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and later, from 1947 to 1952,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
prisoner of war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...
s.
In 1946, while being held by the British, Wagener wrote his memoirs about Hitler and the Nazi Party's early history, entitled ''Hitler aus nächster Nähe. Aufzeichnungen eines Vertrauten 1929−1932'' (known in English as ''
Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant''). His work was not published until seven years after his death, in 1978. His memoirs are used, to some degree, by historians of Nazi Germany.
Otto Wagener died in
Chieming
Chieming is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany.
Etymology
The name ''Chieming'', ''Chiemsee'' and the name of the area ''Chiemgau
Chiemgau () is the common name of a geographic area in Upper Bavaria. It refers t ...
in 1971.
Decorations and awards
*1914
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
2nd Class
*1914
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
1st Class
*
Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order
The Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order (german: Militär Karl-Friedrich-Verdienstorden) was a military order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Established 5 October 1805 by Charles Frederick, Elector and later Grand Duke of Baden, the ord ...
*1929
Nuremberg Party Day Badge, c.1929
*1939
Clasp to the Iron Cross
The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...
2nd Class
*1939
Clasp to the Iron Cross
The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...
1st Class
*
The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...
with Swords,
*
Honour Chevron of the Old Guard, 1934
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
, 5 May 1945 as ''
Generalmajor
is the Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central and Northern European countries.
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and Royal Danish Air Force. As a two-s ...
'' and commander of the Division Insel Rhodos
[Fellgiebel 2000, pp. 434, 507.]
References
Informational notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Review of memoirsat ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagener, Otto
1888 births
1971 deaths
20th-century Freikorps personnel
Holocaust perpetrators in Greece
Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht)
German Army personnel of World War I
Nazi Party officials
People from the Grand Duchy of Baden
Members of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Adolf Hitler
Kapp Putsch participants
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom
History of Rhodes
Military personnel from Karlsruhe