Jakob Grimminger (25 April 1892 – 28 January 1969) was a German

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 ...

and

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...

(SS) member. As the official standard-bearer of the ''

Blutfahne The ''Blutfahne'' (), or Blood Flag, is or was a Nazi Party swastika flag that was carried during the attempted coup d’etat Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, Germany on 9 November 1923, during which it became soaked in the blood of one of the S ...

'', an iconic flag of the Nazi movement that had become bloodstained during the Munich Putsch in 1923, Grimminger often appeared nearby Hitler in photographs and during ceremonies.

Early life

Grimminger was born in

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

and entered the Imperial German Army when he was sixteen years old. He served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as a mechanic in an air regiment from 1914 and 1917. He fought in the Gallipoli Campaign. He also served a year in Palestine after which he returned to Germany. Having been awarded the

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 ...

(second class), Bavarian medals and the Turkish Iron Crescent, Grimminger was discharged from the German Imperial Army in 1919 after its defeat.

Nazi Party activity

Grimminger joined the

(NSDAP) in 1922 and became a member of the '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA). He took part in street-fighting in

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it ...

in 1922 and in the

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Beer Hall Putsch of 8 November 1923. After serving in the '' Brown House'', the general headquarters of the NSDAP, he was selected in 1926 to become a member of the ''

'' (SS). Grimminger was promoted during his service in the SA and the SS, finally reaching the rank of SS-'' Standartenführer'' (equivalent to colonel). As a member of the SS, he was appointed to carry the bloodstained ''Blutfahne'' from the Munich Putsch. He was decorated with the

Golden Party Badge __NOTOC__ The Golden Party Badge (german: Goldenes Parteiabzeichen) was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers fr ...

, the Blood Order (no. 714), and the Coburg Badge, three of the most prized decorations of the NSDAP. After the fall of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in mid-1945, the fate of the "Blutfahne", of which Grimminger was the guardian, is unknown.

Post World War II

Grimminger survived World War II, and was put on trial by the Allies in 1946 for being a member of the SS and ceremonially carrying the ''Blutfahne'' for nineteen years as a part of the propaganda of the Nazi Party. For this, he was not sent to prison, but all of his property was confiscated. In later life, he reportedly attempted to enter politics and served as a Councillor in

, though his past prevented him from continuing this career. He died in obscurity in Munich on 28 January 1969 aged 76. His body was buried in Munich's Waldfriedhof, but the grave was subsequently reclaimed, and his body was relocated to an unmarked grave in Herzebrock-Clarholz.Biographical entry for Grimminger, 'WW2 Gravestone.com' website (2019). https://ww2gravestone.com/people/grimminger-jakob/

Honours

* Golden party badge of the NSDAP * Honour Chevron of the Old Guard * SS Honour Ring ( Deathshead ring) * Blood Order *

2nd Class 1914, *

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 ...

Ottoman Medals

Gallipoli Star The Gallipolli Star is a military decoration awarded by the Ottoman Empire. It was known as the Ottoman War Medal ( tr, Harp Madalyası) or the Iron Crescent (from German ''Eiserner Halbmond'', in allusion to the Iron Cross). It was instituted b ...

Notes and references

;Notes ;References * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grimminger, Jakob 1892 births 1969 deaths Nazis who participated in the Beer Hall Putsch Military personnel from Augsburg People from the Kingdom of Bavaria SS-Standartenführer Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Luftstreitkräfte personnel