Hermann Ehrhardt

Hermann Ehrhardt
Hermann Ehrhardt in 1916
Born	(1881-11-27)27 November 1881 Diersburg, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	27 September 1971(1971-09-27) (aged 89) Brunn am Walde, Lower Austria, Republic of Austria
Allegiance	German Empire
Service/branch	Imperial German Navy
Years of service	1899–1918
Rank	Korvettenkapitän
Commands held	IX. Torpedo Boat Flotilla Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
Battles/wars	Herero Wars World War I Battle of Jutland Kapp Putsch

Hermann Ehrhardt (29 November 1881 – 27 September 1971) was a German naval officer in World War I who became an anti-republican and anti-Semitic German nationalist Freikorps leader during the Weimar Republic. As head of the Marine Brigade Ehrhardt, he was among the best-known Freikorps leaders in the immediate postwar years. The brigade fought against the local soviet republics that arose during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and later was among the key players in the anti-democratic Kapp Putsch of March 1920. After the brigade's forced disbanding, Ehrhardt used the remnants of his unit to found the Organisation Consul, a secret group that committed numerous politically motivated assassinations. After it was banned in 1922, Ehrhardt formed other less successful groups such as the Bund Viking (Viking League). Because of his opposition to Adolf Hitler, Ehrhardt was forced to flee Germany in 1934 and lived apolitically in Austria until his death in 1971.