Lüttwitz, Freiherr von, Walther

Date of birth:: February 2nd, 1859 (Bodland, Landkreis Kreuzburg O.S., Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany)
Date of death:: September 20th, 1942 (Breslau, Gau Lower Silesia, Germany)
Nationality:: German

Biography

Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr von Lüttwitz fought in World War I and is best known for being the driving force behind the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 which attempted to replace the democratic government of the Weimar Republic with a military dictatorship.
Father of General Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz

15.04.1876-1887: military training - finished as Sekondeleutnant in das Schlesische Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 38
15.12.1976: promoted to Sekondeleutnant
12.06.1986: promoted to Premierleutnant
1887-1890: Kriegsakademie - Berlin
21.01.1892: promoted to Hauptmann
1890-1911: served in various army commands
27.01.1898: promoted to Major
Stab / XIV. Armee-Korps
15.09.1904: promoted to Oberstleutnant
26.04.1907: Kdr - 1. Badisches Leib-Grenadier-Regiment Nr. 109
27.01.1911: Kdr - 39. Infanterie-Brigade in Hannover
23.03.1911: promoted to Generalmajor
20.03.1911: Führer - 2. Garde-Infanterie-Brigade in Potsdam
01.10.1912-01.01.1914: Oberquartiermeister - Großer Generalstab
01.01.1914: promoted to Generalleutnant and Kdr - hessische 25. Division in Darmstadt
02.08.1914-26.09.1914: Generalstab-Chef - 4. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 4 / A.O.K. 4
26.09.1914-28.06.1915: Kdr - 33. Division
29.06.1915-26.09.1915: Kdr - 2. Garde-Infanterie-Division
22.12.1915-22.08.1916: Kdr - X. Armee-Korps : Second Battle of Champagne
21.08.1916: Generalstab-Chef - 5. Armee / Armeeoberkommando 5 / A.O.K. 5
25.11.1916: Kdr - III. Armee-Korps : German spring offensive near Saint-Quentin/La Fère
18.08.1918: promoted to General der Infanterie
28.12.1918: commander-in-chief of the German military in Berlin and vicinity - Befehlshaber der Truppen in und um Berlin and Oberbefehlshaber in den Marken
01.1919: directed the suppression of the Spartakus Uprising by the Freikorps
03.1919: Oberbefehlshaber des Reichswehr-Gruppenkommandos 1
05.1919: supreme commander of all military troops of the Reich in case of an emergency or war
07.1919: involved in plots to topple the Weimar Republic and replace the government of Friedrich Ebert with a military dictatorship
11.03.1920: suspended from his post
13.03.1920: served as commander of the armed forces and Minister of Defence when Kapp putschists' moved into the Reich Chancellery - Reichskanzlei
17.03.1920: Kapp resigned after major strikes in the country
18.03.1920: Lüttwitz offered his resignation and went to Saxony and only later left for Hungary
1924: returned to Germany after an amnesty and went back to Silesia and supported the DNVP (Deutschnationale Volkspartei)
1931: called for the creation of the Harzburger Front
1933: congratulated Wilhelm Frick on the successful Machtergreifung (take-over) by the NSDAP
1934: published his book: Im Kampf gegen die November-Republik

Awarded: Ehrenkreuz von Schwarzburg, II. Klasse - Fürstlich Schwarzburgisches Ehrenkreuz