Albert Leo Schlageter
| Albert Leo Schlageter | |
|---|---|
Albert Leo Schlageter, 1918
|
|
| Born |
August 12, 1894 Schönau im Schwarzwald, South Baden, German Empire |
| Died | May 26, 1923 (aged 28) Golzheim, Occupation of the Ruhr, Rhine Province, Weimar Republic |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch |
Imperial German Army
|
| Rank | Second lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | |
Albert Leo Schlageter ([ˈalbɛʁt ˈleːo ˈʃlaːɡɛtɐ]; 12 August 1894 – 26 May 1923) was a member of the German Freikorps. His activities sabotaging French occupying troops after World War I led to his arrest and eventual execution by French forces. His way of death fostered an aura of martyrdom around him, which was cultivated by German nationalist groups, in particular the Nazi Party. During the Third Reich, he was widely commemorated as a national hero.
Schlageter was born in Schönau im Schwarzwald to Catholic parents.
After the outbreak of the First World War, he became a voluntary emergency worker for the military. During the war, he participated in several battles, notably Ypres (1915), the Somme (1916) and Verdun, earning the Iron Cross both first and second class. Following his promotion to second lieutenant, he took part in the Third Battle of Ypres (1917). After the war and his dismissal from the greatly reduced army, Schlageter described himself as a student of political sciences, but he studied the subject at the most for one year.
About this time, he became a member of a right-wing Catholic student group. Soon he also joined the Freikorps and took part in the Kapp Putsch and other battles between military and communist factions that were convulsing Germany. His unit also took part in the Silesian Uprisings fighting on the German side.
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