Wilhelm Loeper

Wilhelm Friedrich Loeper (13 October 1883 in Schwerin – 23 October 1935 in Dessau) was a Nazi politician and Gauleiter in the Gau of Magdeburg-Anhalt.

First Loeper became an Officer Candidate (Fahnenjunker) in Pioneer Battalion 2 in Spandau and then completed training at the Neiße Military School. Already in 1904 he was made a lieutenant, and after various other commands, eventually a first lieutenant in 1912. Then came his transfer to the Magdeburg Pioneer Battalion 4, where he took over command of a searchlight platoon.

After the First World War broke out, Loeper was then deployed between 1914 and 1918 at the Western Front as a captain and company chief of Pioneer Battalion 19. He was wounded several times. For the service in the World War I, he was decorated with the both classes of Iron Cross, both classes of the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross, Frederickscross, Prussian Service Cross and Wound Badge in Black.

After the war ended, Loeper became leader of a Freikorps that saw deployment both in the Baltic States and the Ruhr area. In this capacity, he was involved in quelling the Spartakus uprising.

With the founding of the Reichswehr, Loeper became company chief of Pioneer Battalion 2. In 1923, he worked as an Instructor at the Pionierschule in Munich, and got to know Adolf Hitler. Loeper took part in the Beer Hall Putsch of 9 November 1923 and aimed at getting the Pionierschule to fall in and follow Hitler's orders. After the putsch failed, Loeper was discharged from the Reichswehr in 1924 for his participation.

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