Christian Weber (Nazi)
Encyclopedia
Christian Weber was a German
Nazi Party official and Schutzstaffel
Brigadeführer
.
, Ulrich Graf and Max Amann
, Weber, a bouncer
at a seedy bar, was amongst the earliest political associates of Adolf Hitler
. Ever ready for a fight, Weber carried a riding crop with him, a habit shared by Hitler in these early years. Otto Strasser
would later claim that Weber was also a pimp
at this time, although he had a hatred of Weber whom he denounced as an "ape-like creature" and "the most despicable of Hitler's underlings". In late 1921 Weber was one of Hitler's cohorts when the Nazis attacked a meeting of the Bavarian League. Hitler personally beat up the League's leader Otto Ballerstedt, an event that saw the future Führer
serve a month in prison.
Following the Beer Hall putsch
Weber, by then a horse trader, was owed $1000 by Hitler after he had bought the debt from Ernst Hanfstaengl
. Weber would insist on Hitler paying the debt in full. The two however remained close and Hanfstaengl later claimed that Weber was one of the few who could make fun of Mein Kampf
in Hitler's company.
A city councilman in Munich
, he was effectively the boss of the city following the Nazi seizure of power. Weber became something of a hate figure in the city, particularly amongst the middle classes and he became a by-word for corruption as it was regularly questioned how this former hotel bellboy had come to own a number of hotels, villas, petrol stations, a brewery, the city's racecourse and bus service as well as a home in the Munich Residenz. Other titles that he was granted included presidency of the Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum
and the League of German Riding Stable Owners. On the Night of the Long Knives
Weber was amongst those SS men who travelled to Bad Wiessee
to purge the Sturmabteilung
leadership. Hitler personally rewarded him for his involvement by promoting him to the rank of Oberführer
in the SS.
Ever on the lookout for a chance to enrich himself, Weber was active on Kristallnacht
when he took a group of SS men, including a young Hermann Fegelein
, to Planegg
where they ransacked the estate of Jewish nobleman Baron Rudolf Hirsch. The estate would eventually pass into Weber's possession. Weber also took care of security arrangements for Nazi functions in Munich although he received criticism for this when his plans failed to prevent Georg Elser
's bomb attack on the Bürgerbräukeller
on 8 November 1939 which missed Hitler and a number of other leading Nazis including Heinrich Himmler
and Alfred Rosenberg
by only ten minutes. Despite this Weber remained important in Munich, although he had a rival in Gauleiter Paul Giesler
. The two clashed in 1943 over the continuation of horse racing
in the city and the dispute was ultimately brought to Hitler himself, where Giesler argued it should be banned as it was not conducive to total war. Hitler agreed in principle with Giesler but out of respect for his Alter Kämpfer
comrade allowed racing to continue at the Theresienwiese
only.
A much-hated figure in Munich, Weber was killed by Bavaria
n insurrectionists just after the collapse of the Third Reich.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Nazi Party official and Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
.
Biography
Along with the likes of Emil MauriceEmil Maurice
Emil Maurice was an early member of the Nazi Party and is regarded by historians as the founder of the SS. A watchmaker by trade, Maurice was a close associate of Adolf Hitler with a personal friendship dating back to at least 1919...
, Ulrich Graf and Max Amann
Max Amann
Max Aman was a German Nazi official with the honorary rank of SS-Obergruppenführer, politician and journalist.-Biography:Amann was born in Munich on November 24, 1891...
, Weber, a bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
at a seedy bar, was amongst the earliest political associates of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Ever ready for a fight, Weber carried a riding crop with him, a habit shared by Hitler in these early years. Otto Strasser
Otto Strasser
Otto Johann Maximilian Strasser was a German politician and 'left-wing' member of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Strasser was part of the ‘left-wing’ faction of the party, along with his brother Gregor Strasser, and broke from the party due to disputes with the ‘Hitlerite’ faction...
would later claim that Weber was also a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
at this time, although he had a hatred of Weber whom he denounced as an "ape-like creature" and "the most despicable of Hitler's underlings". In late 1921 Weber was one of Hitler's cohorts when the Nazis attacked a meeting of the Bavarian League. Hitler personally beat up the League's leader Otto Ballerstedt, an event that saw the future Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
serve a month in prison.
Following the Beer Hall putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
Weber, by then a horse trader, was owed $1000 by Hitler after he had bought the debt from Ernst Hanfstaengl
Ernst Hanfstaengl
Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl , was a Harvard-educated German businessman who was an intimate of Adolf Hitler before falling out of favor and defecting. He later worked for Franklin D...
. Weber would insist on Hitler paying the debt in full. The two however remained close and Hanfstaengl later claimed that Weber was one of the few who could make fun of Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
in Hitler's company.
A city councilman in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, he was effectively the boss of the city following the Nazi seizure of power. Weber became something of a hate figure in the city, particularly amongst the middle classes and he became a by-word for corruption as it was regularly questioned how this former hotel bellboy had come to own a number of hotels, villas, petrol stations, a brewery, the city's racecourse and bus service as well as a home in the Munich Residenz. Other titles that he was granted included presidency of the Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum
Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum
The Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum is a museum exhibiting objects connected with the history of hunting and fishing in Germany or other territories which nowadays belong to it.-Location:...
and the League of German Riding Stable Owners. On the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
Weber was amongst those SS men who travelled to Bad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee
Bad Wiessee is a spa town on Lake Tegernsee, Bavaria, Germany. The name "Bad" means for "spa" or "baths", while "Wiessee" derives from "West See", meaning "western part of the lake"....
to purge the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
leadership. Hitler personally rewarded him for his involvement by promoting him to the rank of Oberführer
Oberführer
Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
in the SS.
Ever on the lookout for a chance to enrich himself, Weber was active on Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
when he took a group of SS men, including a young Hermann Fegelein
Hermann Fegelein
SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein was a General of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany, a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage, brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to her sister, Gretl, and husband of the sister-in-law to Adolf Hitler through Hitler's marriage to Eva...
, to Planegg
Planegg
Planegg is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the river Würm, 13 km west of Munich ....
where they ransacked the estate of Jewish nobleman Baron Rudolf Hirsch. The estate would eventually pass into Weber's possession. Weber also took care of security arrangements for Nazi functions in Munich although he received criticism for this when his plans failed to prevent Georg Elser
Georg Elser
Johann Georg Elser was a German opponent of Nazism. He is most remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but he also wanted to assassinate Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels in 1939....
's bomb attack on the Bürgerbräukeller
Bürgerbräukeller
The Bürgerbräukeller was a large beer hall located in Munich, Germany. It was one of the large beer halls of the Bürgerliches Brauhaus company, and after Bürgerliches merged with Löwenbräu, the hall was transferred to that company. It was located on Rosenheimer Street in the neighborhood of...
on 8 November 1939 which missed Hitler and a number of other leading Nazis including Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
and Alfred Rosenberg
Alfred Rosenberg
' was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi Party. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart; he later held several important posts in the Nazi government...
by only ten minutes. Despite this Weber remained important in Munich, although he had a rival in Gauleiter Paul Giesler
Paul Giesler
Paul Giesler was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria...
. The two clashed in 1943 over the continuation of horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in the city and the dispute was ultimately brought to Hitler himself, where Giesler argued it should be banned as it was not conducive to total war. Hitler agreed in principle with Giesler but out of respect for his Alter Kämpfer
Alter Kämpfer
Alter Kämpfer is a term referring to the earliest members of the Nazi Party, i.e. those who joined it before the Reichstag elections of September 1930, with many belonging to the Party as early as its first foundation in 1919–1923...
comrade allowed racing to continue at the Theresienwiese
Theresienwiese
Theresienwiese is an open space in the Munich borough of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt. It serves as the official ground of the Munich Oktoberfest. A space of , it is bordered in the west by the Bavaria statue, symbolizing the State of Bavaria, and in the east by Esperantoplatz, a square named for...
only.
A much-hated figure in Munich, Weber was killed by Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n insurrectionists just after the collapse of the Third Reich.