Only once did Hitler strike with his own hands

You usually don't give anything to a competitor. But by the fall of 1922, this rule had been repealed, at least in the fragmented right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic milieu of the Weimar Republic. The Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund (DVSTB) made an offer to a competitor for its clientele, which was an enormous opportunity for Adolf Hitler and his movement.

Actually, the DVSTB had the best starting conditions to be the dominant force on the far right of the insecure German society. In any case, it was numerically strong: With more than 120,000 members, the Bund had a far larger mass base than any similar grouping. Because many of his followers were well-off citizens, there was enough money available: leaflets and brochures could be distributed free of charge, mass meetings could be organized at short notice thanks to the well-known good credit rating. 16 employees were permanent and a further 25 temporarily employed in the main office.

Nevertheless, in late summer 1922, the DVSTB leadership of the NSDAP offered to take part in the "German Day" in Coburg - although Hitler's group at the time was only an Upper Bavarian regional party with a few thousand members and a loss-making newspaper called "Völkischer Beobachter". On October 14th and 15th, 1922, the "swastika people", as it was widely known at the time, were to be allowed to present themselves at the big meeting of the DVSTB.

After the murder of Reich Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau by right-wing extremists at the end of June 1922, the DVSTB was banned everywhere in Germany – everywhere except Bavaria. Therefore, only Bavarian cities were available as venues for the third such meeting after Weimar in 1920 and Detmold in 1921.

In order to make it possible for as many supporters as possible to travel, only a place in the middle of Germany came into question - and one in which the reactionary parties were at least as strong as the left. The "red" Nuremberg was therefore eliminated, as was Würzburg because of its democratically minded mayor. In Coburg, on the other hand, which has only been part of the Free State of Bavaria since 1920, a veteran mayor from Kaiser's days ruled. In addition, the regional DVSTB boss, an assistant teacher named Hans Dietrich, was particularly active.

The party leadership of the NSDAP asked for a discount on the participation fee if they would travel with 600 men in a special train. Dietrich agreed, provided that Hitler would come to Coburg in person. The calculation of the DVSTB was to show its own supporters how "to raise shock troops", justified the chairman Gertzlaff von Hertzberg. The actually strong man of the Völkische, general manager Alfred Roth, was otherwise rarely of the same opinion as Hertzberg. But in this case he practically served the NSDAP chief: “Not everyone can be a Hitler; but a man, a real fellow, a confessor of his German nature, anyone can and must be.”

The aim of the Deutschvölkische was to involve the National Socialists. But Hitler had no interest in that. He traveled from Munich with about 650 supporters. There were already clashes at the stop in Nuremberg: "Our train was decorated, Jews on the other side thought it was a shame," Hitler recalled in 1941 and praised a confidant: "Julius Schreck jumped at the group and hit them straight away. "

In Coburg itself, the National Socialists quickly found an opportunity to ignore rules. The government of Upper Franconia had ordered that "provocative parades with flags, music and marching orders" should be avoided. Dietrich had also informed Hitler of this. But the NSDAP chief ignored the instruction. At the train station, a policeman called out loudly: "Who is Herr Hitler?" The party leader answered: "Here!" the policeman confirmed, he got the answer: "Then we are marching here, because Coburg has no other laws, and I am also marching in Munich!"

The situation escalated immediately on the way to the city: left-wing demonstrators shouted “murderer” and “crooks” or “rags”, even “Saubayern”. The SA men then attacked anyone who stood in their way. The column marched to the Hofbräu restaurants; policemen blocked the entrances there.

Hitler had his people push the officials aside and occupy the inn. He then led a march of his people through Coburg: "It was the only time he personally became violent against demonstrators," writes the Coburg Nazi expert Harald Sandner in the "Hitler Itinerary", a four-volume list of all known whereabouts and dates, "by hit her with a stick.”

The program of the "German Day" in 1922 corresponded to the style of the DVSTB - it was aggressive in content, but hardly intoxicating. A lawyer from Munich spoke about "New working methods in the völkisch movement", a working group dealt with the situation after the ban. The cultural program also included mystery and Hans Sachs plays, performances by vocal and horn quartets and a “German prayer” in the castle church.

In view of such cultivated boredom, it was hardly surprising that the audience in the Coburg Hofbräuhaus gave Hitler a stormy welcome. And he lived up to expectations: 2,500 to 3,000 people heard his usual hate speech against the government in Berlin and the workers' movement. But the NSDAP leader also praised an Italian party that had been threatening a "March on Rome" since the summer (which finally took place in late October 1922). She is the right role model: "Now we want to look to Italy at the fascists there, admire them and show them that we are willing to carry out other struggles than those in Italy."

For the following morning, Hitler ordered a march to Coburg Fortress, an hour before the organizers' official parade. In addition to the 650 SA people, about 1,300 other NSDAP supporters took part. It was a calculated affront to both the hosts of the "German Day" and the authorities - and nobody intervened. On the contrary, DVSTB Managing Director Roth even capitulated. "It would be really good if we could build some kind of fascist movement, particularly determined to meet violence with violence," he wrote a few weeks later. "Coburg taught us how healing that is."

The experiences of the third "German Day" were also important to Hitler himself - so important that he devoted four pages to October 14 and 15, 1922 in his pamphlet "Mein Kampf". In fact, the approximately 35 hours he spent in Coburg became the breakthrough of the NSDAP. At the beginning of 1923, Hans Dietrich joined the Hitler movement, and a little later Gertzlaff von Hertzberg recommended that all DVSTB members switch to the NSDAP. The present given to the competitor, the invitation to the "German Day", led to the host's becoming part of the guest's party.

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