Wilhelm Krüger

Wilhelm Krüger was a decorated Great War veteran and one of the earliest leaders of the nationalist movement. Known for his charisma and fiery public speaking, he transformed the Sturmabteilung from a loose political organization into a mass movement numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Unlike many government officials, Krüger viewed the revolution as unfinished. He believed Germany's traditional elites, civil service, military leadership, and industrial interests wielded too much influence over the Reich. His speeches frequently called for a "Second National Revolution" that would place political power directly in the hands of the movement's loyal veterans and activists. By the mid-1930s, Krüger had become one of the most popular figures in Germany. While publicly loyal to the Führer, he increasingly clashed with senior officials, particularly Reich Minister of the Interior Dr. Joachim von Falkenhayne and RSHA Chief Adolphus Rex. Both men viewed Krüger's growing influence as a direct threat to state stability. The Krüger Affair (1937) During the spring of 1937, intelligence reports compiled by the Reich Main Security Office alleged that Krüger and several senior SA commanders were engaged in unauthorized political organizing and discussions concerning the future structure of the Reich. Acting on evidence gathered by the RSHA and approved by the Ministry of the Interior, security forces conducted a series of coordinated arrests throughout Berlin and Prussia. Krüger was detained at his residence outside Potsdam and later died while in state custody under circumstances that remain disputed. Within weeks, the Sturmabteilung was formally dissolved. Its remaining personnel were absorbed into other state organizations, ending what historians would later describe as the greatest internal political crisis of the early Reich.

• The Krüger Affair
  1937-09-10 · event
• Dissolution of the Sturmabteilung
  1937-09-15 · event