Arthur Ehrhardt
Encyclopedia
Arthur Ehrhardt was a German
Waffen-SS
officer and author on warfare who became a leading figure in the post-war neo-Nazi movement.
movement in his home town of Coburg
. He saw action in the First World War before returning to Coburg to teach elementary school
. He first came to politics as a member of the Freikorps
after the First World War. Ehrhardt had been a paid informer for the Wehrmacht
and was also involved in the training of units of the Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
and the Sturmabteilung
. It was through his involvement in the latter that Ehrhardt first came to Nazism
. He became an officer in the SA but left the movement after the killing of Ernst Röhm
and became estranged from the Nazi Party.
. At his own request he was transferred to the Waffen-SS in 1944 and worked as a member of Heinrich Himmler
's staff. Within the SS he rose to rank of Sturmbannführer
(Major), becoming an expert in anti-espionage tactics in the Balkans
. He also wrote extensively on the subject of guerrilla warfare, notably in such books as Kleinkrieg. This work has been edited by the Command and General Staff School of the United States Army
in Fort Leavenworth
, KA in 1936 under the title: Guerrilla Warfare. Lessons of the Past and Possibilities of the Future. However his insights into the possibility of unusual tactics being used by and against partisans were largely ignored by the Wehrmacht
high command. He also served as the expert in 'Bandenbekämpfung' in the Führer Headquarters
.
's Europe a Nation
ideal and to this end was the founder (with Herbert Böhme
) and editor of the magazine Nation Europa
in 1949. He was a minority shareholder in the enterprise and, although the journal was damaged by financial wrangling between Ehrhardt and Werner Naumann
. it continues to this day. He was also a regular writer for Western Destiny, the magazine of Roger Pearson
. Politically he was an active member of the European Social Movement
and also founded his own group, the Jungeuropäischer Arbeitskreis, in 1958.
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...
Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
officer and author on warfare who became a leading figure in the post-war neo-Nazi movement.
Early years
Ehrhardt was involved in such youth groups as the Free German Youth and was also the founder of the Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
movement in his home town of Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
. He saw action in the First World War before returning to Coburg to teach elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
. He first came to politics as a member of the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
after the First World War. Ehrhardt had been a paid informer for the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and was also involved in the training of units of the Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
and 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...
. It was through his involvement in the latter that Ehrhardt first came to Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. He became an officer in the SA but left the movement after the killing of Ernst Röhm
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
and became estranged from the Nazi Party.
Wartime activity
Ehrhardt re-enlisted in the Wehrmacht when war broke out in 1939 and initially served with the AbwehrAbwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
. At his own request he was transferred to the Waffen-SS in 1944 and worked as a member of 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...
's staff. Within the SS he rose to rank of Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major), becoming an expert in anti-espionage tactics in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. He also wrote extensively on the subject of guerrilla warfare, notably in such books as Kleinkrieg. This work has been edited by the Command and General Staff School of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, KA in 1936 under the title: Guerrilla Warfare. Lessons of the Past and Possibilities of the Future. However his insights into the possibility of unusual tactics being used by and against partisans were largely ignored by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
high command. He also served as the expert in 'Bandenbekämpfung' in the Führer Headquarters
Führer Headquarters
The Führer Headquarters , abbreviated FHQ, is a common name for a number of official headquarters used by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and various German commanders and officials throughout Europe during World War II...
.
Post-war activism
Following the end of the Second World War Ehrhardt became a strong supporter of Oswald MosleyOswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's Europe a Nation
Europe a Nation
Europe a Nation was a policy developed by British politician Oswald Mosley as the cornerstone of his Union Movement. It called for the integration of Europe into a single entity....
ideal and to this end was the founder (with Herbert Böhme
Herbert Böhme
Herbert Böhme was a German poet who wrote poems and battle hymns for the Nazi Party...
) and editor of the magazine Nation Europa
Nation Europa
Nation Europa is a monthly magazine, published in Germany, that was originally established in support of Pan-European nationalism...
in 1949. He was a minority shareholder in the enterprise and, although the journal was damaged by financial wrangling between Ehrhardt and Werner Naumann
Werner Naumann
Werner Naumann was a State Secretary in Joseph Goebbels' Propagandaministerium during the Third Reich. He was appointed head of the Propaganda Ministry by Führer Adolf Hitler in his political testament after Dr. Goebbels was promoted to Reichskanzler.-Early life and political career:Naumann was...
. it continues to this day. He was also a regular writer for Western Destiny, the magazine of Roger Pearson
Roger Pearson
Roger Pearson is a British anthropologist, conservationist, eugenics advocate, founder of the Neo Nazi organization Northern League, and publisher of several journals.-Life and work:...
. Politically he was an active member of the European Social Movement
European Social Movement
The European Social Movement was a neo-fascist Europe-wide alliance set up in 1951 to promote Pan-European nationalism.The ESM had its origins in the emergence of the Italian Social Movement , which established contacts with like-minded smaller groups in Europe during the late 1940s, setting up...
and also founded his own group, the Jungeuropäischer Arbeitskreis, in 1958.