Hugo Gutmann
Encyclopedia
Hugo Gutmann was a German
-Jewish veteran of World War I
who is famously known as Adolf Hitler
's superior officer during the war, as well as the man responsible for recommending Hitler for the award of the Iron Cross
.
. In 1902, Gutmann joined the Bavarian Army
and had risen to the rank of Feldwebel
by 1904, at which time he was transferred to the reserves. When World War I began in 1914, Gutmann was recalled and soon after he joined the Regiment "List". On April 15, 1915, he was promoted to Lieutenant
(Leutnant), and appointed as a Company Commander and Acting Adjutant for the Regiment's artillery battalion.
Throughout most of 1918, from January 29 to August 31, Gutmann served as Adolf Hitler's direct superior. Gutmann later lobbied for Hitler's award of the Iron Cross First Class (an award typically reserved for commissioned officers), and the decoration was presented on August 4, 1918, near Soissons
, on recommendation from Gutmann. Some accounts further state that it was Gutmann who made the actual award and pinned the medal on Hitler's chest. Hitler would wear this medal throughout the remainder of his career
, including while serving as Fuhrer
of Nazi Germany
.
Gutmann himself was an Iron Cross recipient, having been awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on December 2, 1914 (incidentally the same day as Hitler), as well as the Iron Cross 1st Class on December 4, 1915.
In the fall of 1933, Gutmann applied for a veteran's war pension which was granted. At this time, President
Paul von Hindenberg had passed several verbal and written decrees allowing for the protection of Jewish war veterans from the rising tide of antisemitism in Germany. In 1935, after the passing of the Nuremberg Laws
, Gutmann lost his German citizenship and was formally discharged from the veteran rolls of the German Army. He still continued to receive a pension, however, possibly due to Hitler's influence.
In 1938, Guttman was arrested by the Gestapo
but released both due to sympathetic SS personnel, who knew Gutmann's history, as well as anti-Nazi elements in the German Police
. In 1939, Gutmann and his family escaped to Belgium just as World War II
was beginning in Europe
. In 1940, he immigrated to the United States just prior to the Nazi invasion of the Low Countries
.
, where he changed his name to Henry G. Grant and went back into the furniture business. He died in 1971.
mini-series "Hitler: The Rise of Evil
", Hugo Gutmann is portrayed by actor Brendan Hughes.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
-Jewish veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
who is famously known as 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...
's superior officer during the war, as well as the man responsible for recommending Hitler for the award of the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
.
Early Life and Army career
Gutmann was born on November 19, 1880 in NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. In 1902, Gutmann joined the Bavarian Army
Bavarian army
The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate and then Kingdom of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty of Bavaria into that of the German State in 1919...
and had risen to the rank of Feldwebel
Feldwebel
Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
by 1904, at which time he was transferred to the reserves. When World War I began in 1914, Gutmann was recalled and soon after he joined the Regiment "List". On April 15, 1915, he was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(Leutnant), and appointed as a Company Commander and Acting Adjutant for the Regiment's artillery battalion.
Throughout most of 1918, from January 29 to August 31, Gutmann served as Adolf Hitler's direct superior. Gutmann later lobbied for Hitler's award of the Iron Cross First Class (an award typically reserved for commissioned officers), and the decoration was presented on August 4, 1918, near Soissons
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
, on recommendation from Gutmann. Some accounts further state that it was Gutmann who made the actual award and pinned the medal on Hitler's chest. Hitler would wear this medal throughout the remainder of his career
Military career of Adolf Hitler
The military career of Adolf Hitler can be divided into two distinct portions of Adolf Hitler's life. Mainly, the period during World War I when Hitler served as a Gefreiter in the Bavarian Army, and the era of World War II when Hitler served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht through his...
, including while serving as Fuhrer
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...
of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Gutmann himself was an Iron Cross recipient, having been awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on December 2, 1914 (incidentally the same day as Hitler), as well as the Iron Cross 1st Class on December 4, 1915.
Post World War I and Nazi Years
On February 8, 1919, Guttman was demobilized from the German Army but still maintained on the Army rolls as a Reserve Lieutenant. He married later that year and would go on to father two children. During the 1920s, Guttman owned and operated an office-furniture shop in Vordere-Steingasse 3 in Nuremberg.In the fall of 1933, Gutmann applied for a veteran's war pension which was granted. At this time, President
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
Paul von Hindenberg had passed several verbal and written decrees allowing for the protection of Jewish war veterans from the rising tide of antisemitism in Germany. In 1935, after the passing of the Nuremberg Laws
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
, Gutmann lost his German citizenship and was formally discharged from the veteran rolls of the German Army. He still continued to receive a pension, however, possibly due to Hitler's influence.
In 1938, Guttman was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
but released both due to sympathetic SS personnel, who knew Gutmann's history, as well as anti-Nazi elements in the German Police
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
. In 1939, Gutmann and his family escaped to Belgium just as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was beginning in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1940, he immigrated to the United States just prior to the Nazi invasion of the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
.
Post World War II
Guttman eventually settled in the city of St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where he changed his name to Henry G. Grant and went back into the furniture business. He died in 1971.
Portrayals in Media
In the 2003 televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
mini-series "Hitler: The Rise of Evil
Hitler: The Rise of Evil
Hitler: The Rise of Evil is a Canadian TV miniseries in two parts, directed by Christian Duguay and produced by Alliance Atlantis. It explores Adolf Hitler's rise and his early consolidation of power during the years after World War I and focuses on how the embittered, politically fragmented and...
", Hugo Gutmann is portrayed by actor Brendan Hughes.