Franz Ritter von Epp
Franz Ritter von Epp | |
|---|---|
Epp in 1937 | |
| Reichsstatthalter of Bavaria | |
| In office 10 April 1933 – 29 April 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Reichskommissar of Bavaria | |
| In office 10 March 1933 – 10 April 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Reichsleiter | |
| In office 31 August 1933 – 29 April 1945 | |
| Member of the Reichstag | |
| In office 20 May 1928 – 8 May 1945 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 October 1868 |
| Died | 31 January 1947 (aged 78) |
| Resting place | Munich Waldfriedhof |
| Party | BVP, from 1928 NSDAP |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Imperial German Army Schutztruppe |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Commands | Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Boxer Rebellion World War I |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite Military Order of Max Joseph |
Franz Ritter von Epp (born Franz Epp; from 1918 as Ritter von Epp; 16 October 1868 – 31 January 1947) was a German general and politician who started his military career in the Bavarian Army. Successful wartime military service earned him a knighthood in 1916. After the end of World War I and the dissolution of the German Empire, Epp was a commanding officer in the Freikorps and the Reichswehr. His unit, the Freikorps Epp, was responsible for numerous massacres during the crushing of the Bavarian Soviet Republic. He was a member of Bavarian People's Party, before joining the Nazi Party in 1928, when he was elected as a member of the German parliament or Reichstag, a position he held until the fall of Nazi Germany. He was the Reichskommissar, later Reichsstatthalter, for Bavaria, and a Reichsleiter of the Nazi Party. During the Nazi era, Epp, who had participated in the Herero and Nama genocide as a young man, shared responsibility for the liquidation of virtually all Bavarian Jews and Romas as the governor of Bavaria.