Paul M. Krueger

Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the “Beer Hall Putsch” but spends only nine months in prison.

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ㅤFollowing his failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, was arrested and tried for high treason before the People’s Court of Bavaria. Presided over by Georg Neithardt, a judge with far-right sympathies, Hitler was sentenced to five years of fortress confinement, Festungshaft, and started his sentence in Landsberg Prison on 1 April 1924. Despite the severity of the charge, he received lenient treatment during his imprisonment, including friendly guards, supporter mail, and regular visits. He was ultimately released in December 1924 after serving just over a year, due to a pardon from the Bavarian Supreme Court.

ㅤDuring his time in Landsberg Prison, Hitler dictated the first volume of “Mein Kampf” to Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess. This book served as both an autobiography and an exposition of his radical ideology, outlining his plans for a racially pure German society. In it, Hitler demonized Jews, portraying them as a societal poison that needed to be exterminated. While not explicitly detailing the methods of extermination, the book’s genocidal intent was clear, laying the groundwork for the horrific atrocities that would later define Nazi Germany.