Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

THE BEER HALL PUTSCH 199ambassador of the Wise Men of Zion covered the unknown warrior. AsRosenberg later related, he found the man's bravery quite superfluous,and yelled at him to stop shooting in the Devil's name. The other tookno heed and went on firing. Rosenberg finally crawled to one side; thefiring stopped; he stood up and crept backward. Pressed against a housewallstood Doctor Friedrich Weber, leader of the 'Oberland' DefenseLeague allied with Hitler, weeping hysterically. Goring was carried intoa near-by bank by two young storm troopers. The Jewish owner gavehim first aid; this made so deep an impression on the two youngNational Socialists — brothers — that they soon left the party.The whole exchange of fire had lasted less than a minute. Both sideswere horrified and quickly stopped shooting. The narrow bit of streetwas covered with fallen bodies. Fourteen of Hitler's followers lay deadon the pavement.Followers ... it is noteworthy that the leaders in the first row lost onlyone dead: Scheubner-Richter. The other dead were unknown rank-andfilers;one or two held respected posts in civil life, but were simpleprivates in the party. The leaders appear to have saved themselves byquickly throwing themselves on the ground, so that the fire passed overthem into the onrushing mass, killing thirteen. Three of the police fell.As soon as the shooting stopped, in the first seconds of stunnedsilence on both sides, a man rose in the front row, the first of them all torise, the quickest, perhaps the most terrified, obeying only his instinct ofself-conservation. Doctor Walter Schulz, the National Socialistphysician, who had marched in the foremost ranks, later told theexamining magistrate: 'I saw that Hitler was the first to stand up.Apparently wounded in the arm, he moved back. I hurried after Hitler atonce and caught one of our cars which were driving at the end of thecolumn. Hitler was taken to this car.'Another witness, the National Socialist Doctor Karl Gebhard,mentions the rapidity with which Hitler entered the car and drove away;both stories indicate that Hitler was the first to flee.A bystander about a hundred yards from the head of the column, notknowing that Hitler and Ludendorff were marching in the lead andcertainly not suspecting that there would be shooting in