Adolf Ritter von Denk

Adolf Ritter von Denk
Adolf Ritter von Denk
Stabsführer,; National Socialist Motor Corps
	In office; 1937–1945
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	Adolf Denk; 9 January 1886; Landshut, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	Unknown
Party	Nazi Party
Occupation	Military officer
Civilian awards	Blood Order
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire
Branch/service	Bavarian Army
Years of service	1908–1918
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	2nd Royal Bavarian Heavy Cavalry "Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria"
Battles/wars	World War I
Military awards	Military Order of Max Joseph

Adolf Ritter^[a] von Denk (9 January 1886 – unknown) was a German career military officer who fought in World War I and later became a member of the Nazi Party and the chief of staff of its paramilitary National Socialist Motor Corps.

Early life and military service

Born at Landshut in the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1886, Adolf Denk joined the Bavarian Army, was commissioned a Leutnant in March 1908 and was assigned to the 2nd Royal Bavarian Heavy Cavalry "Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria".^[1] Denk participated in World War I as an Oberleutnant on the western front. For his successful leadership of a ten-man cavalry reconnaissance patrol near Bauzemont and Parroy in northeastern France on 9 August 1914, he was decorated with the Military Order of Max Joseph, Bavaria's highest military order. This carried with it a knighthood that ennobled him as Adolf Ritter von Denk.^[2]

Nazi Party paramilitary career

After the end of the war, Denk joined a Freikorps unit, and as a member of the Bund Oberland, took part in Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch of November 1923. He was awarded the Blood Order (No. 1362) of the Nazi Party in recognition of his participation.^[3] He joined the Nazi paramilitary National Socialist Motor Corps, which at the time was part of the Sturmabteilung (SA). After the NSKK became an independent agency in September 1934, Denk became a member of its central leadership and, by 1937, rose to become the Stabsführer (staff leader) – effectively the deputy to Korpsführer Adolf Huhnlein.^[4] Hitler promoted Denk to NSKK-Gruppenführer on 30 January 1939.^[5] On 20 April 1941, Denk was raised to the rank of NSKK-Obergruppenführer.^[6] He retained his post as chief of staff under Hunlein's successor, Erwin Kraus.^[7] Little is documented regarding his subsequent life.

Notes

↑ Regarding personal names: Ritter was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Knight. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. There is no equivalent feminine form.

References

↑ Militär-Handbuch des Königsreich Bayern, 1914 Munich:Kriegsministerium, p. 299.
↑ Bayerischen Kriegsarchiv, ed. (1928). Bayerns Goldenes Ehrenbuch, 1914-1918. München: Verlag Joseph Hyronimus. p. 19.
↑ Peter Schuster (2017): Oberländer Freikorpskämpfer, Putschisten, NS-Aktivisten, Mitläufer, Geistliche und Widerständler aus dem Freikorps Oberland und dem Bund Oberland. Riesa: Nation & Wissen Verlag ISBN 978-3-944-58019-7.
↑ Ley, Robert, ed. (1937). Nationalsozialistisches Jahrbuch 1937. Munich: Franz Eher Nachfolger. p. 171.
↑ "Beförderungen zum 30. Januar" [Promotions for 30 January] (PDF). Billstedter Zeitung (in German). Vol. 37, no. 13. 31 January 1939. p. 6.
↑ "Beförderungen in SS. NSKK. und NSFK" [Promotions in the SS, NSKK and NSFK]. Mitteldeutsche National-Zeitung (in German). Vol. 12, no. 107. 20 April 1941. p. 6.
↑ Who's Who in Nazi Germany, Fourth Edition, May 1944, p. 29

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[1] Regarding personal names: Ritter was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Knight. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. There is no equivalent feminine form.

[2] Militär-Handbuch des Königsreich Bayern, 1914 Munich:Kriegsministerium, p. 299.

[3] Bayerischen Kriegsarchiv, ed. (1928). Bayerns Goldenes Ehrenbuch, 1914-1918. München: Verlag Joseph Hyronimus. p. 19.

[4] Peter Schuster (2017): Oberländer Freikorpskämpfer, Putschisten, NS-Aktivisten, Mitläufer, Geistliche und Widerständler aus dem Freikorps Oberland und dem Bund Oberland. Riesa: Nation & Wissen Verlag ISBN 978-3-944-58019-7.

[5] Ley, Robert, ed. (1937). Nationalsozialistisches Jahrbuch 1937. Munich: Franz Eher Nachfolger. p. 171.

[Staats-_und_Universitätsbibliothek_Hamburg-6] "Beförderungen zum 30. Januar" [Promotions for 30 January] (PDF). Billstedter Zeitung (in German). Vol. 37, no. 13. 31 January 1939. p. 6.

[Universitäts-_und_Landesbibliothek_Sachsen-Annhalt-7] "Beförderungen in SS. NSKK. und NSFK" [Promotions in the SS, NSKK and NSFK]. Mitteldeutsche National-Zeitung (in German). Vol. 12, no. 107. 20 April 1941. p. 6.

[8] Who's Who in Nazi Germany, Fourth Edition, May 1944, p. 29

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