End of Januar 2020 Kay Gerdes and Klaus Kuhl produced the German
documentary "Kapp-Putsch in Kiel 1920 - Reaktionäre gegen
die Republik".
The film is based on interviews with the following time witnesses:
Otto Preßler, Martha Riedl, Theo and Jonny Pump and Magdalene
Hocke, as well as the utilization of military documents and publications
by Dr. Radbruch, Walter Hasenclever and Axel Eggebrecht, who were
at that time in Kiel and became close witnesses of the incidents.
Comments and evaluations are given by Professor Oliver Auge (Historisches
Seminar, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel). The Town
Archive Kiel provided a number of historic photos.
The project was sponsored by Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund Kiel
Region, IG Metall Kiel-Neumünster, Amt für Kultur und
Weiterbildung der Landeshauptstadt Kiel and by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
Schleswig-Holstein.
Duration: 48 Minuten, a DVD can be ordered after the premiere
against a service charge.
The DGB wanted to organise the premiere im March 2020, then on 4 November 2020, in the Studiokino am Dreiecksplatz in Kiel. Both had to be postponed because of corona. The event then took place on 9 September 2021 at 18 hrs. in the Studio-Kino. Because it was fully booked another presentation took place the day after on 10 Sep. The regional newspaper Kieler Nachrichten had a preview of the film and the journalist Christian Trutschel wrote a detailed article about it (KN and KN-online 12 March 2020).
Accompanying brochure containing the full text,
structure, sources, linklists and hints for teachers can be downloaded
here (German; PDF 3 MB) >>
Earlier versions:
A slide show by Klaus Kuhl 1980.
A picture-video project by Klaus Kuhl 2005. Dr. Gerhard Granier is co-author of the book Dähnhardt/Granier: "Kapp-Putsch in Kiel", commented on the project and the brochure. His remarks were integrated into the accompanying brochure (German, pdf, 1,2 MB): >>
Translated statement from Mrs. Hocke, by that time 6 years old:
We were hearing gun shots for some time already, but we had no idea of what was going on. Then our mother brought us into our flat and told us to hide. But we ran outside again here out of this doorway. There we saw the whole street full of soldiers, who kneeled on the street and fired with mashine guns into the air. From down there they got firing response. Those people stood above there at the "Small Theater". Then they got order „Jump up, up!“ and then they ran down here into the direction of the "Small Theater". And then new soldiers came, they knelt down as well and also started firing.
NDR-Films
i. Hartmut Idzko: Kapp-Putsch in Kiel, broadcast on 20.03.1980,
duration ca. 20 min.
ii. Hartmut Idzko: Interview with Kapp's daughter, broadcast on
18.3.1980, duration ca. 5 min.
iii. Erinnerungen an den Kapp-Putsch vor achtzig Jahren in Kiel,
gesendet am 13.3.2000 um 19:30
Especially interesting is the statement by Karl Rickers (1905-1999;
Chefredakteur der SHVZ): "Dann waren die Eltern ja da, die
sagten: 'Geht nicht ans Fenster!' Wenn die Gardinen sich schon
bewegten, hatten die ja Angst, dass da reingeknallt wird. Denn
jeder hatte Angst, dass da oben einer steht mit einem Gewehr,
oder Pistole oder vielleicht sogar mit einem Maschinengewehr."
WDR-Film
The film "Augenzeugen berichten (contemporary witnesses
report): Der Kapp-Lüttwitz-Putsch 1920" (ca. 45 min.)
by Claus-Ferdinand Siegfried, scientific guidance by Dr. Werner
Rahn, was shown on WDR on 9 March 1986.
The events in Kiel are mentioned.
The following contemporary witnesses were interviewed: Hans-Joachim
von Stockhausen, Fähnrich; Siegfried Sorge, Leutnant zur
See; Herbert Jantzon, Leutnant; Albert Witte, Mitglied der Sozialistischen
Arbeiterjugend in Kiel; Axel Eggebrecht, damaliger Student; Max
Kutzko, MG-Schütze in Kiel; Ernst Bästlein, Metallarbeiter;
Paul Debes, Matrose; Karl Marquardt, Schreinerlehrling; Axel Blessingh,
Seekadett; Hans Möller, Fähnrich; Franz Rubisch, Bergarbeiterkind;
Heinrich Köster, Bergarbeiter.
Last updated 11 September 2021