33-416: Hanussen can refer to: Erik Jan Hanussen (1889-1933), a clairvoyant, mentalist, occultist, and astrologer Hanussen (1955 film) , a 1955 German film about Erik Jan Hanussen Hanussen (1988 film) , a 1988 Hungarian film about Erik Jan Hanussen Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
66-427: A Danish aristocrat, he was in fact a Moravian Jew, born as Hermann (Herschel Chaim) Steinschneider . Hanussen's parents travelled constantly through Austria and Italy with acting and musical troupes, taking Hanussen with them. At the age of 20, Hanussen became a chief reporter for the newspaper Der Blitz He was later drafted into the army during World War I. During this time, he used mentalism to entertain
99-444: A decisive event that allowed recently appointed Chancellor of Germany Adolf Hitler to seize absolute power in 1933, was Hanussen's most famous feat of clairvoyance . It also was possibly a miscalculated use of inside information that led to his death shortly thereafter. Hanussen was assassinated on 25 March 1933, probably by a group of SA men, and was hastily buried in a field on the outskirts of Berlin, near Stahnsdorf. He
132-437: A luxurious interactive theatre for fortune telling games. Guests would sit around a large circular table and place their palms on glass with symbols lit from beneath; the room lights would be lowered in a séance -like fashion; and various gimmicks would highlight Hanussen's dramatic verbal presentation of prophecies to the guests. He predicted events in the lives of the individuals present, but controversy arose when he predicted
165-509: A member of the SS, owing to his position as a Police President, he was authorized to wear the uniform of a General der Polizei , (a rank equivalent to an Obergruppenführer in the SS.) Helldorff was additionally named as the Higher Police Leader of Greater Berlin in 1943. In this position, he commanded police who guarded deportation trains carrying German Jews. It is asserted that Helldorff
198-588: A small fine turned Helldorff into a Nazi cause-celebre. At their trial Helldorff and Ernst were defended by NSDAP lawyers Hans Frank and Roland Freisler . In April 1932 Helldorff was returned to the Prussian Landtag as a member of the Nazi Party, this time representing constituency 3 (Potsdam II). In September 1932 he was promoted to SA- Gruppenführer and made leader of SA- Obergruppe I, commanding multiple SA Gruppe covering all northeast Germany. After
231-635: A thousand men basically appear from within the crowd on the streets and start attacking people. Erin Harper: That’s Dr. Lindsay MacNeill, a historian at the Museum. Dr. Lindsay MacNeill: Officers hesitated to make arrests on Kurfürstendamm in 1935 because they had a new boss: Wolf-Heinrich von Helldorf. In his prior role as leader of the Berlin SA, Helldorf had instigated in September 1931
264-802: The Beer Hall Putsch , and he also joined its paramilitary force, the Frontbann . He was elected to the Landtag of Prussia in 1924 on the NSFB list, representing constituency 11 ( Regierungsbezirk Merseburg) until 1928. Helldorf formally joined the Nazi Party on 1 August 1930 (membership number 325,408) and in January 1931 he joined the Sturmabteilung (SA). By July he became the leader of SA- Gruppe Greater Berlin with
297-571: The Kripo head Arthur Nebe , and was supposed to direct all police forces in Berlin to stand down and not interfere in the military actions to seize the government. However, his half-hearted actions on 20 July had minimal influence on the events. In contrast, Hans Gisevius 's book To the Bitter End described Helldorff as playing an important role in a circle of conspirators and anti-Nazis. On 20 July 1944, he
330-682: The Landtag of Prussia during the Weimar Republic , as a member of the Reichstag for the Nazi Party from 1933, and as Ordnungspolizei Police President in Potsdam and in Berlin . From 1938 he became involved with the anti-Nazi resistance , and was executed in 1944 for his role in the 20th July plot to overthrow Adolf Hitler 's regime. Helldorff was born in Merseburg . A noble landowner's son, Helldorff
363-669: The Nazi seizure of power , Helldorff was made Police President of Potsdam on 25 March 1933. In November 1933, he was also elected to the Reichstag . He remained in Potsdam until being named Police President of Berlin on 19 July 1935. In December 1935, he was made a member of the Prussian Provincial Council ( Provinzialrat ). In his new post, Helldorff was closely allied with Joseph Goebbels , Gauleiter of Berlin and Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda . As chief of
SECTION 10
#1732916904195396-533: The Berlin police, Helldorff played an instrumental role in the harassment and plundering of Berlin's Jewish population in the early and the mid-1930s. In his diary entry of 19 June 1936, Goebbels commented: "Helldorff is now proceeding radically on the Jewish question ... many arrests ... We will free Berlin of Jews." Goebbels noted on 2 July 1938, that "Helldorff wants to construct a Jewish ghetto in Berlin. The rich Jews will be required to fund its construction." Helldorff
429-522: The Roxy Bar with other drivers, Neubauer challenged Hanussen to predict the winner of the following day's race. After some 'leg pulling', Hanussen wrote two names on a piece of paper, which he folded, and put in an envelope. This was placed in the custody of the barman. He had strict instructions that it be left unopened until after the race. Hanussen announced, 'One of us at this table will win tomorrow, another will die. The two names are in this envelope.' During
462-466: The Südwestkirchhof, Stahnsdorf, near Berlin. Hanussen's daughter, Erika Fuchs Steinschneider, was born to his first wife Theresia Luksch in 1920. Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff Wolf-Heinrich Julius Otto Bernhard Fritz Hermann Ferdinand Graf von Helldorff (14 October 1896 – 15 August 1944) was an SA- Obergruppenführer , German police official and politician. He served as a member of
495-467: The United States' Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1943. The profile included a reference to Hanussen: "...during the early 1920s Hitler took regular lessons in speaking and in mass psychology from a man named [Hanussen] who was also a practising astrologer and fortune-teller. He was an extremely clever individual who taught Hitler a great deal concerning the importance of staging meetings to obtain
528-532: The company of Germany's military and business elite, also becoming close with members of the SA ("Brownshirts"). It is claimed he was a supporter of the Nazis despite his Jewish ancestry, which was an open secret. Hanussen converted from Judaism to Protestantism in order to join the Nazi Party. He also published anti-Semitic propaganda. Stories abound of meetings between Hanussen and Hitler, including an encounter shortly before
561-412: The election of November 1932, during which Hanussen taught Hitler his crowd control techniques of using gestures and dramatic pauses. Hanussen was also quite close to other important Nazi officials, to whom he had often lent money, including Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff , Karl Ernst and Friedrich Wilhelm Ohst . Dr. Walter C. Langer , a psychoanalyst, prepared a psychological profile of Hitler for
594-555: The future of Germany. He became successful, was always in demand in various venues, and had a full-time valet. Alfred Neubauer , a famous motor racing team manager, refers to Hanussen in his autobiography, Speed Was My Life (first published in English in 1960). In the chapter 'A Prophecy Comes True', he describes a prediction made by Hanussen before the race at AVUS in Germany in May 1932. While at
627-467: The greatest dramatic effect." In 1931 Hanussen purchased a Breslau printing firm and began publishing an occult journal, Hanussen Magazin and Bunte Wochenschau , a popular bi-weekly Berlin tabloid which included astrological columns. He used the proceeds from his publishing ventures and stage shows to purchase a mansion which became known as "The Palace of the Occult", which he renovated and turned into
660-573: The other troops. In 1917, he adopted the name Erik Jan Hanussen, or sometimes Erik van Hanussen, and joined a circus. He soon wrote two booklets dealing with subjects including telepathy, clairvoyance, and mind-reading, which he labelled as fraudulent practices. However, he later treated these practices as genuine and claimed to have supernatural abilities. Hanussen performed a mind reading and hypnosis act at Scala (Berlin) [ de ] (former Berliner Eispalast [ de ] ) that catapulted him to stardom. At his height, he enjoyed
693-666: The plot. Expelled from the Party on 8 August and from the Reichstag two days later, he was put on trial and condemned by Roland Freisler at the People's Court on 15 August. He was by far the most senior Nazi Party member to be convicted of involvement in the plot. He was put to death at Plötzensee Prison that same day. So enraged was Hitler at Helldorff's participation in the plot that he insisted Helldorff be forced to watch his fellow conspirators being hanged before his own execution. Helldorff
SECTION 20
#1732916904195726-478: The race, driver Georg Christian of Lobkowicz was killed, and Manfred von Brauchitsch won. After the race, Neubauer states he opened the envelope and found those names inside. Several days later, a Berlin newspaper reported that Hanussen had urged the German Automobile Club to persuade Prince Lobkowicz not to take part in the race, but Club officials had taken no action. Predicting the Reichstag fire ,
759-733: The rank of SA- Oberführer and, later that year, for all of Brandenburg . The scope of his work expanded when he was also given responsibility for the leadership of the Schutzstaffel (SS) in Brandenburg. On 12 September 1931 (Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah ), von Helldorff organized a riot at Kurfürstendamm , where about a thousand men appeared from within the crowd on the streets and started attacking people who they thought were Jewish, beating them and screaming anti-Jewish threats at them. Helldorff and his Chief-of-Staff Karl Ernst were arrested and tried but their subsequent acquittal with just
792-588: The title Hanussen . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hanussen&oldid=1187066630 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Erik Jan Hanussen Erik Jan Hanussen , born Hermann Steinschneider (2 June 1889 – 25 March 1933),
825-628: Was a member of the right-wing Freikorps , seeing service with both the Freikorps Lutzow and Roßbach in 1919 and 1920. From 1920 to 1924 he was a member of the nationalist paramilitary organisation Stahlhelm . He became a member of the National Socialist Freedom Movement (NSFB) in 1924, which served as a legal front for the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), which had been banned after
858-463: Was a potential competition to Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels for the attention of their Führer , which may also have led to his murder. Hanussen's body was discovered over a month later. There are unsubstantiated claims that he may have been involved in the Reichstag fire, hypnotizing and directing Marinus van der Lubbe , the convicted arsonist, to commit the act. Erik Jan Hanussen is buried in
891-730: Was always late paying his personal tailor and the trainer he hired for his racehorse. There were other debts as well, all from a gambling habit Helldorff couldn't shake. Luckily, he could always count on a handout from Hanussen. All he had to do was sign an IOU , which Hanussen would add to his growing pile of chits he kept safe in his apartment". Helldorff married Ingeborg Ellinor von Wedel (* 10. November 1894 in Darmstadt ; † 8. April 1971 in Munster ) on 11th Oktober 1920 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber . They had 5 children together: Dr. Lindsay MacNeill: About
924-513: Was an Austrian Jewish publicist, charlatan and clairvoyant performer. Acclaimed in his lifetime as a hypnotist , mentalist , occultist and astrologer , Hanussen was active in Weimar Republic Germany and also at the beginning of Nazi Germany . He is said to have instructed Adolf Hitler in performance and the achievement of dramatic effect. and who treated Hitler during his (Hitler) depression Although Hanussen claimed to be
957-612: Was educated by private tutors in his youth, and then graduated from the gymnasium in Wernigerode in 1914. He volunteered for military service with the 12th Thuringian Hussars headquartered in Torgau . He served on both the western front and the eastern front in the First World War , attaining the rank of Leutnant and earning the Iron Cross first and second class. After the war, he
990-400: Was friends with the stage magician and psychic Erik Jan Hanussen , who constantly lent him money for his debts. "The count was always in debt, and his private life was a wreck. He was separated from his wife and was on bad terms with his mother after welching on his promise to pay her rent. Sometimes he was behind in his own rent. On one occasion he 'forgot' to pay for a new Mercedes . And he
1023-611: Was in communication with the coup d'état plotters attempting to assassinate the Führer. His planned role would be to keep the police from interfering with the military takeover and then to aid the new government. For his involvement in 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia , Helldorff was arrested on 24 July and, under interrogation by the Gestapo , confessed his role in
Hanussen - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-458: Was in some form of communication with the military opposition to Hitler as early as 1938. Goebbels certainly ensured that Helldorf took the blame for the November pogroms by declaring "the police act with an appearance of legality, the party provides spectators". The police took orders not to arrest or to treat too harshly rioters who beat up Jews. Helldorff collaborated closely with his subordinate
1089-570: Was the organizational brains behind the arson and looting of Berlin's synagogues and Jewish businesses in the November pogroms 1938. On 8 November 1938, the day that November pogroms began, he was quoted in The New York Times as saying: "as a result of a police activity in the last few weeks the entire Jewish population of Berlin had been disarmed". On 9 November 1938, Helldorff was promoted to SA- Obergruppenführer . Though never officially
#194805