Günter von Drenkmann (November 9, 1910 - November 10, 1974) was a German lawyer. In 1967, he was appointed president of the Berlindistrict court ("Kammergericht"). The post was one that his grandfather had held between 1890 and 1904. He was killed by "2 June Movement" terrorists during a kidnapping attempt.[1][2]
George Richard Ernst Günter von Drenkmann was born in Berlin.[3] He came from a well-connected family. The "Drenckmanns" had become "von Drenckmanns" when his grandfather was ennobled in 1901.[4] His father, Edwin von Drenkmann (1864-1944) had been a senior Prussian financial official ("Geheime Oberfinanzrat"). His mother, born Helen Drory (1874-1968), was the granddaughter of Leonard Drory (1800-1866), an entrepreneur from Colchester, England, and his wife.[5]
Günter von Drenkmann studied Jurisprudence at Tübingen, Munich and Berlin. His education was predicated on the expectation that he should follow the family tradition and become a judge. However, at the start of 1933 the Nazistook power and lost no time in transforming Germany into a one-partydictatorship. Von Drenckmann repeatedly refused to join any Nazi-connected organisation, so was unable to become a judge.[1] Instead he worked on legal matters in industry and for the chamber of commerce.[2][1]
In the later 1930s, together with his friend Francis Wolff he was a member of "Hot Club Berlin". This was a circle of friends who got together in private to listen to banned jazz music. They also established contact with one or two jazz musicians such as Herb Flemming.[6][7] In 1939 Wolff, who was Jewish, emigrated to New York to escape Nazi oppression. There he built a career as a successful record company executive.[1][8] Von Drenkmann stayed in Germany.
Von Drenkmann celebrated his sixty-fourth birthday on 9 November 1974. He planned to retire a year later. On Sunday 10 November 1974 he was at home with his wife. An unexpected visitor appeared at the door. When the bell rang he went to open the door, placing it "on the chain" because something felt not right. Several assailants forced their way into the apartment. There was a struggle and a gun was used. Someone fired a .38 calibre "dumdum" bullet and it hit Drenkmann. Neighbours saw the attackers escape in two cars. Günter von Drenkmann died on the way to hospital.[1]
The 2 June Movement claimed credit for the murder against someone who it said was one of those "responsible ... for the murder of a comrade".[10]
The previous day, Holger Meins, a student member of the RAF, had died at the Wittlich Youth Penitentiary, where he had been held. Meins was known as a large man but weighed just 39 kg at the time of his death. It was reported and widely accepted that he had died of starvation as a result of a hunger strike that he and other RAF prisoners had undertaken in an effort to pressure authorities to improve prison conditions.[11]
The attack on von Drenkmann was found to have been part of a planned kidnapping for ransom that went wrong.[12][13] Some of the terrorists believed they had a "need to escalate their profile".[14]
In 1986 six members of the "2 June Movement" were prosecuted in what was known as the Lorenz-Drenkmann trial, which covered both the 1974 killing of Günter von Drenkmann and the 1975 kidnapping of Peter Lorenz.[15] The court was unable to attribute the killing of von Drenkmann to any of the six individuals on trial. It remains unclear who killed von Drenkmann. All six defendants were convicted of the kidnapping of Peter Lorenz and membership in a criminal association. They were sentenced to substantial jail terms, of up to fifteen years apiece.[16][17]
The murder of von Drenkmann is frequently cited as the first of a series of widely publicised terrorist actions in West Germany.[18]
A bronze memorial tablet to von Drenkmann was placed on the former courthouse building in Berlin-Charlottenburg. When the court relocated to Berlin-Schöneberg another memorial tablet was placed near the entrance. However, plans announced in 2004 to rename the street in which the new building is located from Elßholzstraße to Drenkmannstraße have not been implemented.[17] "The checking processes continue" was the explanation from Andrea Boehnke, speaking on behalf of the Justice Ministry, when asked about it in 2014.[17]
References
^ abcdefgThomas Schmid [in German] (14 October 2010). "Das erste Opfer des Linksterrorismus". Axel Springer SE (WELT und N24), Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^ abcFatina Keilani (10 November 2017). "20.000 Menschen trauerten 1974 um Günter von Drenkmann". Im November 1974 ehrten 20.000 Menschen Günter von Drenkmann am Rathaus Schöneberg. Terroristen hatten den Präsidenten des Berliner Kammergerichts erschossen. Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH, Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^"Gedenktafel für Günter von Drenkmann". Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf von Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^"Drenkmann, Edwin von, Jurist,". Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Band 5. Leipzig 1906, S. 193. Contumax GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^"Helen Drory b. 1874". Rodovid DE. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^ abThomas Schmid [in German] (13 November 2010). "Ein vergessenes Verbrechen". Der Berliner Kammergerichtspräsident Günter von Drenkmann war das erste Opfer des Linksterrorismus in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik. In dieser Woche wäre er 100 Jahre alt geworden. Rückblick auf ein deutsches Leben. Axel Springer SE (WELT und N24), Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^Matthias Reichelt (16 January 2010). "It must schwing – Blue note". Arbeitskreis Zukunft braucht Erinnerung, Berlin. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^Richard Cook (20 July 2003). "'Blue Note Records, The Biography'". Book Explores History of Influential Jazz Label. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^"Lilo Morgenroth b. 1918". Rodovid DE. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^. Flugblatt der Bewegung 2. Juni. Förderverein Libertad! e.V., Frankfurt am Main. 14 November 2004. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^Michael Sontheimer (8 November 2007). ""Holger, der Kampf geht weiter!"". Nach sieben Wochen im Hungerstreik starb am 9. November 1974 der RAF-Gefangene Holger Meins. Sein Tod im Gefängnis wurde für die radikale Linke zum Fanal. Er trieb eine ganze Generation von Sympathisanten in den Untergrund, die den irrwitzigen Krieg der RAF gegen den Staat weiterführten. Der Spiegel (online). Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^Michael Sontheimer; Barbara Supp (23 June 1997). ""Die schießen auf uns alle"". Der Spiegel (online). Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^. Verfassungsschutz. Ministerium des Innern des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^"Klaus Pflieger im Gespräch mit Werner Reuß (2007)". alpha forum. Bayerischer Rundfunk, München. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^"Alle für einen". Drenkmann-Mord und Lorenz-Entführung werden jetzt in Berlin verhandelt. 599 Zeugen sollen aussagen, 526 „Überführungsstücke“ liegen vor. Doch die Beweislage gegen die sechs Angeklagten ist schwierig. Der Spiegel (online). 14 April 1978. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^Hans Schueler (17 October 1980). "Der Mord am Berliner Kammergerichtspräsidenten blieb ungesühnt". Die Zeit (online), Hamburg. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^ abcKatja Füchsel (20 November 2014). "Attentat auf Günter von Drenkmann Die Terroristen kamen als Blumenboten". Am 10. November 1974 fiel Kammergerichtspräsident Günter von Drenkmann einem Attentat der Bewegung 2. Juni zum Opfer. Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH, Berlin. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
^"George Richard Ernst Günter von Drenkmann geboren am: 09.11.1910 gestorben am: 10.11.1974". Friedpark: Friedhof Heerstraße ... Grabstelle: Abt. 20 C - 45/46. Historische Persönlichkeiten auf Berliner Friedhöfen. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
January 19, 2023
günter, drenkmann, november, 1910, november, 1974, german, lawyer, 1967, appointed, president, berlin, district, court, kammergericht, post, that, grandfather, held, between, 1890, 1904, killed, june, movement, terrorists, during, kidnapping, attempt, borngeor. Gunter von Drenkmann November 9 1910 November 10 1974 was a German lawyer In 1967 he was appointed president of the Berlin district court Kammergericht The post was one that his grandfather had held between 1890 and 1904 He was killed by 2 June Movement terrorists during a kidnapping attempt 1 2 Gunter von DrenkmannBornGeorge Richard Ernst Gunter von DrenkmannNovember 9 1910Berlin GermanyDiedNovember 10 1974 1974 11 10 aged 64 West BerlinAlma materTubingenMunichBerlinOccupation s LawyerPresident of the Berlin district court Kammergericht Known forthe circumstances of his murderSpouse s 1 Lilo Morgenroth 1918 2 Christel 1922 2011 ChildrenPeter von Drenkmann and others Parent s Edwin von Drenkmann 1864 1944 Helen Drory 1874 1968 Contents 1 Life 1 1 Provenance and connections 1 2 Early years 1 3 Middle years 2 Death 3 Commemoration 4 ReferencesLife EditProvenance and connections Edit George Richard Ernst Gunter von Drenkmann was born in Berlin 3 He came from a well connected family The Drenckmanns had become von Drenckmanns when his grandfather was ennobled in 1901 4 His father Edwin von Drenkmann 1864 1944 had been a senior Prussian financial official Geheime Oberfinanzrat His mother born Helen Drory 1874 1968 was the granddaughter of Leonard Drory 1800 1866 an entrepreneur from Colchester England and his wife 5 One of Gunter von Drenkmann s sons Peter von Drenkmann later also served as president of the Berlin district court Kammergericht between 1999 and 2005 6 Early years Edit Gunter von Drenkmann studied Jurisprudence at Tubingen Munich and Berlin His education was predicated on the expectation that he should follow the family tradition and become a judge However at the start of 1933 the Nazis took power and lost no time in transforming Germany into a one party dictatorship Von Drenckmann repeatedly refused to join any Nazi connected organisation so was unable to become a judge 1 Instead he worked on legal matters in industry and for the chamber of commerce 2 1 In the later 1930s together with his friend Francis Wolff he was a member of Hot Club Berlin This was a circle of friends who got together in private to listen to banned jazz music They also established contact with one or two jazz musicians such as Herb Flemming 6 7 In 1939 Wolff who was Jewish emigrated to New York to escape Nazi oppression There he built a career as a successful record company executive 1 8 Von Drenkmann stayed in Germany In April 1939 he married Lilo Morgenroth 9 Middle years Edit May 1945 marked the end of the war and the end of the Nazi regime Drenkmann was among relatively few lawyers who had stayed independent of the Nazi Party By temperament he was a liberal Social Democrat and in 1945 if not earlier he became a member of the Social Democratic Party Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands SPD 1 His career as a judge began in 1947 with appointment as a judge for civil matters at the Berlin district court Kammergericht True to his family tradition a succession of promotions quickly followed In 1967 he was selected as president of the Berlin district court Kammergericht 1 Death EditVon Drenkmann celebrated his sixty fourth birthday on 9 November 1974 He planned to retire a year later On Sunday 10 November 1974 he was at home with his wife An unexpected visitor appeared at the door When the bell rang he went to open the door placing it on the chain because something felt not right Several assailants forced their way into the apartment There was a struggle and a gun was used Someone fired a 38 calibre dumdum bullet and it hit Drenkmann Neighbours saw the attackers escape in two cars Gunter von Drenkmann died on the way to hospital 1 The 2 June Movement claimed credit for the murder against someone who it said was one of those responsible for the murder of a comrade 10 The previous day Holger Meins a student member of the RAF had died at the Wittlich Youth Penitentiary where he had been held Meins was known as a large man but weighed just 39 kg at the time of his death It was reported and widely accepted that he had died of starvation as a result of a hunger strike that he and other RAF prisoners had undertaken in an effort to pressure authorities to improve prison conditions 11 The attack on von Drenkmann was found to have been part of a planned kidnapping for ransom that went wrong 12 13 Some of the terrorists believed they had a need to escalate their profile 14 In 1986 six members of the 2 June Movement were prosecuted in what was known as the Lorenz Drenkmann trial which covered both the 1974 killing of Gunter von Drenkmann and the 1975 kidnapping of Peter Lorenz 15 The court was unable to attribute the killing of von Drenkmann to any of the six individuals on trial It remains unclear who killed von Drenkmann All six defendants were convicted of the kidnapping of Peter Lorenz and membership in a criminal association They were sentenced to substantial jail terms of up to fifteen years apiece 16 17 The murder of von Drenkmann is frequently cited as the first of a series of widely publicised terrorist actions in West Germany 18 A state funeral for von Drenkmann was held in front of Berlin s Schoneberg City hall More than 20 000 members of the public attended West German President Walter Scheel gave a brief address calling for all democrats to join the war against terror 2 Commemoration EditA bronze memorial tablet to von Drenkmann was placed on the former courthouse building in Berlin Charlottenburg When the court relocated to Berlin Schoneberg another memorial tablet was placed near the entrance However plans announced in 2004 to rename the street in which the new building is located from Elssholzstrasse to Drenkmannstrasse have not been implemented 17 The checking processes continue was the explanation from Andrea Boehnke speaking on behalf of the Justice Ministry when asked about it in 2014 17 References Edit a b c d e f g Thomas Schmid in German 14 October 2010 Das erste Opfer des Linksterrorismus Axel Springer SE WELT und N24 Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 a b c Fatina Keilani 10 November 2017 20 000 Menschen trauerten 1974 um Gunter von Drenkmann Im November 1974 ehrten 20 000 Menschen Gunter von Drenkmann am Rathaus Schoneberg Terroristen hatten den Prasidenten des Berliner Kammergerichts erschossen Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 Gedenktafel fur Gunter von Drenkmann Bezirksamt Charlottenburg Wilmersdorf von Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 Drenkmann Edwin von Jurist Meyers Grosses Konversations Lexikon Band 5 Leipzig 1906 S 193 Contumax GmbH amp Co KG Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 Helen Drory b 1874 Rodovid DE 26 April 2012 Retrieved 21 February 2018 a b Thomas Schmid in German 13 November 2010 Ein vergessenes Verbrechen Der Berliner Kammergerichtsprasident Gunter von Drenkmann war das erste Opfer des Linksterrorismus in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik In dieser Woche ware er 100 Jahre alt geworden Ruckblick auf ein deutsches Leben Axel Springer SE WELT und N24 Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 Matthias Reichelt 16 January 2010 It must schwing Blue note Arbeitskreis Zukunft braucht Erinnerung Berlin Retrieved 21 February 2018 Richard Cook 20 July 2003 Blue Note Records The Biography Book Explores History of Influential Jazz Label Retrieved 21 February 2018 Lilo Morgenroth b 1918 Rodovid DE 26 April 2012 Retrieved 21 February 2018 Wer ist uber den Tod Gunter von Drenkmanns besturzt und weshalb Zum Attentat auf Berlins hochsten Richter Terror oder Gegenwehr Flugblatt der Bewegung 2 Juni Forderverein Libertad e V Frankfurt am Main 14 November 2004 Archived from the original on 17 September 2011 Retrieved 22 February 2018 Michael Sontheimer 8 November 2007 Holger der Kampf geht weiter Nach sieben Wochen im Hungerstreik starb am 9 November 1974 der RAF Gefangene Holger Meins Sein Tod im Gefangnis wurde fur die radikale Linke zum Fanal Er trieb eine ganze Generation von Sympathisanten in den Untergrund die den irrwitzigen Krieg der RAF gegen den Staat weiterfuhrten Der Spiegel online Retrieved 22 February 2018 Michael Sontheimer Barbara Supp 23 June 1997 Die schiessen auf uns alle Der Spiegel online Retrieved 22 February 2018 Bewegung 2 Juni Verfassungsschutz Ministerium des Innern des Landes Nordrhein Westfalen Dusseldorf Archived from the original on 30 October 2013 Retrieved 22 February 2018 Klaus Pflieger im Gesprach mit Werner Reuss 2007 alpha forum Bayerischer Rundfunk Munchen 9 May 2012 Retrieved 22 February 2018 Alle fur einen Drenkmann Mord und Lorenz Entfuhrung werden jetzt in Berlin verhandelt 599 Zeugen sollen aussagen 526 Uberfuhrungsstucke liegen vor Doch die Beweislage gegen die sechs Angeklagten ist schwierig Der Spiegel online 14 April 1978 Retrieved 22 February 2018 Hans Schueler 17 October 1980 Der Mord am Berliner Kammergerichtsprasidenten blieb ungesuhnt Die Zeit online Hamburg Retrieved 22 February 2018 a b c Katja Fuchsel 20 November 2014 Attentat auf Gunter von Drenkmann Die Terroristen kamen als Blumenboten Am 10 November 1974 fiel Kammergerichtsprasident Gunter von Drenkmann einem Attentat der Bewegung 2 Juni zum Opfer Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH Berlin Retrieved 22 February 2018 George Richard Ernst Gunter von Drenkmann geboren am 09 11 1910 gestorben am 10 11 1974 Friedpark Friedhof Heerstrasse Grabstelle Abt 20 C 45 46 Historische Personlichkeiten auf Berliner Friedhofen Retrieved 22 February 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gunter von Drenkmann amp oldid 1119898603, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
