Waldemar Pabst

Waldemar Pabst
Pabst c. 1930
Born	(1880-12-24)24 December 1880 Berlin, German Empire
Died	29 May 1970(1970-05-29) (aged 89) Düsseldorf, West Germany
Other names	Waldemar der Grosse ("Waldemar the Great")
Occupation(s)	Army officer, weapons manufacturer
Known for	Freikorps leader
Title	Hauptmann (self-declared Major)

Ernst Julius Waldemar Pabst (24 December 1880 – 29 May 1970) was a German soldier and political activist who was involved in extreme nationalist and anti-communist paramilitary activity in both the Weimar Republic and in Austria. As a Freikorps officer, Captain Pabst gained notoriety for ordering the summary executions of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in 1919 as well as for his leading role in the attempted coup d'etat by Wolfgang Kapp. In Austria, he played a central part in organising rightist militia groups before being deported for his activities. Pabst subsequently faded from public life in Nazi Germany, as he was never more than loosely associated with the Nazis.