Chapter 8

When you shoot a person, you must first shoot the horse; when you capture a thief, you must first capture the leader. This ancient and universal maxim echoed in the minds of all those caught in the chaos that day in Munich.

Hitler, with his shrill voice and fiery gaze, clamored for an uprising against the Weimar government. The police and troops sent to apprehend him had no doubt: Hitler was the primary target. Weapons were aimed directly at him, but no one dared to touch Ludendorff, the revered imperial general who accompanied him. Ludendorff, with his impeccable uniform and aura of authority, was untouchable.

Chaos erupted when Hitler, in a burst of emotion, accidentally fired his revolver. Bullets whistled in every direction, and for a moment, the future Nazi leader was paralyzed by shock. It was then that Hermann Göring, loyal to the core, threw himself as a human shield. A bullet struck his thigh, and his cries of pain mingled with the sound of gunfire. Hitler, unharmed but with a dislocated shoulder from the force of the movement, leaned against the curb, mistaking the pain for a gunshot wound.

But in that instant, Hitler was no longer the center of attention. Not even Ludendorff, with his prestige, could capture the gaze of the crowd. All eyes turned to Alex, a man who emerged from the confusion as an imposing figure. With his left hand, Alex firmly gripped the neck of General Lossow, and in his right hand, he wielded an MP18 submachine gun. The magazine rested on his left arm, and the barrel of the weapon pointed directly at Lossow head.

"Stop! Drop your weapons, or I'll kill the General!" Alex's voice boomed through the street, clear and commanding.

The parade, already in chaos, turned into pandemonium. The "soldiers" of the assault troops, mostly inexperienced youths, began to scatter. The civilians who had come to the demonstration had either fled or lay on the ground, trying to protect themselves. Only Scherner's men, battle-hardened veterans, remained calm. Though more than twenty fell in the first burst of gunfire, the rest found cover and managed to protect Hitler.

Göring's screams continued to echo, a sound of pain and frustration. Alex, however, remained unfazed. Coldly, he tightened his grip on Losov's neck and repeated his threat:

"General, order your men to retreat! Or this machine gun will turn them into a hornet's nest!"

Losov, trembling, knew Alex was not joking. He remembered the fate of Sessel, killed for trying to escape, and felt fear paralyzing his insides.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" Losov shouted, his voice trembling but firm.

The situation was clear: the supreme commander of the Bavarian was under the control of the rebels. The orders coming from his mouth were nothing more than words forced by the threat of a bullet.

Bang, bang, bang! 

Alex fired into the air, and the deafening noise caused Losov to collapse further, his legs weak and his ears ringing.

"Why do you want to see General Lossow die?" Alex asked, aiming again at the back of his hostage's head. No one answered. No one wanted to be responsible for the death of such a powerful man.

On the other side, Royce, the officer in charge, wrestled between loyalty and survival. He knew that if he allowed the rebels to have their way, the rebellion would spread like wildfire. But if he didn't comply, Lossow would die, and he would be next on the list of culprits.

"Withdraw the troops and return to base!" Royce finally ordered, resigned. 

The army began to retreat, followed by the police. The rebels, seeing the withdrawal, erupted in cheers and applause. At the Ministry of the Army, Himmler and Röhm appeared with imperial flags, and the two factions united in a single cry:

"Germany above all!" 

Hitler, standing on the steps of the Ministry, watched the crowd with a mix of triumph and determination. Though the pain in his arm tormented him, he didn't let it stop him.

"The great German people will never sink!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the streets of Munich. "We have not failed! We will continue to fight until the criminal November government is overthrown and a strong, free, and glorious Germany rises from the ashes."

Hitler spoke of the Treaty of Versailles, the French occupation of the Ruhr, and the need for a socialism that would restore dignity to the German people. His words ignited the crowd, who chanted slogans with fervor:

"Germany above all!"

"Let us march on Berlin and overthrow the criminal government!"

The Beer Hall Putsch had reached its climax. With the addition of thousands of Munich citizens, the march to Berlin seemed inevitable. Even Ludendorff, initially reluctant, began to believe in the possibility of a new German Empire, powerful and free from the chains of the past.