Walther Karl Friedrich Ernst Emil Freiherr von Lüttwitz was a German general who fought in World War I. Lüttwitz is best known for being the driving force behind the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch of 1920 which attempted to replace the democratic government of the Weimar Republic with a military dictatorship.
Lüttwitz as Generalleutnant
Walther von Lüttwitz (centre) with Gustav Noske (right), c. 1920
The Kapp Putsch, also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch, was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to undo the German Revolution of 1918–1919, overthrow the Weimar Republic, and establish an autocratic government in its place. It was supported by parts of the Reichswehr, as well as nationalist and monarchist factions.
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt entering Berlin during the Putsch
Government poster against the Kapp Putsch, 13 March 1920
Walther von Lüttwitz (centre) and Gustav Noske (right), c. 1920
Wolfgang Kapp, the leader of the Putsch