File:HansGeorgKuetemeyer.png

Drawing of Hans-Georg Kütemeyer an early member of the Nazi Party. He comitted suicide in 1928, yet the party propaganda dishonestly claimed that he was murdered by political opponents and attempted to turn him into a martyr for the National Socialist course.

• Hans Georg Kütemeyer (July 27, 1895 – November 17, 1928) was a German merchant and member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). His drowning in the Berlin Landwehr Canal in November 1928 was later exploited by Nazi propaganda, portraying him as a victim of communist violence and a martyr for the nationalist cause (Blutzeuge). Police investigations concluded his death was either an accident or suicide, unrelated to the earlier altercation with leftist workers. Despite this, Joseph Goebbels capitalized on Kütemeyer's death to fuel anti-establishment sentiment. The attempt to turn Kütemeyer into a martyr was only partially successful due to discrepancies between his personality and the desired SA image. Goebbels eventually shifted focus to Horst Wessel, a more suitable propaganda figure. Despite this, Kütemeyer was honored by the Nazis throughout their regime, including the naming of SA units in his memory.