Germany, Weimar Republic. A Large Signed Studio Portrait Of Pour Le Mérite Recipient General Franz Ritter von Epp

In the photo, Epp wears the shoulder boards of a Lieutenant General, dating the picture to the early to mid 1920s. He signed it in black ink. Measuring 181 mm (w) x 241 mm (h), with minimal scuffing and light warping, remains near extremely fine.

Footnote:

Franz Epp was born on October 16, 1868 in Munich. He joined the Bavarian army in 1887 with the intention to become an officer. Epp joined the East Asian Infantry Regiment in 1900, fighting in China and returning in 1901. Three years later, he served in German Southwest Africa, fighting the local tribes, during which he was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain). He returned in 1906. Epp was promoted to Major in 1912. With the beginning of the First War, he was stationed at the Western Front where he was promoted to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel). Epp fought in South Tyrol and later Serbia in 1915. For leading his regiment during the taking of Fleury-devant-Douaumont in the Battle of Verdun, Epp was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Military Max Joseph Order in June of 1916. This meant that he was ennobled and allowed to call himself Ritter (knight) von Epp. In 1917, he saw action in Romania, again on the Western Front, and in northern Italy. Epp was awarded the Pour le Mérite for taking the Kemmel Hill in Flanders in 1918. At the end of the war, he held the rank of Oberst (Colonel). In 1919, Epp led his own paramilitary unit, Freikorps Epp, fighting the communist and socialist movements in Bavaria. During this time, he worked closely with Ernst Röhm who introduced him to A.H. Epp was promoted to Major General in 1921 and to Lieutenant General in 1923. He joined the NSDAP in 1928 and ran for office as Bavarian party representative, being elected into the Reichstag. After the NSDAP came to power, Epp was named Reich Governor of Bavaria. Furthermore, he was put in charge of the Reich Colonial Society. He did not play a decisive role during the Second War, whether militarily or politically. Epp died on January 31, 1947, an Allied POW.