Horst Wessel was the original Nazi martyr. Born 9 October in 1907 in Bielefeld, Westphalia. Aged 15, Wessel joined the DNVP's (German National People's Party) youth group, Bismarckjugend (Bismarck Youth) and quickly rose to become a local leader; he was often to be found engaged in street battles with rival political groups. His personal politics were soon too toxic for this organisation and he moved around other more extreme right-wing organisations, before finally settling into the ranks of the SA and Nazi Party.
Wessel was an accomplished shawm player and devoted this talent to creating songs for the Party. What would eventually become the Horst Wessel Song, began life as the Kampflied (fight song), which Wessel originally wrote in 1929. Goebbels's newspaper Der Angriff published the lyrics in September of the same year. It later became known as Die Fahne Hoch (Raise the Flag), before finally being known as the Horst-Wessel-Lied (Horst Wessel Song). The Nazis adopted it as the National Anthem once in power.
While it was later claimed by the Nazis that the entire song was Wessel's original, the truth was that the tune was adapted from an Imperial German Naval song, which itself was based on a traditional folk tune. In 1937, a German court actually ruled that Wessel had not written more than the actual lyrics.
At about 10 pm on January 14th 1930, Wessel was assassinated by members of the KPD (Communist Party) by being shot in the face at point-blank range.
German original and English translation of a later version.
Die Fahne hoch! Die Reihen fest geschlossen!
SA marschiert mit ruhig festem Schritt.
Kameraden, die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen,
Marschieren im Geist in unseren Reihen mit.
Die Straße frei den braunen Batallionen.
Die Straße frei dem Sturmabteilungsmann!
Es schaun aufs Hakenkreuz voll Hoffnung schon Millionen.
Der Tag für Freiheit und für Brot bricht an!
Zum letzten Mal wird nun Appell geblasen!
Zum Kampfe steh'n wir alle schon bereit!
Bald flattern Hitlerfahnen über Barrikaden.
Die Knechtschaft dauert nur noch kurze Zeit!
Die Fahne hoch! Die Reihen fest geschlossen!
SA marschiert mit ruhig-festem Schritt.
Kameraden, die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen,
Marschieren im Geist in unseren Reihen mit.
The flag high! The ranks tightly closed!
SA marches with a calm, firm pace.
Comrades whom Red Front and Reaction shot dead
March in spirit within our ranks.
[Make] The street free for the brown battalions;
[Make] The street free for the SA man!
Already millions are looking to the swastika, full of hope;
The day of freedom and bread is dawning.
Rollcall has sounded for the last time!
We are all prepared for the fight!
Soon Hitler-flags will flutter over barricades.
Our servitude will not last much longer now!
The flag high! The ranks tightly closed!
SA marches with a calm, firm pace.
Comrades whom Red Front and Reaction shot dead
March in spirit within our ranks.
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