A German Shoemaker Faked Being an Officer to Commit a Robbery

The foundation for World War One was being steadily put in place in 1906, and even then, the German Army was renowned for its slavish submission to authority. People are aware of this because German shoemaker Wilhelm Voigt took advantage of it to further his own interests.

Voigt, who already had a somewhat shady criminal past, acquired himself a Prussian captain's uniform that he put together from used parts and pieces, and he located two squads of soldiers who had just finished their shift. He gave the orders for the men to follow him into town, so he could arrest the mayor and other authorities before stealing the money from the town in two sacks like a retro cartoon villain.

Then, as he disappeared with the money, he ordered the troops to accompany the mayor and others to the police station. Naturally, the police were completely ignorant of the situation. The scam netted Voigt 4,000 marks, but he was discovered a few days later. He was given a four-year sentence, but Kaiser Wilhelm allegedly found it amusing and had it reduced to less than two.