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The succession of major, if mainly localised, uprisings that came to be chronicled as [[German Revolution of 1918–1919|Germany's "November revolution"]] had their origins with naval mutinies in [[:de:Kieler Matrosenaufstand#Befehlsverweigerung vor Wilhelmshaven|Wilhelmshaven]] and [[Kiel mutiny|Kiel]], which then spread inland with the demoralised soldiers coming home from the western (and other) front(s), especially to towns and cities in [[German empire|Germany's]] industrial heartlands. Lütgens was among the leaders on the rebel side.<ref name= ALlautJS/> Fighting in Wilhelmshaven persisted, and in January 1919 a group of naval officers and "professional soldiers" launched an organised counter-attack, targeting "communists", after which striking shipyard workers returned to work: in the "quasi-military" terms in which observers were inclined to assess the situation at the time, Lütgens was on the losing side.<ref name= ALlautJS/> In May 1919 he was sentenced to an "exemplary" twelve-year jail term for his part in the uprising.<ref name= ALlautJS/> During his trial Lütgens found himself on the receiving end of hostile publicity after a bank employee testified at his trial that he had been involved in the theft of 300,000 marks that had been set aside to be sent to Soviet Russia. The truth of the matter is impossible to determine: nor is it clear whether the court took the evidence of the bank employee seriously. Nevertheless, the hostile mainstream newspapers of the political centre and right made much of the bank clerk's allegations, branding Lütgens a bandit and a robber. For better and worse, he was now a man with a media profile.<ref name= ALlautJS/>
Following sentencing he was transferred to the [[:de:Justizvollzugsanstalt Oslebshausen|main jail in Bremen]]. A few months later, however, the wardens making their rounds at the start of the day found that cell 138, which had been assigned to Lütgens, was empty. Nothing was broken: there was no sign of a struggle, the bars in the window were sound and even the door was securely locked. It was only some time later than someone noticed that the uniform - including the cap - of a prison guard were missing. August Lütgens had left the prison unimpeded, having taken the precaution of dressing himself as a prison guard. Sources mention but do not identify the comrades who had helped him. The escapee faced another trial, which this time [[Trial in absentia|he did not attend]], and was sentenced to an additional three-year jail term. By this time he was in [[Denmark]], however. Over the next few months he worked on the ships on the [[Baltic Sea|"North Sea" (identified on English maps as the "Baltic Sea")]], returning at one point during 1920 to [[Weimar Germany|Germany]], but it seemed unwise to stay for very long.<ref name= ALlautJS/> Instead he made his
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