He was involved in the Beer Hall Putsch—the unsuccessful attempt by Hitler and the NSDAP to seize power in Munich on 9 November 1923. He was held in investigative detention from November 1923 to March 1924 at Stadelheim, Neudeck and Landsberg Prison. He was discharged from the "Reichswehr" in March 1924, and was sentenced to six months' incarceration at Landsberg for his role in the unsuccessful Putsch. There he joined Hitler and other conspirators. This event would set Hühnlein on a life of Nazi politics and he rose through the ranks after being released from prison. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930 and served in the "Sturmabteilung" (SA). Ernst Röhm appointed him an SA-"Obergruppenführer" and by 1927, Hühnlein was head of the SA automotive engineering section.