 The café, located in Klagenfurt, became a meeting place for Nazis such as Odilo Globočnik and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who frequented the café.While still in Austria, Lerch was promoted to an SS-Second Lieutenant ("Untersturmführer") on 9 September 1936.By 1937, he was promoted to an SS-First Lieutenant ("Obersturmführer").