,,Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.”

Otto von Bismarck

Bureaucracy

 

,,...Er lautet: ‘Jede Person, die mit Waffen in Hand kämpfend gegen unsere Regierungstruppen angetroffen wird, ist sofort zu erschießen’.."

,,..It reads: ‘Every person, who is found fighting with weapon in hand against our government troops, is to be shot immediately’..”

 

• Friedrich Noske, (fragment) after the government accepted the ‘Freikorps-proposal’

 

Freikorps	Date of founding	Freikorpsführer #1	Staffelkapitän #1	Freikorpsführer #2	Staffelkapitän #2
Rheinhardt	9-3-1919	E. Rheinhardt	J. Nieuwenhuis	n/a	n/a
Noske	9-3-1919	F. Noske	H. von Scheer	n/a	E. Schneider
Krammer	10-3-1919	J. Krammer	F. Strecker	Ein unbekannter Offizier	n/a
Von Wittelsbach	10-3-1919	R. von Wittelsbach	H. Hoogduynen	H. Hoogduynen	T. Weißer
Vampir	21-8-1919	M. von Rudendorf	Ein unbekannter Offizier	n/a	Ein unbekannter Offizier
Bluthund	14-3-1919	H. Hinterstraff	G. Meyer	n/a	Ein unbekannter Offizier
Rosenrot	15-3-1919	K. von Münchner	H. Roßbach	F. Geyer	n/a
Ost	8-2-1922	W. von Laurents	A. Speer	n/a	n/a

Die Freikorpsen am 1. März 1922

1. Stoßfreikorps Rheinhardt 
2. Schutzfreikorps Noske
3. Kavalleriefreikorps Krammer
4. Schwerfreikorps Von Wittelsbach
5. Leichtfreikorps Vampir
6. Jagdfreikorps Bluthund
7. Allgemeinenfreikorps Rosenrot
8. Panzerfreikorps Ost

 

1919 bis 1924

Fünf jahre Tot

Nightfall

“Are you sure, Noske?” Rheinhardt asked as he re-read the paper for the oh-so-manyeth time.

“Are you claiming that I am not, Rheinhardt?”

“..Did not..”

“Then do not whine.”

..

“So we are the first two?”

“Indeed. I have the Stadtwache on my side, do you have the Vrijwillige Landstorm?”

“As if. They’ve been ready since my birth.”

“Well, that doesn’t say much. It’s not like you’re very old, after all.”

 

..

 

“Fathe—”

“Yes, Egon?” Replied Maksim, gazing down impatiently at the younger Rheinhardt, “What is it that you need? Did that foolish Nieuwenhuis give you more to worry about?”

“No, we need a fighting force. The Kaiser’s already given permission for the formation, he just told me that I needed to ask you for your suppo—”

“Granted. Take what you need; the country is of my utmost importance.”

 

As per usual, plans for forming leaked. The Socialists got wind of it, as per usual.

 

On the evening of the ninth of March in 1919, Noske made the announcement that the ‘anonymous’ submission for the forming of Freikorps’ had piqued his interest, and that he had signed it. In reality, he had written the proposal himself, and it had been signed a week prior. 

 

,,Ich freue mich, mitteilen zu können, dass das Hofplein in Rotterdam gestern Abend kampflos von den Truppen besetzt wurde.

,,I am happy to announce that the Hofplein in Rotterdam was occupied, yesterday night, by our troops without fighting.

 

Ich konnte das Abschlachten von einzelne Soldaten nicht länger hinnehmen, also habe ich es mit schweren Herzens am Neunte Abend unterzeichnet.

I could not let the slaughtering of individual soldiers go on any longer, so I, with a heavy heart, signed on the ninth evening.

 

Er lautet: ‘Jede Person, die mit Waffen in Hand kämpfend gegen unsere Regierungstruppen angetroffen wird, ist sofort zu erschießen.’

It reads: ‘Every man, who is found fighting against our government troops with a weapon hand, is henceforth to be shot.’

 

In höchster Not, habe ich mich von dieser Anordnung entschlossen.

In dire need, I have decided on this arrangement.

 

Die Freikorpsen sind folgende:

The Freikorps’ are as follows:

• Freikorps ‘Rheinhardt’ auf Reichskommissariat Rheinland, bestehend aus den alten ,,Vrijwillige Landstormen”.

Freikorps ‘Rheinhardt’ from Reichskommissariat Rheinland, consisting of the old ,,Vrijwillige Landstormen”

• Freikorps ‘Noske’ auf Reichskommissariat Herze, bestehend aus Veteranen zum K.G. und der Stadtwache Berlin.

Freikorps ‘Noske’ from Reichskommissariat Herze, consisting of veterans of the K.G. and the city guard of Berlin.

• Freikorps ‘Krammer’ auf Reichskommissariat Dänen-Gulf, bestehend aus dem Korps Husaren in Hamburg.

Freikorps ‘Krammer’ from Reichskommissariat Dänen-Gulf, consisting of the korps Hussars in Hamburg

• Freikorps ‘Von Wittelsbach’ auf Reichskommissariat Weißbergen, bestehend aus ihren Gebirgs- und Sturmbrigaden.

Freikorps ‘Von Wittelsbach' from Reichskommissariat Weißbergen, consisting of their mountaineer and storm brigades.

 

Die Märzkämpfe soll unsere Sieg sein. Stapf eins bei den lokalen Freikorps, oder hilft mit gegen diesen Aufstand auf andere Reichskommissariats. Der Sieg wird unser sein.”

The Märzkämpfe will be our victory. Come aboard at your local Freikorps, or help against this rebellion in different Reichskommissariats. Victory will be ours.”

 

Friedrich Noske, 9-3-1919, Berlin

 

The Socialist leaders’ response was short.

 

,,If you do not stand down in one week, the results will be catastrophic.”

 

Noske believed the threat, however, it was already too late. Freikorps Rheinhardt had already finished forming, proving their capability at the occupation of the Hofplein, and Freikorps Noske was nearly finished; Krammer and Von Wittelsbach following the same truth.

 

Tenth of March.

 

Eleventh of March.

 

Twelfth of March.

 

Thirteenth of March.

 

Fourteenth of March.

 

Fifteenth of March.

 

Sixteenth of March.

 

Noske went to bed early that night, thinking that the threat was merely a bluff. Yet, he could not be further from the truth.