Free Corps 1919-1933 (Germany)

Freikorps

Last modified: 2002-05-31 by santiago dotor
Keywords: weimar republic | free corps | freikorps | kapp | ehrhardt brigade | brigade ehrhardt | letter: r |
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• Introduction
• The Kapp Putsch 1920
• Ehrhardt Brigade 1919-1920
• Rossbach Corps 1919

See also:

• Weimar Republic 1919-1933 (Germany)
• Sturmabteilung (SA) (NSDAP, Germany)
• Germany

Several militias (free corps) were created by German military officers to fight against communists. These corps used flags [of their] own that were destructed in World War Two. But some of them were preserved:

• Corps against Poles in Upper Silesia: White flag with white bordered yellow maltese cross;
• Hamburg Corps: Red flag with white castle of Hamburg but above flag a black pennant (meaning the Frison pirates);
• Rossbach Corps: Black flag with two silver diagonal stripes and a silver 'R' in centre;
• Unidentified corps: light blue flag with white-bordered yellow Maltese cross;
• Bermondt's Iron Division:
  1. black flag with white skull; and
  2. black flag with white circle in centre containing a second red circle a bit smaller, and white skull within the red circle.

Jaume Ollé, 22 January 2001

On March 13, 1920, a monarchist group led by a minor official named Wolfgang Kapp, General von Lüttwitz and Captain Ehrhardt, seized Berlin, declared Kapp Chancellor and Lüttwitz commander. They were defeated by a general strike of the workers and government officials after four days. The Kapp putsch used the 1903-1918 Imperial ensign as their flag (not the 1919-1921 ensign).

Norman Martin, 1998

The 2nd Marine Brigade commanded by Lt Cdr (usually referred to as Kapitän) Ehrhardt [the Brigade Ehrhardt] flew the Imperial Kriegsflagge in their parades and over the castle which served as their headquarters and subsequently as their flag during the Kapp putsch which they spearheaded (of some 20 pictures of Kapp troops I have seen, 19 show the imperial Reichskriegsflagge, one the black-white-red tricolor).

Norman Martin, 4 May 2001

Rossbach Corps 1919

2:3
by Jaume Ollé