Some Freikorps Unit Badges

[Brian L.]

1/ Stadtwehr Augsburg (breast or lapel badge)
Self-defence militia raised in Spring 1919 to fight against the Bavarian Soviet.

2/ Freiwilligen Brigade Nord-Litauen (arm-badge)
Formed 26 March 1919 from 45. Reserve-Division under Generalmajor Gündell in Lithuania and Latvia as part of the Baltic Landwehr.

[Brian L.]

1/ Freischützenkorps Berlin (Meyn) / Volkswehrabteilung Meyn (arm-badge)
Raised in January 1919 to fight against the Spartacist Uprising.
In June 1919 this unit became the Sicherheits Polizei Berlin (Security Police).

2/ Berliner Selbstschutz (lapel badge)
One of several civil defence units raised in January 1919 to fight against the Spartacist Uprising.

[Brian L.]

Regiment Reinhard / Freiwilligen-Brigade Reinhard (arm badge)

One of the earliest Freikorps units formed on December 24 1918. Fought against the Spartacist Uprising in Berlin in 1919 and against the Poles in Upper Silesia.

The unit's first insignia, worn for a short period from December 1918 to early January 1919 was a simple white armband with the words 'Freiwilligen-Regiment Reinhard' printed in black.

1/ The most common type of the arm shield in gilt-brass with black lacquered center (This version is heavily faked. Fakes are easy to spot, if one knows what to look for).

2/ Less common type in blackened brass (This version is also faked quite a bit, but again is easy to spot).

3/ Scarce variation in silvered zinc.

#2 and #3 are heavily vaulted so that from the front they look oval rather than round like #1.

4/ Stickpin for former members.

Given that Regiment Reinhard continued after the Freikorps period as a unit within the Stahlhelmbund, type #1 of the badge continued to be produced into the 1930s.
Reinhardcompsm.jpg Reinhardblackenedcompsm.jpg Reinhardzinccompsm.jpg FK Reinhard stickpincu.jpg
RegimentReinhard_Stahlhelm_compsm.jpg

[Brian L.]

MGSS-Abteilung (Freikorps) von Petersdorff (1st type arm badge)

Formed in late December 1918, this unit fought against the Spartacist Uprising in January 1919 in Berlin. It participated in the first Silesian Campaign and then joined the Baltic Landwehr as part of the Iron Division in the Baltic Campaign.

[von Mackensen]

this is truly interesting. I am seriously interest about freikorps badge, patch etc. but in Italy there are, nowadays, a lack of materials (books, magazine etc.) concerning this argument. I found useful, except internet, (informations may vary....) these two books:
_ The German Freikorps 1918-23 by Carlos Caballero Jurado
_ GERMAN UNIFORMS, INSIGNIA AND EQUIPMENT by Charles Woolley

Thanks for these posts, keep it up with your preciuos work!

[Brian L.]

Thanks for your comments. There is still a shortage of books on the Freikorps, especially on unit histories, and how they evolved in the 3 versions of the Reichswehr from 1919 to 1921 (Vorläufiges Reichswehr, Übergangs Reichswehr, 100,000 Mann Reichswehr).

My collection is rather humble compared to some. But, as I find time, I will continue to post examples of badges and a few sentences about each unit.

[August]

Please do continue - very interesting !

[Brian L.]

1/ Württembegische Freiwilligen-Abteilung Haas / Freikorps Haas (collar badge)

Formed on 25 February 1919 by Generalleutnant Otto Haas. It saw action in Augsburg, against the Münchener Räterepublik in Munich in April-May and in the Ruhr in April 1920.

Shown are two styles of collar badges. The pair are frosted silver with burnished highlights and splints on the reverse. The single is 'mattweiss' finish with the more common holes for sewing.

2/ Detachement von Oven / Freikorps von Oven / Freiwilligen Regiment von Oven (collar badge)

Was part of Freikorps Hülsen, which was raised on 26 December 1918 and saw action against the Spartacist uprising in Berlin. It again saw action in Berlin in March 1919 and in Leipzig in May.

Shown is a single collar in the same design as Freikorps Haas, except in fire gilt finish.

Several Freikorps used different generic oakleaf collar devices readily available 'off the shelf' at military supply shops. The reason for this was economic and/or immediate need which precluded custom purpose-designed badges.

[von Mackensen]

Another precious and interesting post!
Do you have some infos and pictures of original medals etc about the eiserne division? Hope so i really like the skull's medal of this freikorps but never saw an original one!

[Sergeant 08]

Another precious and interesting post!
Do you have some infos and pictures of original medals etc about the eiserne division? Hope so i really like the skull's medal of this freikorps but never saw an original one!

Look here:

http://184.172.36.50/forums/showthread.php?t=523212

[von Mackensen]

I really would like to have one of them in my collection!
You may found interest something written in this book concerning freikorps' stuff:
_ THE GERMAN REICHSWEHR: UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT OF THE GERMAN ARMY FROM 1919 TO 1932 By Adolf Schlicht

[Brian L.]

This thread is about Freikorps unit insignia, not awards.

Maybe, I'll start an award thread at some point.

[Sergeant 08]

Let me add my favourite insignia to this thread, my MWH badge.

I think Brian can tell us a little bit more background infos about the unit.

[Brian L.]

Thanks for showing the very rare MWH badge again.

Freiwilligen Minenwerfer Sturm Detachement Heuschkel / Sturm-Bataillon Heuschkel was part of Marine Division von Lettow-Vorbeck attached to the Garde-Kavallerie-Schützen-Korps. The unit consisted of only 14 officers and 183 men. It contained 8 light Minenwerfer sections,4 heavy MG sections, 1 light MG section, and a flamethrower unit. They only fought in Berlin against the Spartacists in 1919.

Pictured on the left is MWH in Berlin in 1919 with the sign: "Whoever tries to pass will be shot". Pictured on the right is Feldwebel Josef Riering of MWH.

[Brian L.]

I meant to say that the 14 officers and 183 men was the initial number of troops in MWH. It ran a Sturm Lehrschule (assault training school) from which it recruited additional men. Although exact numbers are not known, it's likely that MWH never exceeded 500 men in total and was probably less when it disbanded.

While there are two badges identified, I believe they are basically from the same die and only differ in finish and where the sewing holes were drilled.