A legal EK award ?

[Chris Boonzaier]

I have the award doc and militaer Pass of a guy from the Freiwilligen Btl 26.
Initially in the Jaeger Z. pferd Regt 3 in Estonia, latvia and ending the war in the Ukraine. Served in the Freiwilligen Btln 26 from Dec 19.12.18 to 22.2.19.
The stamp and entries in the wehrpass look like official military... was it an official unit or a Freikorps of some kind ? If so, a freikorps could not award an EK.
I assumeit was an official unit, but an interesting award anyway.

[Rick Research]

Yup. Contrary to regulations or not, awards of the Iron Cross and Wound badge WERE made for purely Freikorps actions (not "late" delayed WWI) at least through 1919. I have seen documents for a number of these awards which were always considered official thereafter. Wouldn't surprise me if they were still being given out for the 1921 Silesian "episode." (Histaria?...)

Naval personnel wounded in 1919 fighting got the army wound badge--they jump out from the Ranglisten page at you. Thanks to biographical series like "Desutschlands Admirale," it is possible to link EKs and wound badges for young cadets who never saw action during WWI to Freikorps service.

Weird, probably illegal (I've never been able to figure out the LEGAL sanction which allowed the Bavarian Military Max Joseph Order chancery to bestow not only their award, but also TITLE "Ritter von" as late as 1921!), but done--and accepted! Rick

[VerKuilen Ager]

In December 1918, when the Congress of Soldiers' Councils told the Army to strip off their insignia of rank, Hindenburg replied: "What do these people dare to ask? That I should tear off my insignia that I have worn since my youth? That I should surrender my sword that has served my King and my Fatherland through three wars? . . . Tell Herr Ebert that I do not recognize the decisions of the Congress . . . I will fight it to the last ditch . . ." And no doubt he also made it clear that "we don't need no stinkin' authority to issue badges." The volunteer units were seeing some serious action and if they wanted to pass out an Iron Cross to the troops, who was going to say "no." Certainly not some Spartacist holed up behind a barricade in Berlin. So they issued the things, and later, grateful and sympathetic administrations weren't the least inclined to recind such awards (especially if they were trying to get the freebooters to disband and go home).