Bds Bill

That Ausweis is an exceptional Freikorps find. They are commonly known as "Noske" Ausweise, as they were issued to volunteer units (FK) in the early days of the Revolution by the new Weimar Defense Ministry, of which Noske was head. While Noske did what he could to stem the rising tide of violence from the left, he was dubbed the "bloodhound" by many of his Social Democratic colleagues because of his use of right-wing and often brutal Freikorps units to defeat the Revolution. I had one of those Ausweise in my collection at some point and paid dearly for it. It looks to me that at the time the Ausweis was issued Rackelmann was a member of Garde Inf. Reg. 64. Bob, have you checked von Salomon's book "das Buch von deutschen Freikorps" for info on the Potsdam Regiment? I looked in my copy and there is a section there that deals with the participation of the Potsdam Freikorps (Major Stephani) in fighting in Berlin in January of 1919. I believe there is also info there on the formation of that freikorps. Bill

Hello, I bought both the medal and the miniature many years ago from sources in the USA. I don't know how many were issued, and the reference book does not have that information. You are correct, they are quite rare. Unfortunately, I am having to sell my Freikorps collection and the set is posted for sale on the Military Collector's forum and Wehrmacht Awards. I am still a probationary member here and cannot use the "For Sale" forum yet. Thanks for the note! Beste Gr??e, Bds Bill Bill Bradley

pin assembly. Final pic.

Pin back with maker's mark.

close-up of part of the face.

Hi Eric, Thanks for the very positive comments! Here are some pics of the "big brother"!

Hi Rick, Glad you like it. I have the medal as well . .they make a nice and extremely rare set!!!! I'll post a few pics of the medal later. Best, Bill

Here is a pic of the knurled pin.

Here is a rare one - the 2nd class Annaberg Cross stickpin for civilian wear. The medal was created in 1930 and issued to individuals who participated in the battle of the Annaberg in May of 1921 (Thanks to Verkuilen Ager's reference on Freikorps medals for the creation date). Thought you guys would like to see it! Best Bds Bill

Hi Eric, Thanks for the note. I purchased it like that in the early '90's. Based on overall appearance and characteristics, I think it was probably period done, although I no longer have a scan of the reverse. Would you guys like me to post scans of my Annaberg miniature Cross (2nd class) stick pin miniature on this thread?? Best, Bds Bill

Again, from my collection. This was sold as a put-together stickpin rather than an original combination, although I believe the miniature awards to be originals. Note the Silesian Eagle and the Baltic Cross; thus, my interest in it. These FK miniatures are not commonly seen. I still have my miniature Annaberg Cross stickpin and that one is an original all the way! Best, Bds Bill Bill Bradley

Hello all, These items came from my personal collection and were recently sold. The DSTB ID fetched USD $35.00, the photo postcard USD $25.00. The DSTB was, as Rick has indicated, one right-wing association among many during the early years of Weimar, with some ties to the early Nazi Party in Bavaria. The postcard is an early photo of what I believe to be a member of a Freikorps or Einwohnerwehr - note the armband. Unfortunately, the angle of the photo does not allow for a positive identification from the armband of the unit to which he belonged. I would date this photo postcard somewhere between about 1918 and 1921. Best, Bds Bill Bill Bradley

Reverse.

Hi All, I'd like to stimulate a little discussion on this little known and quite rare sleeve badge worn by members of Batallion 3 of the Grenzschutz Bromberg in 1919 while defending against Polish incursions. A few years ago I acquired one of these and have been trying to find other examples for comparison without success. There is one example for sale on Helmut Weitze's website, but it does not have the patina that mine has. I will say that the detailling on both mine and Helmut's is excellent. I've put front and reverse pics for review. All opinions and comments are welcome and will be respected. Thanks in advance! Bill Bradley Bds Bill Barbados, WI

Hi guys, Found another photo of a skull-emblazened helmet in my collection that I thought I would share. As noted above, I can't do any closeups of these until they are unpacked, which is going to be at least several months. This example does not have the large number painted on the rear that Robin's example displays.

Hello Christophe, Many thanks for the welcome and the nice comments. We moved to Barbados last spring and our house here is not finished . . . thus, my FK helmets are still packed away in a box somewhere. The photos I have were taken before we moved. Here's a closer look at the insignia . . its the best I can do at this time as I didn't take a closer shot before I packed them up. Thanks again for the comments and post! Best, Bill

Robin, I was fortunate enough to acquire a helmet some years ago with hand-painted insignia of the MWH and thought I would supplement your sleeve badge by posting it here. Bds Bill Barbados, WI