Zeitfreiwilligen Regiment Leipzig

[Chris Boonzaier]

I understand these were not Freikorps, but had official Volunteer status of some sort?

An expensive card, but my wifes Great Grandfather was in the Regiment, So I thought I should get one...

[The Prussian]

Hi Chris!

A nice card!

Saxon set up two brigades (Bautzen and Dresden) in february 1919. In may they added the Zeitfreiwilligen-Regimenter Dresden (3 bataillons) and Leipzig (4 bataillons).

1st june 1919 the brigades became Reichswehr-Brigaden 12 and 19.

The leaders of the Leipzig-Regiment were: Oberst a.D. Schieblich ; Major a.D. Bramsch ; Oberst Bierey

[bolewts58]

Stickpin for former members, based on the collar badge of the regiment.

[bolewts58]

I finally got a pair of the collar badges for Zeitfreiwillen-Regiment Leipzig. They're not scarce, but hard to find in a matching pair.

[GreyC]

Nice pair. Congrats!

GreyC

[Bayern]

Hello, the German writer Ludwig Renn , into his novel : Post War , autobiographical ,describes well the situation in Saxony after  the WW1 and the profusion of armed forces ,either Zeitfreiwillige, Freikorps, Police or simply not disbanded Old Army units

[bolewts58]

5 hours ago, Bayern said:

Hello, the German writer Ludwig Renn , into his novel : Post War , autobiographical ,describes well the situation in Saxony after  the WW1 and the profusion of armed forces ,either Zeitfreiwillige, Freikorps, Police or simply not disbanded Old Army units

On April 10, 1919 the Senate of Leipzig University in reaction to the occupation of the University of Munich by the Soviet revolutionary council on April 7 decided at a meeting of the general student assembly to end the semester on April 12 and close the university, so that the students could provide a volunteer unit to the existing Reichswehr formations in case of need.

On May 11, 1919, Leipzig was occupied by order of the Reich government and with the consent of the Saxon state government by the Freikorps of General Maercker, after the assassination on April 12 of the Saxon War Minister Gustav Neuring by disgruntled war veterans of the soldier's council and the subsequent general strike of the USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany) and the communist Spartakusbund that began laying siege to the city on April 14.
A combination of Maercker's Freikorps, Reichswehr and some students formed into a loose volunteer unit disarmed the security service of the Workers' and Soldiers Council temporarily arrested its leaders.

The university was occupied with troops, weapons, and ammunition and an ad hoc volunteer regiment started to form consisting of students, civil servants and city employees.

On May 23 general Maercker officially formed the Zeitfreiwilligenregiment Leipzig which had a strength of 2,000 under the command of Oberst a.D. Schieblich, Major a.D. Bramsch, and Oberst Bierey. About a third were students. Most citizens supported the regiment because they feared a left-wing coup. The University Senate and the War Ministry endeavored to facilitate the deployment of students by providing university space and the university continued to facilitate study such as interim semesters and simplified emergency examinations. The temporary volunteers were promised financial support from the state.

Throughout the rest of 1919, there were frequent strikes and riots due to high unemployment. By January 1920, the regiment had grown to a strength of 3,377. When there was another general strike in Leipzig against the Works Council Act, the Zeitfreiwilligenregiment Leipzig was the main unit to intervene and break up the demonstrations.

When Kapp/Lüttwitz staged a Putsch against the Berlin government in March 1920, a general strike was also proclaimed in Leipzig. Saxon Commanding general, Generalmajor Max Senft von Pilsach ordered Zeitfreiwilligenregiment Leipzig to join Reichswehr Regiment 37 to put down the strike. There was heavy fighting in the city center that resulted in many casualties and the destruction of the "Volkshaus". The Zeitfreiwilligenregiment Leipzig was accused of excessive violence by the demonstrators, despite asserting they were operating directly under orders from the government to maintain peace and order.

The regiment was subsequently dissolved in late Spring 1920.

Edited December 30, 2018 by bolewts58

[GreyC]

Interesting information.

Thanx!

GreyC

[Bayern]

Thanks , In the book is a dramatic description of how the war minister was murdered. also of the arrive of General Maercker and of the repercutions in Saxony of the Kapp Luttwitz Putsch.Renn whose real name was Arnold Vieth von Golssenau , was officer into a Saxon Infantry Regiment and participated in the WW1 since 1914 to 1918.after the war he stayed into the Army and then entered in the Security Police , in 1930 he become communist.

[Chris Boonzaier]

" decided at a meeting of the general student assembly to end the semester on April 12 and close the university, so that the students could provide a volunteer unit to the existing Reichswehr formations in case of need. " ... super, that confirms the tiny bit of Info I know, the wifes GGF was a WW1 Infantry officer, but was a Medical student at the univercity. The Grandmother used to say he went to classes in the morning, and guard duty in the afternoon.

[Bayern]

Hello, The So called German Revolution after WW1 is interesting and not much alike to the Russian 

[bolewts58]

1 hour ago, Bayern said:

Hello, The So called German Revolution after WW1 is interesting and not much alike to the Russian 

Agree. In many ways, it was more complex and layered with more than two sides and many competing ideologies and grievances. The Freikorps continued to exist in different forms, well past its use date because veterans and those that were too young to serve in WWI wanted to continue the camaraderie and esprit du corps of the trenches. That the Wehrwolf, Stahlhelmbund and SA grew so quickly was mostly to do with this desire for belonging rather than any hardcore political beliefs. This is why I take exception to the two English works on the subject, Robert G.L. Waite's Vanguard of Nazism and Nigel H. Jones' Hitler's Heralds because they put too much faulty emphasis on the direct line between the Freikorps and the Nazis. At best, I'd say that most members of the Freikorps drifted into the SA as a way to continue the Sturmsoldaten ethos rather than any zeal for the Nazi party's aims.

[Bayern]

Hello bolewts 58, I agree . The Freikorper has not much in common with the SA recruited initially among peacekeepers of Beer Halls or Taverns. dont forget that the Stahlhelm of  true war veterans was about 500000 members , and preceded the SA . The Socialist counterpart ,the Reichsbanner Shwarz Gold Rot ,created after the November Putsch was about 250000 members.