Bremen 1919 Iron Roland

[Guest Rick Research]

Only the Silesian Eagles of 1919 type, the 1919 Baltic Cross, and Bremen's 1919 Iron Roland badge were approved as "official" state decorations by both the Third Reich and the Bundesrepublik among the literally hundreds of Freikorps badges covering the period 1918 to 1923.

It doesn't scan well because it is a smoked, oxydized almost black finished iron (as shows by the rust on back). Can't get a clearer shot of the maker because the pin doesn't bend that far: it is Sustav Adolf Mueller Bremen" (ue not ?)

Approximately 1,400-1,800 of these were awarded for expelling the Reds from the Hanseatic city in a day of fighting on 4 February 1919.

[Guest Rick Research]

Here is the large, heavy card-paper award document bearing the nominal date of 5 February 1919:

and who was Leutnant H?gel?

[Guest Rick Research]

Well, THIS is a good place to start! lucky for us his rather nice Black Wound Badge award document tells us that Leutnant der Reserve Curt H?gel was born 31 October 1885 in Braunschweig.

Brunswick!? That's right. I obtained partial groups to the TWO H?gel brothers-- younger brother Otto's POW camp photos in Britain may be seen in that Prisoner Of War Experience thread.

Curt was a One Year Volunteer in Brunswick Infantry Regiment 92 1906-07: I have his marksmanship record book as a 2nd Class shot with the Mauser 1898 rifle. He was probably commissioned Lt dR soon after the war started, 1914-15, though I have no idea in what wartime units Curt served, nor what other decorations he received.

[Guest Rick Research]

From his brother's Milit?rpass, I know that they were Protestant. From newspaper clippings I know that BOTH Boys From Brunswick were in L?BECK for the same reason--

our hard, Freikorps street-brawler of political myth was...

a school teacher.

And despite his 24 hours of Freikorps service, he STAYED a school teacher:

WWI Frontfighters? Honor Cross aka ?Hindenburg Cross? award document: to ?Leader of the Technical School of the Provincial Police in Bremen? (Leiter der Fachschule der Landespolizei) Curt H?gel, issued in Bremen 10 October 1934 # 14,649, signed by a deputy to the Justice and Interior Senator.

This indicates that H?gel was a senior civil service employee of the police, probably equivalent of an Amtmann (or civil service ?Major?). The ?Landespolizei? of 1933-35 were a barely disguised expansion of the army, and were absorbed by the Wehrmacht in 1935, leaving only the prior Gendarmerie (rural) and Schutzpolizei (urban) police forces.

So, what happened to our tough Freikorps street fighter? For seven years, I had no clue. Did he go into the SS like a good "vanguard" was supposed to? Did he stay in the Police as a Beamter?

[Guest Rick Research]

Thanks SOLELY to our own GlennJ, the Indiana Jones of Research no catacomb, no spider-filled subterranean archive's forgotten treasures remain undiscovered.

Today, there H?gel was in the Secret May 1939 Army Officials Seniority List:

Beamter #70, page 454, Pay Group A3

Fachstudienrat (= "Major") with seniority of 1 December 1936, assigned to Verden (Aller)

Not exactly the Super-Proto-Nazi of Freikorps myth... just a uniformed TRADE SCHOOL teacher instructing 12 year enlistees on their choice of post-enlistment occupations.

And, oh-- BTW? I don't think I've seen 5 Mueller badge and award document sets in 40 years. So I'll take "Auf Wiedersehen Herr Chips" anyway!

[Glenn J]

Hi Rick,

indices are wonderful things

Vizefeldwebel der Reserve H?gel of Landwehrbezirk I Bremen was commissioned as a Leutnant der Reserve in Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 75 with a Patent dated 15.2.15.

Regards

Glenn

[Guest Rick Research]

MUCH that was known is now no longer hidden!!! Thanks Glenn!!

All it takes is

access to the period sources,

endless hours hunched over hideous medieval Gothic typeface

and more endless hours transcribing and retyping same

forever and ever, to look sooooo easy when it's allllllll donnnnnnnnnnne!

[Glenn J]

Just in case you think I made this up

Here is the hideous medieval Gothic typeface in all its glory. Herr H?gel was only about the 28,000th individual indexed so far in my 1915 MWB.

Regards

Glenn

[Guest Rick Research]

And that, of course, is about 4 imes bigger than life size and a partial page out of zillions.

Do you people have any IDEA what we sacrifice for this? Why, I am only 28!!!

[attachmentid=41492]

It LOOKS easy when it's done well, but ohhhhh, the DOING of it!!!

[Chris Boonzaier]

Why would this one day of fighting merit a badge that could be officially worn?

Surely the Bavarian /M?nchen Freikorps had as much claim to "real" fighting?

[Guest Rick Research]

Can't explain it. Unlike the Silesian Eagle--which was the award of an Army Corps command-- or the Baltic Cross--which was actually a FOREIGN decoration-- L?beck's "Iron Roland" apparently only had that it was bestowed by what amounted to a federal state government going for it.

Even some versions of the Silesian Eagle-- earned for months of fighting--were later banned.

All rather arbitrary.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Who was Roland? The Knight pictured on the award?

[Gilles]

Who was Roland? The Knight pictured on the award?

Yes Chris, many a German town had it's Roland, from Charles the Great's paladin. You still can see some statues (made of stone) when travelling around. It gave the idea to create the "iron Rolands" during WWI, who were made of wood. Anyone willing to spend would put a nail in it. They did it with several motives like Hindenburg or helmets...( )