Freikorps Lichtschlag
Encyclopedia
The Freikorps Lichtschlag was a paramilitary unit in Germany
that was established on 14 December 1918 just after the end of World War I.
After the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the corps command of the VII. Armeekorps based in Münster
under General Oskar von Watter
began to establish Freikorps
units out of troops returning from the Western Front. Thus the Freikorps Lichtschlag was created in the area around Hagen
. It was under the command of Captain Otto Lichtschlag (1885–1961) and had a strength of about 2500 men.
In early 1919 the unit was deployed against the socialisation movement in the Ruhr area, on the orders of Oskar von Watter. On 15 February the force acted against striking workers in the town of Dorsten
with great brutality. Subsequently the supporters of the Communist Party
(KPD) and the Independent Social Democratic Party
(USPD) declared a general strike in the Ruhr area. This was violently suppressed, however. Subsequently, the situation remained tense and was further heated up through excesses of the Freikorps. On 15 April 1919, soldiers of the Freikorps Lichtschlag shot into a gathering of striking workers in the district of Mettmann
, resulting in some deaths and injuries.
During the Kapp Putsch
, the unit did not support the legitimate government, but was a supporter of the putschists. The unit was deployed, not against the putschists, but against the workers who refused to call off their general strike after the end of the Putsch.
During the Ruhr Uprising in March 1920 the unit marched into Wetter
, in order to enter the Ruhr area from the east. On 16 March the advance of the unit was stopped near Dortmund-Aplerbeck by 10,000 men of the Ruhr Red Army
. One day later the Freikorps was defeated.
Due to its brutal methods, in the Ruhr area the Freikorps had the nickname "Freikorps Totschlag" (English: "Homicide Freikorps").
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
that was established on 14 December 1918 just after the end of World War I.
After the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the corps command of the VII. Armeekorps based in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
under General Oskar von Watter
Oskar von Watter
Oskar Freiherr von Watter was a German Lieutenant General, and came from an old Pomeranian noble family....
began to establish Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
units out of troops returning from the Western Front. Thus the Freikorps Lichtschlag was created in the area around Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
. It was under the command of Captain Otto Lichtschlag (1885–1961) and had a strength of about 2500 men.
In early 1919 the unit was deployed against the socialisation movement in the Ruhr area, on the orders of Oskar von Watter. On 15 February the force acted against striking workers in the town of Dorsten
Dorsten
Dorsten is a town in the district of Recklinghausen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and has a population of just below 80,000.Dorsten is situated on the western rim of Westphalia bordering the Rhineland. Its historical old town lies on the south bank of the river Lippe and the Wesel–Datteln...
with great brutality. Subsequently the supporters of the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) and the Independent Social Democratic Party
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
(USPD) declared a general strike in the Ruhr area. This was violently suppressed, however. Subsequently, the situation remained tense and was further heated up through excesses of the Freikorps. On 15 April 1919, soldiers of the Freikorps Lichtschlag shot into a gathering of striking workers in the district of Mettmann
Mettmann (district)
Mettmann is a Kreis in the middle of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring are the Ennepe-Ruhr and thedistrict-free cities Wuppertal, Solingen, Düsseldorf,Duisburg, Mülheim, Essen...
, resulting in some deaths and injuries.
During the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
, the unit did not support the legitimate government, but was a supporter of the putschists. The unit was deployed, not against the putschists, but against the workers who refused to call off their general strike after the end of the Putsch.
During the Ruhr Uprising in March 1920 the unit marched into Wetter
Wetter (Ruhr)
Wetter is a town in western Germany and belongs to the area of Ruhr area and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wetter belongs to the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis. The river Ruhr flows through the urban area and separates the district of Altwetter from the districts of Esborn,...
, in order to enter the Ruhr area from the east. On 16 March the advance of the unit was stopped near Dortmund-Aplerbeck by 10,000 men of the Ruhr Red Army
Ruhr Red Army
Red Ruhr Army was an army of between 50,000 and 80,000 left wing workers from the Communist Party of Germany, the Communist Workers' Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany, and the Free Workers Union of Germany, formed on March 13, 1920 as a reaction to the Kapp Putsch...
. One day later the Freikorps was defeated.
Due to its brutal methods, in the Ruhr area the Freikorps had the nickname "Freikorps Totschlag" (English: "Homicide Freikorps").