Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder
Encyclopedia
The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder was a Scout
association in Germany
active from 1926 to 1934. The association never had more than 500 members. It was the first Scout association in Germany to admit boys and girls. It was interdenominational and politically neutral
.
s within the International Organisation of Good Templars
(IOGT) in Germany. There was a strong influence from the Neupfadfinder. The Neupfadfinder was a group of German and Austria
n Scouters and Scouts, who tried to modernize Scouting under the influence of the Wandervogel
movement and of the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift
. They founded among other things a publishing house and published the translation of the books of John Hargrave
in their Verlag Der Weiße Ritter. The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder continued the traditions and style of the Neupfadfinder, after the Neupfadfinder and other groups of the German Youth Movement
founded the Deutsche Freischar
.
In 1927 there were three Scout groups which formed the District Sturmtrupp Süd:
In the following years, Scout groups of the association were founded all over the German Reich, and groups of the Wandervogel and other Scout associations joined.
In 1929, Erich Mönch (Scout name: Schnauz) and Helmuth Hövetborn (Scout name: Doktor) founded the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder-die Reichspfadfinderschaft im Deutschen Guttemplerorden (IOGT). After the Bundesthing (general assembly) in Roßlau
the name was changed in "Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder, eine deutsche Waldritterschaft".
Helmut Hövetborn and Erich Mönch became Chief Scouts.
At the National Jamboree in 1931 at the Hoher Meißner
, the Districts "Sturmtrupp Nord" and "Sturmtrupp Mitte" became part of the Scout association.
In 1932 it became an independent organization.
Scout groups within the IOGT were founded in the Netherlands, Sweden
, Norway
, Switzerland
and Great Britain
. The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder had strong contacts with groups in Scandinavia
and the Netherlands. Still active is the Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund
, it is the Scout association of the IOGT in Sweden. There were plans to found a federation with the groups in Scandinavia, The Netherlands and Germany and name it Northern European Scout Association .
was not able to take them. The Scout center Jungenland was sold in 1934.
Scouting continued in different ways:
Helga Barth, the Cubmaster of the pack Zeisige in Karlsruhe
, was arrested and died in Ravensbrück concentration camp
.
. In 1947, there were groups in Mannheim, Heidelberg
and Karlsruhe. The Landesmark Nordbaden and later the Tübinger Bund were founded and allowed by the French Military government. On 14 March 1948, the Chief Scout Helmut Hövetborn died. He was succeeded by Richard König (Scout name: Alter), a member of the Scout group Rüppurr.
The Tübinger Bund had contacts with Scout groups in Bavaria
, Hesse
and Alexander Lion
, one of the founders of German Scouting.
In 1948, the Tübinger Bund joined the Bund Deutscher Pfadfinder, the interreligious member organization of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
. Erich Mönch, one of the founders of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder was a founder member of this association.
In 1956, the Gau Grauer Reiter, named after the Scout group Graue Reiter in Soldin
of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder, left the Bund Deutscher Pfadfinder.
Today, there is still a group of former Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder within the association "Fördergemeinschaft Grauer Reiter e. V." The Fördergemeinschaft Grauer Reiter e. V. is a group of adults, grown up in different youth and Scout association, which support the work of the Scout association Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter and especially its national centre, the Castle Hohenkrähen near Lake Constance
(Bodensee). The Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter is a small independent Scout association in Germany with about 350 members. It was founded by Erich Mönch. It preserves the history and traditions of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder.
. A big part of the programme was arts and crafts
and adventurous travels, especially to Sweden and Norway. Each member of the association should make one piece of art or handicraft each year. All the pieces were shown at the National Jamborees.
Decision making was organised as a grassroots democracy
. Decisions on national level were made by a meeting of all leaders of the local Scout groups called Bundesthing. On a group level, decision were made in a similar way.
The magazine of the association was Jugendland. Between 1929 and 1933, 24 issues were published, and between 1946 and 1948, 3 more.
The national camp site of this Scout association was called Jungenland and it was situated near Döffingen. Döffingen is today a quarter of Grafenau
. It was bought in 1927.
Troops of the association travelled to foreign countries and took part in international camps with scouts from groups associated with the International Organisation of Good Templars from the United States
, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Scandinavia.
and there never was more than 500 members.
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
association in Germany
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...
active from 1926 to 1934. The association never had more than 500 members. It was the first Scout association in Germany to admit boys and girls. It was interdenominational and politically neutral
Neutrality (philosophy)
Neutrality is the absence of declared bias. In an argument, a neutral person will not choose a side.A Neutral country maintains political neutrality, a related but distinct concept.-What neutrality is not:...
.
1923-1933
Since 1923, there had been Scout groupScout Group
The Scout Group is the local organisation for Scouting in most countries where it is active. It combines together the different sections into a single body. Scout Groups can consist of any number of sections in the different Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding...
s within the International Organisation of Good Templars
International Organisation of Good Templars
The IOGT International is an international non-governmental organisation working in the field of temperance...
(IOGT) in Germany. There was a strong influence from the Neupfadfinder. The Neupfadfinder was a group of German and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Scouters and Scouts, who tried to modernize Scouting under the influence of the Wandervogel
Wandervogel
Wandervogel is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 onward. The name can be translated as rambling, hiking or wandering bird and the ethos is to shake off the restrictions of society and get back to nature and freedom...
movement and of the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift
Kibbo Kift
The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift was a youth organisation in England from 1920 to 1951.-Origins:The organisation was founded by the charismatic Englishman John Hargrave , artist, author and Boy Scout Commissioner for Woodcraft and Camping, who had become disenchanted with the increasingly militaristic...
. They founded among other things a publishing house and published the translation of the books of John Hargrave
John Hargrave
John Gordon Hargrave , nicknamed 'White Fox', was one of the leading figures in the Social Credit movement in British politics.-Early life:...
in their Verlag Der Weiße Ritter. The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder continued the traditions and style of the Neupfadfinder, after the Neupfadfinder and other groups of the German Youth Movement
German Youth Movement
The German Youth Movement is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included German Scouting and the Wandervogel...
founded the Deutsche Freischar
Deutsche Freischar
The Deutsche Freischar – Bund der Wandervögel und Pfadfinder is a German youth organization. Originating from the merger of several small Wandervogel and Scouting groups, it was one of the largest and most important associations of the Bündische Jugend of the Weimar Republic besides the Deutscher...
.
In 1927 there were three Scout groups which formed the District Sturmtrupp Süd:
- JukkasjärviJukkasjärviJukkasjärvi is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 519 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated at 321 meters elevation....
in StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... - Rüppurr, named after a quarter of KarlsruheKarlsruheThe City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, in Karlsruhe - Wölfe in MannheimMannheimMannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
In the following years, Scout groups of the association were founded all over the German Reich, and groups of the Wandervogel and other Scout associations joined.
In 1929, Erich Mönch (Scout name: Schnauz) and Helmuth Hövetborn (Scout name: Doktor) founded the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder-die Reichspfadfinderschaft im Deutschen Guttemplerorden (IOGT). After the Bundesthing (general assembly) in Roßlau
Roßlau
Roßlau is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, part of the town Dessau-Roßlau. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, here crossed by two railway bridges, 3 m. by rail N. of Dessau and 35 m. S.E. of Magdeburg. Pop. 13,939...
the name was changed in "Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder, eine deutsche Waldritterschaft".
Helmut Hövetborn and Erich Mönch became Chief Scouts.
At the National Jamboree in 1931 at the Hoher Meißner
Hoher Meißner
Hoher Meissner is a mountain massif with a height of 753.6 m and is located in the Meissner Kaufunger nature park in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:...
, the Districts "Sturmtrupp Nord" and "Sturmtrupp Mitte" became part of the Scout association.
In 1932 it became an independent organization.
Scout groups within the IOGT were founded in the Netherlands, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder had strong contacts with groups in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and the Netherlands. Still active is the Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund
Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund
Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund is a Scouting organization in Sweden with 6,000 members. The organisation is member of the European umbrella organisation ACTIVE.-External links:*...
, it is the Scout association of the IOGT in Sweden. There were plans to found a federation with the groups in Scandinavia, The Netherlands and Germany and name it Northern European Scout Association .
1933-1945
In 1934, the last meeting of the association took place. Shortly after, the voluntary liquidation followed, the equipment and the Scout houses were destroyed, so that the Hitler YouthHitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
was not able to take them. The Scout center Jungenland was sold in 1934.
Scouting continued in different ways:
- The Scout group Rüppurr and the Cub Scout pack Zeisige in Karlsruhe joined the Reichsschaft Deutscher Pfadfinder (another Scout association), that was banned shortly afterwards.
- The Scout group Grauer Reiter in Soldin continued its work until it had to had to join the army. All its members died on the Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War II)The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. This group consisted of sons of farmers and were horse riders. - The Scout group Braune Bären in Berlin was able to continue as a special unit called Technische Bereitschaft within the Hitler Youth until 1939, when the unit was disbanded. New members gave the Scout PromiseScout PromiseSince the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to...
.
Helga Barth, the Cubmaster of the pack Zeisige in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, was arrested and died in Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück was a notorious women's concentration camp during World War II, located in northern Germany, 90 km north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück ....
.
1945-1948
In 1945, there were plans of a re-foundation by the Chief Scout Helmut Hövetborn and other old scouts of the association. In 1946, former members of the Scout group Rüppurr met in EttlingenEttlingen
Ettlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about south of the city of Karlsruhe. Ettlingen is the second largest town in the district of Karlsruhe, after Bruchsal.-Geography:...
. In 1947, there were groups in Mannheim, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
and Karlsruhe. The Landesmark Nordbaden and later the Tübinger Bund were founded and allowed by the French Military government. On 14 March 1948, the Chief Scout Helmut Hövetborn died. He was succeeded by Richard König (Scout name: Alter), a member of the Scout group Rüppurr.
The Tübinger Bund had contacts with Scout groups in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and Alexander Lion
Alexander Lion
Alexander Franz Anton Lion was the co-founder of the German Scout Movement.-Early life:Lion was born in Berlin, the second son of six children in a Jewish banker's family. His parents were the merchant and banker Max Lion and Cäcilia Loeser. Between 1876 and 1880 he was privately tutored at home,...
, one of the founders of German Scouting.
In 1948, the Tübinger Bund joined the Bund Deutscher Pfadfinder, the interreligious member organization of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
The Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände is the German national Scouting organization within the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
. Erich Mönch, one of the founders of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder was a founder member of this association.
In 1956, the Gau Grauer Reiter, named after the Scout group Graue Reiter in Soldin
Myslibórz
Myślibórz is a city in north-west Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of the Powiat of Myślibórz...
of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder, left the Bund Deutscher Pfadfinder.
Today, there is still a group of former Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder within the association "Fördergemeinschaft Grauer Reiter e. V." The Fördergemeinschaft Grauer Reiter e. V. is a group of adults, grown up in different youth and Scout association, which support the work of the Scout association Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter and especially its national centre, the Castle Hohenkrähen near Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
(Bodensee). The Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter is a small independent Scout association in Germany with about 350 members. It was founded by Erich Mönch. It preserves the history and traditions of the Sturmtrupp-Pfadfinder.
Program
The work of the Scout association was based on the teachings of Ernest Thompson SetonErnest Thompson Seton
Ernest Thompson Seton was a Scots-Canadian who became a noted author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, and one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America . Seton also influenced Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting...
. A big part of the programme was arts and crafts
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
and adventurous travels, especially to Sweden and Norway. Each member of the association should make one piece of art or handicraft each year. All the pieces were shown at the National Jamborees.
Decision making was organised as a grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy
Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes where as much decision-making authority as practical is shifted to the organization's lowest geographic level of organization: principle of subsidiarity....
. Decisions on national level were made by a meeting of all leaders of the local Scout groups called Bundesthing. On a group level, decision were made in a similar way.
The magazine of the association was Jugendland. Between 1929 and 1933, 24 issues were published, and between 1946 and 1948, 3 more.
The national camp site of this Scout association was called Jungenland and it was situated near Döffingen. Döffingen is today a quarter of Grafenau
Grafenau, Württemberg
Grafenau is a town in the district of Böblingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
. It was bought in 1927.
Troops of the association travelled to foreign countries and took part in international camps with scouts from groups associated with the International Organisation of Good Templars from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Membership
Most groups of the association were based in Southern GermanySouthern Germany
The term Southern Germany is used to describe a region in the south of Germany. There is no specific boundary to the region, but it usually includes all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, and the southern part of Hesse...
and there never was more than 500 members.
Known groups
- Founder members of the Sturmtrupp Süd:
- Scout group Wölfe (Wolves) – Mannheim
- Scout group Jukkasjärvi - Stuttgart
- Scout group Rüppurr – Karlsruhe
- Further members of the Sturmtrupp Süd:
- Girl GuidesGirl GuidesA Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
group Wildkatzen (Wildcats)-Stuttgart - Cub ScoutCub ScoutA Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
pack Zeisige-Karlsruhe - Scout group Füchse (Foxes)-TübingenTübingenTübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
- Girl Guides group Burg (Castle)-Tübingen
- Scout group Adler (Eagle)- Rottenburg am NeckarRottenburg am NeckarRottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart and about 12 km southwest of the district town Tübingen...
- Girl Guides
- Members of the "Sturmtrupp Nord":
- Scout group Grad dör- BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
- Scout group WidukindWidukindWidukind was a pagan Saxon leader and the chief opponent of Charlemagne during the Saxon Wars. Widukind was the leader of the Saxons against the Frankish king Charlemagne...
-OldenburgOldenburgOldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig... - Scout group Wiking (Viking)-DüsseldorfDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
- Scout group Grad dör- Bremen
- Members of the "Sturmtrupp Mitte":
- Scout group Braune Bären (Brown bears) -BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Scout group Grauer Reiter (Grey riders) -Soldin
- Scout group Goten (Goths)-DessauDessauDessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
- Scout group Braune Bären (Brown bears) -Berlin
Literature
- Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter: Der Graue Reiter 106/107-Vierzig Jahre Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter-Bundesschrift der Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter, March 1997 (German)
- Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter: Der Graue Reiter 109-Bundesschrift der Pfadfinderschaft Grauer Reiter, March 2000 (German)