Freikorps Moelders 1919-1920

[Silverfang]

I Apologise for posting the last posting twice .

Jason please feel free to delete the extra copy

Silverfang

[Opa]

Thanks for all the details. Since the Marschgruppe was formed out of the 9th Inf. Regt, I think that's the key correlation.

This website here
http://www.bridgend-powcamp.fsnet.co.uk ... lsheim.htm
which talks about the general of the artillery Anton Freiherr von Mauchenheim, also known as von Bechtoldsheim, (1896-1961), who was taken prisoner in 1945 in Norway, mentions in his biography that he was the adjutant of the "Marschgruppe Wuerzburg of the Freikorps Epp," of Oberst Franz Ritter von Epp. This probably was a subgroup of the Freikorps Moehl. I'll research as time allows and will post once I find more.

After his service with the Marschgruppe, my Opa was put on leave and then left the service after being promoted to captain in the reserve. He had studied in Wuerzburg in 1913, now resumed his studies in Berlin, became a rather poor rural physician and joined the Wehrmacht in 1935 as army physician--he felt too old to want to be in an infanterie unit again, though the army offered an immediate promotion to major and a very quick promotion to lieutenant-colonel. He did the right decision, though. His medical skills saved not only many lives, but also his own in the Ural camps. Otherwise he would have been one of the many lower-ranking generals to die (for he would probably have been a brigade general by the time of Stalingrad/in Stalingrad).

I'll get to read Mitchell and will contact the Wuerzbuerg archives.

[Arne]

Just some more input from my collection:

On April 20. Noske gave order by telephone to Major von Unruh (Chief of Staff in the operation aganinst the munich sovjet).

except from this call:

"... Volunteers under command of General von Möhl are assambling outside Munich..."


On April 23, a OOB was approved by Reichswehrministerium for the operation against Munich:

CiC: Noske (Reichswehrminister)
Units participating:
a) Prussian Freikorps von Oven
b) Bavarian Schützenkorps in Augsburg
c) Württembergian Frekorps at Ulm
d) Bavarian units forming at the moment
...
under point 4: Subordination
"Bavarian Gen. von Möhl is the military representative of the bavarian government... he will be in command of all bavarian units ready for combat"

A order detailing the OOB for the assault on Munich given the same day clearly shows that von Epp's forces belonged to battlegroup Württemberg and not to the bavarian forces under von Möhl.

By all what I can see in this history of the figthings (Oertzen, Die deutschen Freikorps 1918-1923, München, Bruckmann, 1936) von Möhl's troops did not assemble in time to participate in the operations against the munich sovjet.

On Freikorps uints raised Würzburg:
(from Tessin)

Volunteer units raised by Gen.Ko.II. Bayr. Armeekorps at Wurzburg:

Detachment Probstmayer, raised at Mellrichstadt, then Würzburg.
I. Freiw.Btl. (IR 4 Metz/Abwicklung Würzburg)
II. Freiw.Btl. (IR 8 Metz/Abw. Bad Kissingen)
III. Freiw. Btl. (IR 23 Landau / Abw. Würzburg)
(all = II./Rw. 45)
1. + 2. Freiw. Bttr. Felart. Rgt. 11 (Würzburg)
(= Rw. 23)

Freikorps Würzburg
(Btl. Scheuring) (IR 9 Würzburg)
(= Rw. I./45)
with: Art.Abt. Martin 2 Battrn. (Feldart. Rgt. 2 Würzburg?)
(= Rw. 23)
Volkswehr Bal. Würzburg (zu I/Rw. 45)

Freikorps Bamberg
(Schtz. Rgt. Leupold) (IR 5 Bamberg)
I.-III. Freiw. Btl.
(= I./Rw. 46)

Freikorps Aschaffenburg (Jäg.Btl. 2 Aschaffenburg)
(zu III./Rw. 45

Eiserne Schar Berthold (aka Fränk. Bauerndetachement) (Btl.)
raised at Hammelburg; June as IV. to 1. bayer. Schützen Rgt.; 9.9. 1919 to Kurland, there III./2. Kur.Inf.Rgt.

Freiw.Esk. Schätzler (Ulan. 1. Bamberg)
(= 2. bayer. Esk. Nr. 123)

Freiw.Esk. Leoprechting (ulan. 2 Ansbach)
(= 2./ Rw. 123?)

These units formed Rw Brigade 23 Würzburg on 1.6.1919.

I hope that raw input will be helpfull in piecing this together...