Sudetendeutschen Freikorps?

[Jason Pipes]

Does anyone have any information on the Sudetendeutschen Freikorps, formed on September 17th, 1938 of 40,000 men in preperation of the German invasion of the Sudentenland?

[sid guttridge]

Hi Jason,

I have some further breakdown of the force:

Group
I Lower Danube - 5,365 men - 6 Bns. (32 coys.)
II Higher Danube - 4,478 men - 5 Bns. (20 coys.)
III Bavaria
IV Saxony
V Lower Silesia
VI Upper Silesia

(B%**&$ - the battery on my lap top has just run down. I'll get back to you with full details when I have recharged it. Sorry.)

One point that is worth making is that the Czechs cleaned up the Freikorps within Bohemia-Moravia's borders very efficiently after its ill executed revolt over 12-15 September, which was why it was reformed in exile. This Czech success, which was achieved quickly, without great loss of life and without resort to full martial law or mobilisation, really infuriated Hitler, whose incendiary speech had provoked the revolt in the first place. It was not a good advertisement for presumed German superiority and Slavic inferiority.

Hitler thereafter increased pressure on the Czechs, obliging them to mobilise their army. Mobilisation included Czechoslovakia's Germans. However, most of them (by no means all) hid or fled over the border, where they were put into the Freikorps. This flight from Czech mobilisation provided the main source of manpower for the exiled Freikorps.

I'll be back later with the rest of the information.

Cheers,

Sid.

[sid guttridge]

To resume......

Before the uprising on 12 September the SdP claimed to have 22,000 men in its Freikorps.

60%-70% of Germans failed to respond to Czechoslovak mobilisation orders on 22 September.

As recontructed in exile the Freikorps had reached the following by the end of September:

Group
Lower Danube - 5,365 men - 6 Bns. (32 coys.)
Higher Danube - 4,748 men - 5 Bns. (20 coys.)
Bavaria - 8,406 men - 5 Bns. (28 coys.)
Saxony - 11,264 men - 14 Bns. (?? coys.)
Lower Silesia - 1,916 men - 3 Bns. (12 coys.)
Upper Silesia - 5,174 men - 8 Bns. (32 coys.)

Total - 36,873 men in 41 battalions.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

According to Czechoslovak sources fatalities over 12-15 September were:

Czechs - 3 civilians + 13 police, gendarmes and soldiers = 16 dead.
Germans = 11 dead.

In addition, 28 Czech officials and gendarmes were kidnapped and taken over the German border. None were ever returned.


Cheers,

Sid.

[Arvo L. V.]

Esteemed Jason;

Re your posting on the Sudetendeutsche Freikorps, here is some additional data for your consideration.

The following publication, Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen (Nr. 52/1993; ISSN 0026-3826; Potsdam, Germany, Heft 1; DD101/M5/V52 (German periodicals section), pages 35-66) contains a very authoritative article written by Werner Röhr entitled "Das Sudetendeutsche Freikorps".

This publication may be of interest to you. The periodical is on the shelf here at Suzallo, UW library. You may wish to see if same is available in your neck of the woods. FYI - volume 37 of the same jourmal contains a well-written article on how the Kriegsmarine obtained its fuel oils for its surface fleets from Estonia.

Thanks and regards;

Arvo L. V.