Germany and Militias

Americans tend to get into this affiliation with militias.  So this is one of those historical essays I write, except it's about Germans (Prussians) and roughly a 180-year period where it was acceptable to have militias around Prussia/Germany. 

German militias were originally referred to as 'Freikorps' (meaning Free Corps).   The first historical identification goes back to 1759 and Frederick the Great.  This group of 80 men were all volunteers and they were based around the Dresden region (the far east side of what was Prussia).  Oddly enough, these were all Hungarian men.  By the end of 1759, four additional groups of volunteers were created....mostly of Prussian men.  These four were based around other cities (Berlin, Leipzig, for example).  The key thing was that they were all volunteers, and not part of any military unit.

by the late 1770s, other units had been created around Germany/Prussia and these were made up of a number of ethnic groups (Prussian, Hungarians, Turks, Cossacks, Poles, Lithuanians and Slavic men).  In the Seven Years War, all of these militias played key roles.

There's a key thing about the militias that were created.....they weren't regular Army, and tended to be undisciplined.  Training skills?  No one ever gives them plus-points on combat-type skills.  It's hard to find occasions that militia members were ever paid anything much.  Most did it out of patriotic motivation (a little adventure).

Throughout the 1800s, in every single 'skirmish' or war that the Prussians had with France....the Freikorp guys showed up.  Some got recognition in battles.  Some commanders got noted recognition and public 'status'.

So you come to 1918....the end of WW I.  Oddly enough, a large number of regular soldiers found themselves returning to communities in defeat, and by joining a local Freikorps unit....they felt they were part of a bigger team.  In some ways, the local militias now became political devices.

The potential coups threats of the 1920s?  All leading back to some type of militia unit.

By the fall of 1933, Hitler and the Nazi machine came to a realization....that the various Freikorp units were a threat.  Over the period of three days in June and July 1934....most of the commanders of Freikorp militias (along with the Brown Shirt thugs) were detained, and in some cases executed.  That basically triggered the end of the militias in Germany.

Existence today?  No.  Nor do I think that the Berlin crowd would appreciate such units popping up and suggesting that the police were no longer capable of providing protection.