Württemberg security troops
The Württemberg security troops only existed for six months in the years 1918 and 1919 in the free people of Württemberg .
prehistory
After the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, the Württemberg troops , the XIII. (Royal Wuerttemberg) Army Corps , rearranged to their locations. The deputy commanding general of the XIII. General commands in Stuttgart, General of the Infantry z. D. Paul von Schaefer , had immediately resigned from office. The chief of staff, Lieutenant General Theodor von Stroebel remained in office and continued to run the business. But he limited himself to organizing the demobilization in particular . The demobilization plan provided that the commander of the active XIII, returning from the field at the beginning of December. Army Corps, General of the Infantry Freiherr von Watter , who should take over official business again. However, the Provisional Government formed in Stuttgart on November 10th under the Social Democrat Wilhelm Blos decided not to fill this post any more. Von Watter then submitted his departure.
On November 16, King Wilhelm II released the officers of the Württemberg army from their duty of loyalty.
The security forces
The demobilization of the army in the peace locations took place mostly in an orderly manner, but some also dissolved informally. The confusing situation in the country prompted the Württemberg State Ministry in mid-December to use the remnants of the old army to set up 15 security companies based on the existing army bases.
The order for this was given on December 20, 1918 by General Command XIII . The signatures under this command are symptomatic of the political conditions at the time: IA d. S.-R. Württbg. signed Hahn Leutnant - signed Hof authorized member of the State Committee of the Soldiers' Council at the General Kdo. XIII. (Württ.) Army Corps - IA: signed v. Stroebel (Chief of Staff of the General Command). A further twelve infantry companies, three cavalry squadrons, four machine-gun companies, six artillery batteries and other special units were later set up. In January 1919, Lieutenant Paul Hahn took over the central management of all security forces. At last they were divided into three security (infantry) regiments (without staff), two security (artillery) departments and units directly assigned to the headquarters.
The tasks of the security troops were set out in section 10 of the deployment order: The service of the local security company extends to the security of military and private property (guard position, round robin service, street patrols, car surveillance). Securing regular economic life (station surveillance, railway surveillance, prevention of large-scale food smuggling). Maintaining order and calm against disruption by military and civilians (economic patrols). Mutual cooperation with the other organs of the security service (local police, gendarmerie, state police, push policeman).
For the security forces, volunteers who are still in military service were initially hired for three months. The pay was five marks a day in addition to the normal pay of the soldiers.
The budget of a security company were
- 1 leader (officer),
- 4 subordinate officers (officer or porter),
- 1 underpaid master,
- 1 sergeant,
- 28 NCOs,
- 268 teams,
- 1 medical sergeant,
- 1 assistant weapon master,
altogether 306 military personnel.
The uniform was that of the previous infantry with the metal badge "SK (12)" (number of the area on the collar). The men were armed with carbines, while the Führer and Unterführer were pistols. Additional equipment was added depending on local conditions (skis, bicycles, cars, horses for cavalry patrols).
In June 1919 the 465 officers and 10,760 men of the security troops and volunteer groups in Württemberg were transferred to Reichswehr Brigade 13 of the Provisional Reichswehr .
The units of the security forces, the security companies 22, 26 and 30 were still missing, were in the provisional Reichswehr:
| Security forces | Provisional Reichswehr |
|---|---|
| Württemberg Security Regiment 1 | |
| I. Btl. Stuttgart: Kp 1, 2, 16, 20 | = II./Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 25 |
| II. Btl. Stuttgart: Kp 13, 27, 28, MG-Kp 1 | = I./Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 25 |
| III. Btl. Stuttgart: Kp 17, 18, 21 | to I./Reichswehr-Schützen -Regiment 25 |
| IV. Btl. Cannstatt: Kp 3, 4, 19, MG-Kp 2 | to I./Reichswehr-Schützen -Regiment 25 |
| 1st Security Squadron Cannstatt | to Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 13 |
| Security (Art) Department I Cannstatt with 2 batteries | = 1st / light Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 13 |
| Württemberg Security Regiment 2 | |
| I. Btl. Ludwigsburg: Kp 6, 12, 29, MG-Kp 3 | = III./Reichswehr-Schützen -Regiment 25 |
| II. Btl. Esslingen: Kp 5, 9, 33 | = I./Reichswehr-Schützen-Regiment 25 |
| III. Btl. Heilbronn: Kp 11, 31 | = Reichswehr-Jäg.Bataillon 13 |
| 2nd Security Squadron Ludwigsburg | to Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 13 |
| Security (Art) Department II Ludwigsburg with 2 batteries | = 2nd / light Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 13 |
| Württemberg Security Regiment 3 | |
| I. Btl. Ulm: Kp 10, 23, 24, 25, MG-Kp 4 | = 2nd / Reichswehr Rifle Regiment 26th |
| II. Btl. Weingarten: Kp 14, 32 | = III./Reichswehr-Schützen -Regiment 26 |
| III. Btl Gmünd: Kp 7, 8, 15 | to Reichswehr-Jäger-Battalion 13 |
| 3rd Security Squadron Ulm | to Reichswehr Cavalry Regiment 13 |
| 1 Battery of Foot Artillery Regiment 13 and 1 Battery of Field Artillery Rgt. 49 | to I./light Reichswehr Artillery Regiment 13 |
Others
Erwin Rommel was company commander of Security Company 32 in Friedrichshafen in 1919 .
literature
- Edited on behalf of the Army High Command and published by the War History Research Institute of the Army: Representations from the post-war battles of German troops and Freikorps 5th volume, The battles in Southwest Germany 1919-1923 , Verlag ES Mittler & Sohn Berlin, 1939
- Georg Tessin : German associations and troops 1918-1938 , Biblio Verlag Osnabrück, 1974, ISBN 3-7648-1000-9
- Hans-Joachim Harder: Military History Handbook Baden-Württemberg , Verlag W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 1987