, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-026-51, Anschluss sudetendeutscher Gebiete.jpg
, caption = Sudetendeutsches Freikorps members
, dates = 1938 to 1939
, country =
, allegiance =
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, branch =
, type = Terrorist organization
, role = Break-up of Czechoslovakia
, size =
, command_structure =
, garrison =
, garrison_label =
, nickname =
, patron =
, motto =
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march=
, mascot=
, equipment=
, equipment_label=
, battles=
Sudeten German uprising, Undeclared German–Czechoslovak war
, anniversaries=
, decorations=
, battle_honours=
, disbanded=
, flying_hours=
, website=
, commander1=
Friedrich Köchling
__NOTOC__
Friedrich Köchling (22 June 1893 – 6 June 1970) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron ...
, commander1_label= De facto commander
, commander2=
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well as the '' SS'' and was appointed ''Gauleiter'' of the ...
, commander2_label= Formal commander
, commander3=
Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank (24 January 1898 – 22 May 1946) was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia prior to and during World War II. Attaining the rank of ''Obergruppenführer'', he was in command of th ...
, commander3_label= Vice-commander
, commander4=
Anton Pfrogner
, commander4_label= Chief of staff
, notable_commanders=
, identification_symbol=
![Flag of the Sudets (without CoA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Flag_of_the_Sudets_%28without_CoA%29.svg)
, identification_symbol_label= Flag
, identification_symbol_2=
, identification_symbol_2_label=
, identification_symbol_3=
, identification_symbol_3_label=
, identification_symbol_4=
, identification_symbol_4_label=
, aircraft_attack=
, aircraft_bomber=
, aircraft_electronic=
, aircraft_fighter=
, aircraft_helicopter=
, aircraft_helicopter_attack=
, aircraft_helicopter_cargo=
, aircraft_helicopter_multirole=
, aircraft_helicopter_observation=
, aircraft_helicopter_transport=
, aircraft_helicopter_utility=
, aircraft_interceptor=
, aircraft_patrol=
, aircraft_recon=
, aircraft_trainer=
, aircraft_transport=
The (Sudeten German Free Corps, also known as the , and ) was a paramilitary
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
organization founded on 17 September 1938 in Germany on direct order of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. The organization was composed mainly of
ethnic German
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
citizens of Czechoslovakia with pro-
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
sympathies who were sheltered, trained and equipped by the
German army and who were conducting cross border terrorist operations into Czechoslovak territory from 1938 to 1939. They played an important role in Hitler's successful effort to
occupy Czechoslovakia and
annex
Annex or Annexe refers to a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or accommodations.
It may also refer to:
Places
* The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
* The Annex (New H ...
the region known as
Sudetenland
The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...
into the Third Reich under
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
The was a factual successor to , also known as , an organization that had been established by the
Sudeten German Party
The Sudeten German Party (german: Sudetendeutsche Partei, SdP, cs, Sudetoněmecká strana) was created by Konrad Henlein under the name ''Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront'' ("Front of the Sudeten German Homeland") on 1 October 1933, some months afte ...
in Czechoslovakia unofficially in 1933 and officially on 17 May 1938, following the example of the , the original paramilitary wing of the German Nazi Party. Officially being registered as promoter organization, the was dissolved on 16 September 1938 by the Czechoslovak authorities due to its implication in many criminal and terrorist activities. Many of its members as well as leadership, wanted for arrest by Czechoslovak authorities, had moved to Germany where they became the basis of the , conducting the ' first cross-border raids into Czechoslovakia only a few hours after its official establishment.
Due to the smooth transition between the two organizations, similar membership, Nazi Germany's sponsorship and application of the same tactic of cross-border raids, some authors often do not particularly distinguish between the actions of (i.e. up to 16 September 1938) and (i.e. from 17 September 1938).
Relying on the
Convention for the Definition of Aggression, Czechoslovak president
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 1945 ...
and the
government-in-exile
A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a Sovereign state, country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Govern ...
later regarded 17 September 1938, the day of establishment of the and beginning of its cross-border raids, as the beginning of the undeclared German–Czechoslovak war. This understanding has been assumed also by the contemporary
Czech Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, Nazi Germany formally declared that Czech captives would be considered
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
from 23 September onwards.
Background
![Sudetendeutsche](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Sudetendeutsche.png)
From 1918 to 1938, after the breakup of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, more than three million ethnic Germans were living in the
Czech part of the newly created state of
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
.
In 1933, as Adolf Hitler assumed power in Germany, Sudeten German pro-Nazi leader
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well as the '' SS'' and was appointed ''Gauleiter'' of the ...
founded
Sudeten German Party
The Sudeten German Party (german: Sudetendeutsche Partei, SdP, cs, Sudetoněmecká strana) was created by Konrad Henlein under the name ''Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront'' ("Front of the Sudeten German Homeland") on 1 October 1933, some months afte ...
(SdP) that served as the branch of the Nazi Party for the Sudetenland.
[Eleanor L. Turk. ''The History of Germany''. Westport, Connecticut, USA: Greenwood Press, 1999. . p. 123.] By 1935, the SdP was the second largest political party in Czechoslovakia.
Shortly after the of Austria to Germany, Henlein met with Hitler in Berlin on 28 March 1938, where he was instructed to raise demands unacceptable to the Czechoslovak government led by president
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 1945 ...
. On 24 April, the SdP issued a series of demands upon the government of Czechoslovakia, that were known as the Carlsbad Program. Among the demands, Henlein demanded autonomy for Germans living in Czechoslovakia.
The Czechoslovakian government responded by saying that it was willing to provide more minority rights to the German minority but it refused to grant them autonomy.
By June 1938, the party had over 1.3 million members, i.e. 40.6% of the ethnic German citizens of Czechoslovakia (40% of them women). During the last free democratic elections before the
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, the May 1938 communal elections, the party gained 88% of ethnic German votes, taking over control of most municipal authorities in the Czech borderland. The country's mass membership made it one of the largest fascist parties in Europe at the time.
The first major crisis took place in May 1938 after a partial Czechoslovak army
mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
. Activities of pro-Nazi ethnic Germans in the area led to a large flight of ethnic-Czech civilians and especially Jews. Hitler's increasing threats of attacking Czechoslovakia led to full mobilization on 22 September 1938. Many ethnic Germans refused to follow the Czechoslovak army mobilization order and either ran across the border to Germany and joined the , continuing cross-border raids from there, or established units which were operating from Czechoslovak forests, receiving arms and equipment from Germany, and continuing raids against Czechoslovak authorities, Jews and Czechs, up until the
German occupation of the Czechoslovak border areas following the
Munich agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
.
,
, image = KarlHermannFrank.jpg
, caption =
Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank (24 January 1898 – 22 May 1946) was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia prior to and during World War II. Attaining the rank of ''Obergruppenführer'', he was in command of th ...
, the FS's vice-Führer who was receiving orders directly from Hitler
, dates = 17 May 1938 to 16 September 1938
, country =
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, allegiance =
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, type = Terrorist organization
, role = Break-up of Czechoslovakia
, commander1=
![Flag of the Sudets (without CoA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Flag_of_the_Sudets_%28without_CoA%29.svg)
Konrad Henlein
, commander1_label= Führer
, commander2=
![Flag of the Sudets (without CoA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Flag_of_the_Sudets_%28without_CoA%29.svg)
Karl Hermann Frank
, commander2_label= Vice-Führer
, commander3=
![Flag of the Sudets (without CoA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Flag_of_the_Sudets_%28without_CoA%29.svg)
Fritz Köllner
, commander3_label= Secretary
, commander4=
![Flag of the Sudets (without CoA)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Flag_of_the_Sudets_%28without_CoA%29.svg)
Willi Brandner
, commander4_label= Chief of staff
Forming of the organization
Immediately after establishing the (later Sudeten German Party, SdP) in 1933, the party started forming its informal (''Order Service''; its members called in German (both singular and plural)) which was officially supposed to preserve order during meetings and assemblies of the party and protect it against its political adversaries. In reality, however, these were from the beginning attack squads with potentially terrorist assignments,
following the example of the (a.k.a. "Brownshirts" or "Storm Troopers"), the original paramilitary wing of the German Nazi Party.
More systematic build-up of the paramilitary wing started before the 1935 elections, when the SdP's leadership decided that each local SdP organization should establish its own squad of .
[Hruška, p. 12]
On 14 May 1938, the Ordnersgruppe was formally transformed into new official organization called the (FS) which was openly built up following the example of the Nazi .
[Hruška, p. 13] SdP's chief
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a leading Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia. Upon the German occupation in October 1938 he joined the Nazi Party as well as the '' SS'' and was appointed ''Gauleiter'' of the ...
was the 's leader, with
Fritz Köllner becoming its secretary and
Willi Brandner the chief of staff, also responsible for the buildup of squad groups. By 17 May 1938, the date of the organization's official registration, the had over 15.000 members.
The started a wide recruitment program in June 1938. Its members were divided into three categories:
* Category A: The most trusted and physically capable members that were supposed to carry out the duty of guardians of "inner purity" of the SdP. Category A was composed of the so-called "surveillance departments" and was directly subordinate to the SdP. Apart from functions within the organization, its members were also collecting information on political opponents and conducting military espionage.
* Category B: Wider selection of members. Its members were trained for propaganda activities and for conducting terrorist and sabotage assaults.
* Category C: Mostly older members of FS, mainly former soldiers with World War I front line experience. Their main task was providing training to the B category members as well as being the FS's reserve force.
FS squads were being built up as militias with local, district and regional formations and central staff. FS further created special squads: communication, medical and rear. The FS's squad leaders were trained directly by the Nazi in Germany.
The FS became instrumental for the psychological warfare of the operation
Case Green, smuggling weapons through "green border" from Germany, conducting various provocations of Czechoslovak armed forces and provocations on the border with Germany.
[Hruška, p. 14]
Attempted putsch
![Bergmann_MP18](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Bergmann_MP18.1.JPG)
The German Nazi Party was convening its 10th congress between 5 and 12 September 1938 in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, where it was expected that Hitler would make clear his further plans as regards Czechoslovakia. FS squads were kept in a state of high alert, ready to conduct any orders that may come from "higher up". On 10 September 1938, all FS district headquarters received orders to start large scale demonstrations, which escalated to a number of members of Czechoslovak law enforcement being wounded, as well as FS members in numerous cities already the next day.
FS Vice- Karl Hermann Frank was in direct contact with Hitler, receiving instructions for the following days.
[Hruška, p. 15]
Immediately after the highly anticipated Hitler's final speech on 12 September 1938, in which Hitler declared his intention to take care of German interests "under any circumstances" and to "prevent the creation of a second Palestine in the heart of Europe where the poor Arabs are defenseless and abandoned, while Germans in Czechoslovakia are not defenseless, nor abandoned", the FS initiated widespread violence in the whole borderland.
In
Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...
alone, K. H. Frank's hometown, ethnic-German mob plundered 38 Czech and Jewish shops.
Other main targets included buildings of the German Social Democratic Party and Czechoslovak authorities, including schools.
The FS conducted over 70 armed assaults against Czechoslovak authorities and assaulted selected Czechs and ethnic German anti-fascists.
Czechoslovak law enforcement was meanwhile ordered not to intervene in order not to further fuel up Hitler's propaganda.
As it became clear that the SdP was attempting to push the Czechoslovak authorities out of the towns in the borderland and replace them with its own governance, and with the rising death toll that included, inter alia, the
murder of four gendarmes by the FS in
Habartov
Habartov (german: Habersbirk) is a town in Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Horní Částkov, Kluč, Lítov and Úžlabí are administrative parts o ...
, the Czechoslovak government responded by declaring martial law in the thirteen worst struck districts and by dispatching the military.
[Hruška, p. 17] Major assaults on Czechoslovak law enforcement as well as the military continued throughout 14 September 1938, with the last one taking place on 15 September in
Bublava.
Altogether, the violence led to 13 dead and numerous injuries on 12–13 September and culminated with 23 dead (13 Czechoslovak authorities personnel, 10 ethnic Germans) and 75 seriously wounded (of those 14 ethnic Germans) on 14 September. However, the attempted putsch was thwarted.
On 14 September 1938, the SdP's leadership ran across the border to
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
, Germany, where K. H. Frank unsuccessfully demanded immediate military intervention from Hitler.
[Hruška, p. 30] The leadership's flight had chilling effect on the FS members, especially those that had taken part in the violence and now feared criminal prosecution. On 15 September 1938, German radio broadcast a speech by Henlein, who was purportedly speaking live from
Aš in Czechoslovakia.
By this time, the SdP's flight to Germany had become public knowledge and according to the then German ambassador in Prague, instead of stimulating SdP's members to further actions, it led to a serious rift in its ranks.
On 16 September 1938, Czechoslovak authorities banned and dissolved the SdP as well as the FS. Many of its functionaries as well as members that were wanted for arrest in connection with the preceding violence fled to Germany, while a number of town mayors elected for the SdP exhorted FS members to keep calm and expressed their support to the commanders of Gendarme stations situated in their towns.
File:1. máj 1938 v Liberci 2.gif, SdP's assembly on 1 May 1938 in Liberec
File:K.H. Frank na sjezdu Sudetoněmecké strany 24.4.1938.jpg, K. H. Frank speaking during the 1938 SdP congress
File:Sudetoněmecký puč, Aš - září 1938.jpg, Main street in Aš, where the SdP's leadership met on 13 September 1938 before fleeing to Germany
File:Čs. vojáci v Krásné Lípě.gif, Czechoslovak soldiers patrolling in Česká Lípa
Česká Lípa (; german: Böhmisch Leipa) is a town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 37,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated town of the Czech Republic without city status. The town centre is well preserved and is p ...
Freikorps
Formation
Czechoslovakia conducted partial mobilization in May 1938. Many young ethnic Germans did not follow the mobilization order and deserted across the border to Germany instead. Thousands more fled as they were receiving mobilization orders after 12 September 1938. The first initiated a plan of including Czechoslovak ethnic Germans of 20–35 years of age, who had previously undergone military training in the Czechoslovak army, into its own ranks.
[Hruška, p. 34] This was however abandoned as soon as Hitler ordered the establishment of the on 17 September 1938.
Konrad Henlein was formally named the ' commanding officer, with the 's liaison officer Lieutenant Colonel
Friedrich Köchling
__NOTOC__
Friedrich Köchling (22 June 1893 – 6 June 1970) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who held commands at the division and corps levels. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron ...
, previously serving as liaison officer in the
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...
, being the ' de facto commander.
The official purpose of the , as stated in a telegram to the , was the "protection of Sudeten Germans and maintaining further unrest and armed clashes".
[Hruška, p. 35] The was further instructed to conceal its cooperation with the due to "political reasons".
The ' ranks were filling up rather fast. It had 10,000–15,000 members by 20 September 1938, 26,000 members by 22 September 1938, with many more deserters coming after the general Czechoslovak mobilization that took place on 23 September 1938
[Hruška, p. 37] and reaching 41,000 by 2 October 1938.
[Hruška, p. 73] Apart from Konrad Henlein, its leadership consisted of K. H. Frank (vice-commander in chief), Hans Blaschek (2nd vice-commander in chief), and Anton Pfrogner (chief of staff, previously an SdP senator).
The ' headquarters was situated in a castle near
Bayreuth
Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...
, Germany.
The was divided into four groups alongside the whole German-Czechoslovak border. Groups were further divided into battalions and companies. Depending on the border length and local conditions, there were also sometimes "sections" as an interstage between the battalion and companies.
Companies had 150–200 men each and were stationed in German towns and villages along the German–Czech border, each of them being fully equipped for independent cross border raids and assaults.
[Hruška, p. 42] Although the official directive allowed only ethnic Germans with Czechoslovak citizenship to be part of the , due to the low number of officers among the deserters, their places were filled with members of the Nazi .
The SA was further providing training, material support and equipment to the .
All members got regular pay for their service.
Most members did not have any standardized uniform and were only distinguished by an armband with swastika.
[Hruška, p. 43] Formally, they were not part of the and were prohibited from wearing uniforms.
Members of the were trained and hosted in Germany but operated across the border in Czechoslovakia attacking the
infrastructure
Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
, administrative, police and military buildings and personnel, as well as the pro-government and
antifascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
ethnic-German civilians, Jews, Jewish owned businesses and ethnic Czech civilians. They committed
assassinations
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
, robberies and bombing attacks, retreating over the border to Germany when faced with serious opposition. They murdered more than 110 and abducted to Germany more than 2000 Czechoslovak personnel, political opponents or their family members.
[Zimmermann, Volker (1999). ''Die Sudetendeutschen im NS-Staat. Politik und Stimmung der Bevölkerung im Reichsgau Sudetenland (1938-1945)''. Essen. ()]
Intelligence service
The also had its own intelligence service, established on 19 September 1938 with headquarters in
Selb
Selb is a town in the district of Wunsiedel, in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, on the border with the Czech Republic, 20 km northwest of Cheb and 23 km southeast of Hof.
Selb is well known fo ...
, Germany. It was headed by
Richard Lammel. The intelligence was gathering information for the as well as for , (SD) and .
Green Cadres
Many ethnic Germans who deserted after receiving the mobilization order did not go across the border to Germany, but rather established their own guerrilla units. Operating from forests in Czechoslovakia, they received the name Green Cadres, sometimes being referred to as Green , although they were not officially incorporated as part of the German .
Armaments
In order to conceal the level of cooperation between and , the original orders stated that the should be armed only with weapons from warehouses of the former Austrian army.
This however led to delays in arming the and became outright impossible as regards ammunition and explosives, which were being delivered from the 's own supplies.
The most common weapons were
Mannlicher M1895
The Mannlicher M1895 (german: link=no, Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95, hu, Gyalogsági Ismétlő Puska M95; "Infantry Repeating-Rifle M95") is a straight pull bolt-action rifle, designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher that used a refined ...
8×56 Msch.,
K98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57 ...
8×56 JS, pistols
P08 9mm Parabellum,
Bergmann machine guns and
sub-machine guns
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an automati ...
, and
German hand grenades. Due to the initial Czechoslovak orders forbidding the use of firearms apart from self-defense, the also captured Czechoslovak weapons, mostly
vz. 24
The vz. 24 rifle is a bolt-action carbine designed and produced in Czechoslovakia from 1924 to 1942. It was developed from the German Mauser Gewehr 98 line, and features a very similar bolt design. The rifle was designed in Czechoslovakia shor ...
rifles and
vz. 26 machine guns.
Meanwhile, the Green Cadres, as well as other ordners that did not join the , were armed with a variety of hunting rifles and shotguns, pistols, as well as many sub-machine guns that had been previously supplied by Germany to the /. Scoped hunting rifles in the hands of skilled proved especially deadly.
Czechoslovak security forces
Following the
remilitarization of the Rhineland
The remilitarization of the Rhineland () began on 7 March 1936, when German military forces entered the Rhineland, which directly contravened the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties. Neither France nor Britain was prepared for a milit ...
, Czechoslovak authorities came to the conclusion that any future war would most probably begin as a sudden attack without a formal declaration of war. At the time, protection of borders was mostly vested into the authority of the Customs Administration (also called Financial Police), which was controlling the border crossings and collecting customs duties, while Gendarme officers were taking care of general law enforcement mainly within towns. This was deemed insufficient as the Customs Administration could merely enforce the custom duties and general order at border crossings, but not security along the whole border.
In 1936, the State Defense Guard was established. Normally, SDG would function only in a very limited way necessary to ensure full readiness of its structure (under authority of the Ministry of Interior), with its ranks being filled up with personnel in case of emergency (under military command). Its main task was protecting the Czechoslovak border and it was supposed to be able to immediately close and defend the border for the time that would be necessary for the army to reach the attacked areas in full combat readiness. Initially, the State Defense Guard was composed of selected members of Customs Administration, Gendarme and State Police, but later its ranks were filled also with reliable civilians. In case of any unrest, its squads were further boosted by army soldiers. The State Defense Guard included also ethnic Germans that were deemed loyal to the Czechoslovak state (mostly Social Democrats and communists). The State Defense Guard thus became the main target of the ' activities.
Up to 22 September 1938 the Czechoslovak security forces were under general orders not to use their firearms apart from self-defense.
Republikanische Wehr
was a Czechoslovak ethnic German anti-fascist militia with several thousand members. Known also as (''Red Defense''), its members also took part in the fighting, supporting the Czechoslovak authorities. Several of its members were killed by the Nazi forces during the clashes, with thousands more being interned in concentration camps following the Munich Agreement and occupation of Czechoslovakia.
Undeclared German–Czechoslovak War
The first assaults took place during the night of 17 to 18 September 1938 in the area of
Aš. Other major assaults included, inter alia:
18 September 1938
19 September 1938
20 September 1938
On 20 September 1938, headquarters issued ''Order No. 6'' signed by Henlein.
[Hruška, p. 47] According to the order, each of the groups was supposed to undertake at least 10 major raids into Czechoslovak before the morning of 21 September.
The order further specified that the was to take no regard to any aversion to the armed assaults that it had previously encountered from some ethnic German civilians.
[Hruška, p. 48] Moreover, each group was ordered to establish its own intelligence staff that would be providing information to the center in Selb.
In line with the order, attacks increased both in their frequency as well as brutality.
21 September 1938
22 September 1938
On the night of 21 September 1938, German radio broadcast false information that Czechoslovakia agreed to cede its border areas to Germany. Next day, most ethnic German majority towns were full of German Nazi flags and Hitler portraits, while and ethnic German mobs unleashed a wave of attacks against state authorities and non-German civilians.
On 22 September, Adolf Hitler gave orders to provide the with German weaponry, ammunition and equipment (until that moment, were to be armed only with weapons that Germany obtained with the of Austria).
Czechoslovak forces' order not to use firearms except in self-defense was called off during the day.
By 24 September 1938, conducted over 300 raids against Czechoslovak authorities.
23 September 1938
![Map CZ - district Karvina](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Map_CZ_-_district_Karvina.PNG)
Hitler gave new orders under which captured Czechs were to be considered and treated as prisoners of war. Captives that could prove Slovak or Hungarian nationality were to be regarded as refugees to Germany.
[Hruška, p. 72]
By 11 am, the Czechoslovak government officially declared that it was unable to exercise Czechoslovak authority in two border districts (
Osoblaha
Osoblaha (; german: Hotzenplotz; pl, Osobłoga) is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Osoblaha is made up of one administrati ...
and
Jindřichov). State officials from these regions were ordered to retreat towards a new line of defense manned by the army.
In other areas the Czechoslovak army started offensive actions which led to recapturing of areas in and around Varnsdorf, from which SDG squads retreated in the previous days.
At 11:30 pm, Czechoslovakia declared full army mobilization as well as full stationing of
Czechoslovak border fortifications
Czechoslovakia built a system of border fortifications as well as some fortified defensive lines inland, from 1935 to 1938 as a defensive countermeasure against the rising threat of Nazi Germany. The objective of the fortifications was to prevent t ...
.
24 September 1938
leadership gave out an order that fighting units must compel ethnic German mayors of Czechoslovak border towns to send telegraphs to the asking for immediate German intervention. The order specifically mentioned that telegrams must reach Hitler before his planned meeting with Chamberlain, and at the same time they were to be sent in a manner that did not connect them back to nor raise suspicion of concerted action.
[Hruška, p. 74]
Czechoslovak full army mobilization had a chilling effect on membership and led to a lower number of attacks.
As the Czechoslovak forces started retaking territory lost in previous days, retreating looted public buildings and "confiscated" money and valuables from bank vaults.
The German Army () was given sole authority over German border areas with Czechoslovakia. This led to quarrels between lower officers and officers over the actual line of command. The was ordered to conduct raids over the border only after briefing the respective local leader of the German border guard.
25 September 1938
26 September 1938
Adolf Hitler ordered to conduct more assaults. The number of assaults became higher than in previous days, but did no reach the intensity of 21–22 September.
27 September 1938
28 September 1938
29 September 1938
30 September 1938
Following the signing of the
Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...
, leadership gave orders to cease cross-border assaults.
[Hruška, p. 81] At the same time, Hitler decided that would be subordinate to SS command, and not to as were his previous orders. were supposed to conduct police powers within the territory of occupied Czechoslovakia.
According to a final report of Friedrich Köchling, officially the 's liaison officer to but its de facto leader up to 4 October 1938, had killed 110 people, wounded 50 and kidnapped 2,029 to Germany. The report lists 164 successful and 75 unsuccessful operations that lead to 52 fatalities, 65 seriously wounded and 19 lost members of .
From 7 October 1938, were headquartered in a former Czechoslovak Bank building in Cheb. On 10 October 1938 was officially disbanded.
[Hruška, p. 96]
As operations involved a large scale looting and "borrowing" in its area of operation, aggrieved parties were given up to 15 November 1938 to request damages from newly established German authorities in the occupied area. Court cases dealing with these claims were running as far as 1942.
Criminal liability
Germany
Being aware that actions involved a large-scale criminal activity, Adolf Hitler issued a decree on 7 June 1939, according to which all of the actions that were criminal under Czech law would be considered lawful under German law, and those that were criminal under German law were pardoned.
[''Hruška, p. 102'']
Czechoslovakia
A majority of members were formally Czechoslovak army deserters (especially after the full army mobilization order of 23 September) and their mere membership in was punishable by life imprisonment under Czechoslovak act No. 50/1923, on the protection of the Republic. Meanwhile, their active participation in crossborder raids which included murders, attempted murders and kidnapping was punishable by death under the 1852 Criminal Code.
The vast majority of the perpetrators who survived the war avoided justice through the postwar
expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia.
Individual cases were decided by a Special Tribunal set up in the city of Cheb. The Tribunal decided 62 cases, last on 29 October 1948. 10 members were sentenced to death (of which sentences 6 were carried out), 16 to life imprisonment, 5 to 30 years' imprisonment, 10 to 25 years' imprisonment and 16 to 20 years' imprisonment. The majority had however already been released and expelled to Germany in 1955, which was the year in which Czechoslovakia officially declared the end of the war with Germany that started on 17 September 1938 with first crossborder operations.
Brandenburg Division
Based on the successful utilization of the ' tactics against Czechoslovakia and in psychological warfare against Czechoslovak allies, the later in September 1939 established the so-called "1st Construction Training Company for special purposes" () that had former Freikorps members as their core. This later rose to the size of division. The division was known for large scale use of tactics that involved its soldiers wearing enemy uniforms, conducting saboteur actions behind enemy lines and many war crimes.
[Hruška, p. 100]
References
{{Authority control
Sudetenland
Organizations based in Czechoslovakia
1938 establishments in Czechoslovakia
1939 disestablishments in Czechoslovakia
Military units and formations established in 1938
Military units and formations disestablished in 1939
Nazi Party organizations
Czechoslovakia–Germany relations