The (, translated as "Alliance of Red Front-Fighters" or "Red Front Fighters' League"), usually called the (RFB), was a far-left
paramilitary organization affiliated with the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (, ; KPD ) was a major Far-left politics, far-left political party in the Weimar Republic during the interwar period, German resistance to Nazism, underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and minor party ...
(KPD) during the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
. A
legally registered association, the RFB was banned in 1929 after violent clashes during May Day demonstrations in Berlin, but continued its work illegally.
The first local branches of the RFB were established in July 1924.
The group's inaugural nationwide meeting was held in February 1925 in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, where was elected to lead the federal committee.
('The Red Front') was the newspaper of the RFB.
The greeting of () while giving a clenched fist salute gave rise to the expression , often used among friends and foes to refer to the organization instead of its full title. The
clenched fist "protecting the friend, fighting off the enemy" () was the symbol of the RFB,
used on all its insignia, and its registered
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
from 1 March 1926. In May 1926, during a flag parade, activists used it as a sign of rallying to the movement and as an oath to defend the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
.
History
Formation
The KPD depended on the Proletarian Hundreds () to protect their meetings and demonstrations, but this organization was banned in 1923. This left the KPD's political activities exposed to attacks from the police and right-wing paramilitary organizations such as the nationalist and the Nazi (SA). The ninth national conference of the KPD in April 1924 decided to form a new defense organization. It was given the name ,
with the intent of attracting non-Communist workers as well.
Then in on 11 May 1924, police fired on a demonstration; eight workers were killed and 16 seriously wounded. The KPD announced the formation of the RFB to all its local branches, and soon the first local RFB groups were formed. Most of these first RFB units were located in industrial cities, seaports, and other traditional strongholds of the working class.
Development
Over the years the RFB engaged more and more in violent street fights with the police, the SA, and other political rivals. In 1929, the RFB participated in bloody protests after
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of Wage labour, labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every yea ...
was banned in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
during what became known as
Blutmai (Bloody May). More than 30 people were shot and killed by the police. The RFB was banned and all its assets confiscated by the government. At the time of the ban, the RFB had close to 130,000 members. Many of them continued their activities illegally or in local successor organizations such as the . () Others retired from the political scene.
Under the Third Reich
After the Nazi takeover in 1933, former RFB members were among the first arrested and incarcerated in
Nazi concentration camps
From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe.
The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...
. The Nazis sought revenge on their former rivals and many of the RFB died in the Nazi prisons.
Of those who survived or avoided arrest, many followed the call of the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
(1936–39). They joined the ''
Centuria
''Centuria'' (; : ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the centuria changed over time, and from the first century BC through most of ...
Thälmann'' of the
International Brigades
The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...
to fight against the
Nationalist rebels. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
former Red Front fighters fought in the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
against Nazi Germany.
After the war
After World War II, former RFB members such as and were actively involved in the creation of the first police and military units of the
German Democratic Republic
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
(GDR; East Germany). The () and the () claimed to carry on the traditions of the RFB, while the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...
in West Germany enforced the ban of 1929 and prosecuted former Red Front fighters who admitted to their RFB activities.
Membership and organisation
Members

While many RFB groups were led by KPD members, most Red Front fighters were not party members. Some were even members of the
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together w ...
(SPD) or other political organizations.
98% of the RFB belonged to the working class and only 1% had received a higher education. A large part of the RFB were veterans of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and some had been actively involved in the
November Revolution of 1918.
The number of members grew constantly, peaking with close to 130,000 members at the time of the ban in 1929.
* April 1925: 40,450 members in 558 local groups (49% non-party members)
* June 1925: 51,630 members in 826 local groups (53% non-party members)
* February 1926: 68,392 members in 1,120 local groups (55% non-party members)
At the time of the ban in 1929, only 30% of the RFB were actually KPD members. 70% were non-party or members of other parties.
Sections
For its younger members (between the ages of 16 and 21), the RFB formed the (). It was renamed (RJ) () in 1925 to avoid similarities with the Nazi and to underline their goal of a united front. 40% of local RFB groups had a section of the RJ.
Sailors of the
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...
had a major role in the
November Revolution of 1918. To commemorate this, in May 1925 the RFB founded the (RM) () with sections in all major port cities. The RM was also considered an elite unit.
From 1925 the female members were organized in the (RFMB) (). The federal leaders were and
Helene Overlach. At the 1929 ban, the RFMB had about 4,000 members.
Organizational structure
The RFB's structure was a ''bottom to top organization''. The local groups elected the regional leadership and the regional leaders elected the federal committee.
* 1. ()
* 2. ()
* 3. (X , )
: 3.1. (X , )
: 3.2. (3 , men, )
: 3.3. (4 , men + 1 , )
: 3.4. (8 men + 1 , )
The or "Federal Committee" included:
* (1. Federal Leader)
* (2. Federal Leader, Organizational and Technical Manager)
* (Treasurer)
*
*
*
*
* (Chief Editor )
*
The or Regional sections of the RFB included:
*
* (
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
)
*
*
*
* (
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...
)
* (Northwest)
* (
Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
district)
* (
Lower Rhine
Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...
)
* (Middle Rhine)
* (
Hesse-Waldeck)
* (
Hesse
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
-
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
)
* (
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
* Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
* Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...
district)
*
*
* (
Pomerania
Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
)
* (
East Prussia
East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
)
* (
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
)
* (
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
)
*
*
* (East
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
)
* (West Saxony)
* (North
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
)
* (South Bavaria)
Plans to form local RFB groups in the cities of
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
and
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
in 1925 were banned by the state of
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. Until 1928 there were no official RFB groups in Bavaria. Only after the end of the ban of the local group Dortmund by the Reichsgericht on April 2, 1928, RFB groups could at least formally be founded also in Bavaria. But there was a constant threat of a ban on events, especially since Bavaria had been pressing for a nationwide ban of RFB since the decision of the Reichsgericht. On April 13, 1928, after the formation of the Bund on Reich level, Jakob Boulanger founded an RFB-Gau Nordbayern with subsequent local groups in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
,
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...
,
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg (; Hessian: ''Aschebersch'', ) is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg, despite being its administrative seat, is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg.
Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...
,
Sulzbach,
Bamberg
Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...
,
Hof and
Bayreuth
Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...
. In the summer of 1928, 14 local groups with 800 members, 350 of them in
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
were registered.
Activities
"Protection and Security"
A large part of the RFB activities were directed at supporting the political propaganda work of the KPD, the (), and other "
proletarian
The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist philo ...
" organizations such as workers unions. In most cases they provided security services for the various events but also participated in active agitation. Hardened by their harsh work and living conditions, the RFB men engaged in acts of violence against the police and the political rivals who tried to disrupt rallies.
Numerous events ended in mass brawls between the police and the RFB, leaving injured on both sides and in some cases dead.
Arrested RFB members could depend on the for legal support and also, in case of sentencing to prison, for financial support of their families while they were unable to work.
Until the RFB was banned, its rivalry with hostile organizations such as the SA, the , and the grew constantly and violence intensified. Since the strategy of the SA was to fight and provoke, violent encounters between the RFB and SA soon became a part of everyday life. The SA achieved some strength in working-class districts, although these areas supported either the
SPD or the KPD but not the "brown" Nazi Party the SA stood for.
The RFB members also fought to stop landlords from evicting tenants.
"Social Justice and Peace"
Its statutes defined the RFB as anti-militarist, and therefore it opposed German re-armament. For instance, the RFB and other organizations protested against the spending of billions of
Reichsmark
The (; sign: ℛ︁ℳ︁; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, and in the American, British and French occupied zones of Germany, until 20 June 1948. The Reichsmark was then replace ...
s on
"pocket battleships", and demanded the money go instead to relieve poverty.
Most RFB public actions were directed against the Weimar government and its involvement with powerful German industrialists. The RFB demanded the preservation of peace and denounced plans for a new war. Most of the RFB also supported the KPD's program of
Soviet-style Communism. The RFB therefore was soon considered an "
enemy of the state", leading to several temporary bans of its announced parades and meetings.
Other RFB events included propaganda marches in rural areas to get poor farmers and agricultural workers to join their cause.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotfrontkampferbund
Communist Party of Germany
Anti-fascist organisations in Germany
Left-wing militant groups in Germany
Military wings of communist parties
Paramilitary organisations of the Weimar Republic
German resistance to Nazism
Military units and formations disestablished in 1933
Defunct communist militant groups