The
Freikorps, which translates as "Free Corps," were
paramilitary freebooter organizations that sprung up around
Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from
World War I. Many German veterans felt profoundly disconnected from civilian life and joined the Freikorps in search of stability within a
military structure. Others, angry at their sudden, apparently inexplicable defeat, joined up in an effort to put down
Communist uprisings or exact some form of revenge (see
Dolchstoßlegende).
Many future members and, indeed, leaders of the NSDAP were members of the Freikorps, including Ernst Röhm, future head of the Sturmabteilung or SA, and Rudolf Höss[?], the future Kommandant of Auschwitz.
See also: Stahlhelm.
See also: Britisches Freikorps.