Freikorps commander who tried to keep Germany's eastern influence in Finland and the Baltic
White Army quartermaster Hannes Ignatius described him as the "true regent of Finland."
He led the Baltic Sea Division to the aid of the Finnish Whites in 1918, then commanded the German troops and Freikorps in Latvia in 1919, retaking Riga but backing a coup against the Latvian government he saw as an obstacle. Recalled after Cēsis, he led far-right veterans' movements in the Weimar years.
Activities and affiliations
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1919
Freikorps (Germany, 1918–1923)Commander of Freikorps in the Baltic
Military command -
Germany state institutionsCommander of the Baltic Sea Division and the VI Reserve CorpsMain
Military command
Career Timeline
- 1895Assigned to the Great General Staff
- 1914Led the 76th Infantry Regiment, wounded at the First Battle of the Marne
- 1918Commander of the Baltic Sea Division, aided the Finnish Whites, then 'German General in Finland'
- 1919Commander of the VI Reserve Corps, retook Riga, defeated at Cēsis (Wenden) and recalled
- 1920Commander in Berlin during the Kapp Putsch
- 1924–1933Chairman of the United Patriotic Associations of Germany (VVVD)
Related historical events
- 1914–1918First World WarGerman infantry regiment commanderHe led the 76th Infantry Regiment and was wounded at the First Battle of the Marne.
- 1917.12–1918.11Brest-Litovsk and Germany’s eastern occupationCommander of the Baltic Sea Division in FinlandLanded some 10,000 men of the Baltic Sea Division at Hanko on 3 April 1918, took Helsinki on the 13th and stayed in Finland until the end of the year to entrench German influence.
- 1918.10–1919.08The German Revolution of 1918–1919Commander of the Freikorps in the BalticCommanded German volunteer forces including the Iron Division in Latvia in 1919, retaking Riga in May before being recalled under Allied pressure in October.
- 1918–1922The Civil War and Foreign InterventionGerman commander in Finland and the BalticCommanded the German troops and the Landeswehr from Liepāja from February 1919 and retook Riga in May, but treated the Latvian government as an obstacle and backed the coup; recalled in October after the defeat at Cēsis.
- 1918.11–1920.10Baltic wars of independence and border settlementsGerman commander in Finland and the BalticCommanded the German troops and the Landeswehr from Liepāja from February 1919 and retook Riga in May, but treated the Latvian government as an obstacle and backed the coup; recalled in October after the defeat at Cēsis.
- 1917.03–1920.10Finland: independence and civil warCommander of the Baltic Sea DivisionLanded at Hanko in April 1918 and took Helsinki, staying until December as "the true Regent of Finland".
Revolution and independence wars
A Prussian general who in April 1918 landed some 10,000 men of the Baltic Sea Division at Hanko, took Helsinki and helped the Finnish Whites to victory, staying in Finland until the end of the year to entrench German influence. In February 1919 at Liepāja he took command of the VI Reserve Corps, the remaining German regulars, the Iron Division and the Baltic Landeswehr, and retook Riga from the Red Army, but he treated Latvia's independence government as an obstacle and backed the Liepāja coup of April and the Niedra government. Beaten by the Estonians at Cēsis in June and recalled under Allied pressure in October, he saw most of his men join Bermondt-Avalov's West Russian Volunteer Army. In the Weimar Republic he led far-right veterans' organizations and was implicated in the Kapp putsch of 1920. He died in Bavaria in 1946.