The Deutsche Freischar – Bund der Wandervögel und Pfadfinder (DF) is a German youth organization. Originating from the merger of several small

Wandervogel ''Wandervogel'' (plural: ''Wandervögel''; English: "Wandering Bird") is the name adopted by a popular movement of German youth groups from 1896 to 1933, who protested against industrialization by going to hike in the country and commune with na ...

and

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

groups, it was one of the largest and most important associations of the

Bündische Jugend The German Youth Movement () is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included Scouting in germany, Germ ...

of 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 ...

besides the Deutscher Pfadfinderbund and Reichsschaft Deutscher Pfadfinder.

History

In 1926 the DF originated from the association of the ''Großdeutscher Pfadfinderbund'' (itself an association of the ''Bund Deutscher Neupfadfinder'' and ''Bund der Ringpfadfinder'') with the ''Altwandervogel, Deutsche Jungenschaft'', the ''Wandervogel'', ''Deutscher Jungenbund'' and the ''Reichsstand, Gefolgschaft deutscher Wandervögel'' forming the ''Bund der Wandervögel und Pfadfinder''.Rudolf Kniep:''Jugend der Weimarer Zeit, Handbuch der Jugendverbände 1919-1938.'' dipa-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1974, , pp. 75-83 In March 1927 the Bund der Köngener joined; in April of the same year it was renamed to Deutsche Freischar; on October 27, 1927 the ''Wandervogel-Mädchenbund'' joined.Werner Kindt:''Die Deutsche Jugendbewegung 1920 bis 1933. Die bündische Zeit.'' Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf, Cologne 1974, , pp. 1050 ''et seq.'' Until 1928 several smaller groups joined; at the end of 1929 the DF had 12,000 members (among them 1500 women and girls). On May 4, 1930 the DF and the Großdeutscher Jugendbund (under Admiral

Adolf von Trotha Adolf von Trotha (1 March 1868 – 11 October 1940) was a German admiral in the '' Kaiserliche Marine''. After the German revolution he briefly served as the first ''Chef der Admiralität'', which replaced the imperial '' Reichsmarineamt''. Afte ...

) united under the name Deutsche Freischar. The result was a large association with up to 16,000 members, which split again after some weeks, so the former Deutsche Freischar became an independent association again.Werner Kindt:''Die Deutsche Jugendbewegung 1920 bis 1933. Die bündische Zeit.'' Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf, Cologne 1974, , pp. 1123 ''et seq.'' During the association of Freischar and Großdeutscher Jugendbund

Eberhard Koebel Eberhard Koebel also Eberhard Köbel, called ''tusk'', i.e., "the German" in the language of the Sámi people he traveled among, (22 June 1907 – 31 August 1955) was a German youth leader, writer, and publisher. Eberhard Koebel was born in Stut ...

, known under his totem name Tusk, was excluded from the association, some districts followed him and formed their own association, the Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1.11.1929 (dj. 1.11); he became its leader. On June 17, 1933 the DF together with other member organizations of the Großdeutscher Bund was prohibited by

Baldur von Schirach Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (; 9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who was the leader of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. From 1940 to 1945, he was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) and '' Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich gov ...

, who was appointed ''Jugendführer des Deutschen Reiches'' (Youth Leader of the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

) shortly before.Werner Kindt:''Die Deutsche Jugendbewegung 1920 bis 1933. Die bündische Zeit.'' Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Düsseldorf, Cologne 1974, , p. 1235 In 1946, the Deutsche Freischar was re-founded as ''Sturmschwalben – Ring Deutscher Jugendgruppen'', later named itself ''Bündische Freischar'', and since 1950 is again called ''Deutsche Freischar''. In 1953 and 1954 a major part of the association merged into the ''Neuer Bund'', from which the Bund deutscher Jungenschaften (BdJ) originated later.Arbeitsgemeinschaft Burg Waldeck e.V: ''Köpfchen''. 02, 2006
Online-version Köpfchen 02/2006.
/ref> The Freischar still exists with some hundred members. The Freischar is a member of the

Ring junger Bünde The Ring junger Bünde (RjB) is an umbrella organization of about 20 independent and self-responsible interreligious German Scout and Wandervogel youth associations, based in Witzenhausen and established in 1964. RjB and all the youth organizatio ...

(RjB).

Bibliography

* Klaus Rauschert: ''"Und wieder erblüht nach Nebel und Nacht ..." : Bundesgeschichte der Freischar ; 1946 bis 1953 ; über die Neugründung eines Jugendbundes und zur Jugendpolitik in den Nachkriegsjahren''. Published by Jugendbewegung Südmarkverlag Fritz, Stuttgart 2006,

External links

Homepage of the Deutsche Freischar

NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln: ''Deutsche Freischar''
– Short description of its history until 1933

References

{{Authority control 1926 establishments in Germany 1933 disestablishments in Germany German Youth Movement Non-aligned Scouting organizations Organizations disestablished in 1933 Scouting and Guiding in Germany Youth organizations established in 1926