Freikorps 01: The outlaws

In his autobiographical novel published in 1930, Ernst von Salomon processes his youthful experiences, beginning with his membership in a Freikorps in 1918. Initially, he fought on the side of the government loyal troops in Berlin and Weimar. When Polish and inter-allied efforts annexed parts of Silesia against the outcome of a referendum, the Baltic region and Upper Silesia became his area of operation. In the baptism of fire of the World War and the subsequent national defense against Poland and the French, amidst severe internal unrest in the Reich, the formation of council republics, the policy of renunciation of the rapidly changing German governments, and the dire economic conditions including thousands of hunger deaths, the type of a new warrior emerged: the Freikorps fighter, the conviction-driven perpetrator. For his involvement in the political murders committed by the Organization Consul, including the assassination of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau, he was sentenced to several years in prison. What is remarkable about this novel is the unflinching revelation of the mindsets of extraordinary men in extraordinary times – and this at a literary level. No less interesting is the author's persona in light of his distancing from the National Socialism that followed the revolutionary years, a separation he made – unlike some of his comrades. "The Outlaws" is rightly considered the best novel for understanding the turmoil of the post-World War I years and the motivations of the protagonists of the far right.