Gerhard Roßbach: Difference between revisions

|birth_place =, [[German Empire]]

|death_place = , [[West Germany]]

|allegiance = {{flag|German Empire}}<br />{{flag|Weimar Republic}}<br />{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Nazi Germany]] (1933–19451933–1934)

'''Gerhard Roßbach''' (28 February 1893 – 30 August 1967), also speltspelled '''Rossbach''', was a German ''[[Freikorps]]'' leader and organizer of nationalist groups after [[World War I]]. He is generally credited with inventing the brown uniforms of the [[Nazi Party]] after supplying surplus tropical [[Uniforms and insignia of the Sturmabteilung|khaki shirts]] to early troops of the ''[[Sturmabteilung]]'' (SA).

Roßbach was born in [[Krzywin, Gryfino County|Kehrberg]], [[Pomerania]]. During the [[Freikorps in the Baltic|Baltic fighting of 1919]], his {{ill |Freikorps#Nazi legacy |lt=Freikorps Roßbach |de |Sturmabteilung Roßbach |preserve=yes}} made an extremely long march from Berlin across Eastern Europe to rescue the Iron Division (another ''Freikorps'') from destruction by the Latvian Army.<ref>Waite, p. 131</ref> It went on to participate in the [[Kapp Putsch]] in 1920, get banned, and then reformed under numerous changing front organizations, each of which in turn was banned.<ref name=Friedrich>Friedrich, pp.52-56</ref> Money came from the [[Agricultural League|Landbund]], heavy industry, and arms dealing. In the early 1920s, he was arrested for trying to overthrow the government.<ref>Waite, pp. 191-196</ref>

In 1921 Roßbach, together with others from the Roßbach society, took part in a bike ride to East Prussia. In order to be uniformly equipped for this trip the remaining stock of the East African Lettow shirts, last used by the officers of the Schutztruppe, were bought and then distributed them to the cyclists. These shirts were beige-brown, much lighter than the later Hitler shirts and with white mother-of-pearl buttons. Later these shirts were introduced as a community clothing in his society and in 1924 also for the Salzburg Schill Youth. They were then taken over for the German ''Schilljugend'' by [[Edmund Heines]]<ref>Gerhard Roßbach (1950). ''Mein Weg durch die Zeit. Erinnerungen und Bekenntnisse''. Weilburg/Lahn : Vereinigte Weilburger Buchdruckereien.</ref> and were later distributed, through the "Schill Sportversand", to the SA.

[[Category:German militaryArmy personnel of World War I]]

[[Category:LGBTGerman gay politicians from Germany]]