Rüdiger Bergien

• The enlargement of its staff in a case of defence was one of the central goals of the Reichswehr, the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic. To this end, military and civilian agencies sought to organise a "replacement army", the Landesschutzorganisation (national defence organisation). The Social Democrat led Prussian Government wanted to set this cooperation on a solid legal basis, thereby bringing the Landesschutzorganisation under democratic control. This approach not only failed because the Reichswehr continued to recruit affiliates of the nationalist camp for the Landesschutzorganisation in defiance of the "guidelines". More importantly, both the Prussian State Government as well as the Reichswehr leadership left the codification of this cooperation to subordinate levels, who interpreted these "guidelines" as they saw fit. The documents presented here include two versions of these regional agreements between a Prussian Oberprasidium (Provincial Governor) and a Wehrkreiskommando (Military District Command), mostThe enlargement of its staff in a case of defence was one of the central goals of the Reichswehr, the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic. To this end, military and civilian agencies sought to organise a "replacement army", the Landesschutzorganisation (national defence organisation). The Social Democrat led Prussian Government wanted to set this cooperation on a solid legal basis, thereby bringing the Landesschutzorganisation under democratic control. This approach not only failed because the Reichswehr continued to recruit affiliates of the nationalist camp for the Landesschutzorganisation in defiance of the "guidelines". More importantly, both the Prussian State Government as well as the Reichswehr leadership left the codification of this cooperation to subordinate levels, who interpreted these "guidelines" as they saw fit. The documents presented here include two versions of these regional agreements between a Prussian Oberprasidium (Provincial Governor) and a Wehrkreiskommando (Military District Command), most importantly the hitherto thought lost "Richtlinien" (guidelines) of April 26(th), 1929 and their implementation rules of May 23(rd), 1929.…