ABSTRACT
Black R eich sw eh r General Hans von Seeckt (q.v.), chief of staff of the German Reichswehr, realized that his army could not adequately defend Germany’s borders with the 100,000 men permitted under the provisions of the Versailles Treaty (q.v.). In 1922, he authorized the creation of civilian labor detachments to be assigned to the Reichswehr, a force that became known as the “Black R eich sw eh rThese “civilians” were given army uniforms, garrisoned at military bases, and received supplies and other logistical support from the army. These units were funded from various secret accounts and by German in dustrialists who stood to gain from rearmament.
