The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-16
GENERAL LETT0W \ V0RBECK
HAS NEW ORGANIZATION
OTHERS IN RObBER BAND
Statements Made BY American
Army Officers As To Teut
Divisions

With. The American Army OF Oc-
cupation, April 15.-[Correspondence
OF The Associated Press. lin the
q. opinion of American army officers
who follow day by day the process of
demobilitation and readjustment of
enemy forces it appears likely that
General Won Lettow- Vorbeck. the
German commander who returned to
Germany in March from Africa, Is
rapidly uniting under his command
all the loyal marine units.
Writing in the summary of intelli-
gence of the Third United States ar
my of recent date one of the Amer
lean experts who specializes upon the
movements of all German armed for
ces, says: such a division (marines)
may be expected to be one of the most
powerful instruments of the present
government-and might even be a
reactionary power"
Developed Into Robbers Band.
Owing to the popular appreciation
of the services of the marines during
i,e war and to the imitation of the
evolution last November by marines,
numerous marine volunteer units
have appeared in Germany during the
Cst few months seeking to capt.
ilize the popularity. So many of
l:em, however, developed into robber
Dands composed of men in marine
uniforms who never served in - the
marine service that of late the aver
age German civilian has begun to
look upon any man in a marine uni
form as a probable thief.
During the past few weeks the
status of the marine units has been
clearing up and from information
gathered by the Third Army officers
it is now possible to give general
idea Of the marine units. In an ar
ticle in the summary Of intelligence
issued daily by the Third Army one
of the American officers says:
Have Doubtful leanings.
"The marine units of spartacist or
doubtful leanings may be considered
first. Most important of these is the
Volksmarine division which went ov-
er to the spartacists in the January
and March troubles in Berlin, but has
now been suppressed in Berlin. How
ever, it has branch in Braun
schweig of clearly spartacist pur-
poses. Many who were prominent in
the dissolved unit in Berlin are now
81 this unit, which appears to be the
i undation if the present spartacist
control of Braunschweig At least
two home guard units of marines are
known one, at Munich and one at
Frankfurt on Main. Neither of these
has been fairly tried, but both are
unquestionably of strong spartacist
leanings.
Supporting Minister of War Noske
and the present government are sew,
eral marine units of excellent morale,
which appears all or nearly all to be
in the process of uniting at the
present time, under control of Gen
eral Won Lettow- Vorbeck, the Ger
man commander who returned from
Africa in March.
"Most important of these is the
Iron Marine Brigade or Marine Brig
ade Rohden, under Cononel Won Rob-
den. This was organized in Kiel Of
ficered exclusively by officers of at
least fifteen years service. 1t sup
pressed disorders early this year in
Bremen, Cuxhaven. Wilhelmhaven,
and Emden, and had 4 large part in
the restoration of order in Berlin,
especially at Lichtenberg, in March,