Career
After the war, Steiner led a unit of Freikorps in the East Prussian city of Memel. He rejoined the army in 1922 and by 1933 had attained the rank of Major.
After the NSDAP takeover, Steiner joined the Reichswehr staff and began work developing new training techniques and tactics.
During this time he was exposed to the training and doctrines of the Schutzstaffel and Sturmabteilung. He was intrigued by the training techniques of the SS-Verfügungstruppen (SS-VT, precursors to the Waffen-SS), which placed emphasis on unit cohesion and trust, with an informal relationship between the enlisted and commissioned ranks. In 1935, Steiner took command of a Battalion of SS-VT troops, and within a year had been promoted to SS-Standartenführer and was in command of the SS-Deutschland Regiment.
The outbreak of war saw Steiner as an SS-Oberführer and still in charge of the SS-Deutschland. He led his regiment well through Invasion of Poland and the Battle of France, earning the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 15 August 1940.
Read more about this topic: Felix Steiner
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