Reinhold Eggers - Pre-World War II

Pre-World War II

In March 1913, Eggers was called up for military service and was, on his request, posted to the 2nd Battalion of marine infantry at Wilhelmshaven. His Battalion commander was the famed Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, who after six months personally promoted Eggers to Gefreiter. Eggers completed his training on 31 March 1914 and was promoted to the rank of Unter Offizier. After the outbreak of World War I he was ordered to join the First Regiment of Marine Infantry at Kiel. He was subsequently posted on the western front where he won the Iron Cross Second Class on 8 May 1915, the Iron Cross First Class and the Hesse Medal for bravery on the Somme in December 1915.

To cope with the Weimar Republic's hyperinflation in the '20s he had to sell his whole fortune which amounted to little more than 10,000 marks. Eggers and his wife bought an acre and a half of land at Reideburg. When conditions had somewhat stabilised he decided to start studying to regain his post as a teacher. In his years as a high school teacher in the 1930s he promoted international relations and visited Britain and France with his students. He failed to anticipate the untrustworthiness of his fellow teachers, however, and in 1933 he was denounced by six of his colleagues to the Nazis who accused him of being a left-winger and an internationalist. He was consequently only allowed to teach at elementary school. In 1934 he received his PhD from Halle University.