The Secret Work of the KAPD in Rhineland-Westphalia

The circles of the KAPD (Communist Workers' Party of Germany) in Rhineland and Westphalia are, as reliably reported from there, gripped by an extraordinarily strong tension as a result of the military events in the East, which manifests itself, among other things, in the diligent work to develop the organization. The guidelines issued by the national leadership of the KAPD in this regard provide rich material for local application. In the submitted statutes of the KAPD’s Combat Organizations, it is stated in the introduction:

In accordance with the clear realization that only the armed uprising of the proletariat can liberate it from bondage, and that, on the other hand, the reaction can force the proletariat into struggle, the revolutionary proletariat sees itself compelled to create an organization with whose help it will be able, at the given hour, to take up the fight as a fully capable combat force." For this purpose, the individual districts form so-called KO (Combat Organization) units of the KAPD, in which, as far as possible, all comrades capable of bearing arms are to be included. These units are to be divided into companies, platoons, groups, etc. The leadership of the KO units is in the hands of a chairman elected by the comrades.

The leadership of the military organizations for Rhineland and Westphalia has been entrusted to Alfred Schröer (Essen) and the teacher Sümens. The entire district is divided into six sub-districts, namely Essen, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Dortmund, Iserlohn, and Hamborn. The sub-districts are to elect units responsible for leadership, provisioning, and payment, as well as to organize an intelligence service and establish a terror group, which should not be too large but well-trained. According to the statutes, a primary focus is to be placed on the discipline of the comrades, with a particular emphasis on their obligation to remain silent regarding all illegal actions. Violations involving the disclosure of secret preparations are to be ruthlessly punished; each unit forms a unit court for this purpose, consisting of three comrades as judges and one comrade as a defender. Serious offenses such as betrayal and the like fall under the jurisdiction of the tribunal of the supreme leadership.

In the directives issued by the national leadership, it is stated regarding the weapons issue that all means must be used to prevent weapons stocks from falling into the hands of the reaction; in some cases, armed resistance must be offered. On this point, it is further noted:

Under the pretext of handing over weapons in accordance with the Spa Conditions, searches for weapons are being conducted among the Red Army. In the Ruhr region, several depots have been unexpectedly uncovered in this way. It must be assumed that our weapons caches have become known through informants, making increased security necessary, along with a firm resolve to defend the collection points with weapons in hand. The opposing side has no interest in direct combat actions, as this could easily unleash a unified action by the working class. The party must now prepare a political situation through the KO or otherwise. The unleashing of a general strike is facilitated by portraying the search for weapons among the working class as intended for the political army, with corresponding political slogans being developed. Supporting this task is an intelligence service that immediately informs the leadership of all movements of weapons and ammunition, which in turn notifies the national leadership, as it is part of our duties to destroy these munitions and weapons transports by all means of sabotage if we cannot bring the transports directly into our hands.

In the instructions of the KAPD national leadership, the necessity of establishing special quartermaster units is further emphasized. These units are to identify the food supplies and clothing items available in their district but also gather precise information about the circumstances of the various banks so that the seizure of funds for financing the Red Army can be carried out promptly.

Regarding the behavior of the individual districts and localities at the onset of the action, the national leadership of the KO issues the directive that the general strike inherently carries the armed uprising, which, in its execution, will be proclaimed by the executive committee. At that point, the heightened state of alert of the illegal KO must automatically take effect throughout the entire Reich. The KO, like the party, is divided into economic districts and local groups, forming a network across the Reich and serving as the foundation for the establishment of the Red Army.