Unissued arm shield of the Free Corps “Chiemgau”

Rudolf Kanzler, a German surveyor and politician, organized Freikorps units post-World War I. A devout Roman Catholic and member of the Centre Party, he represented Lichtenfels in the Bavarian Landtag from 1905 to 1918. Notably anti-communist, Kanzler formed a Bürgerwehr in Rosenheim in 1919, which evolved into the Freikorps Chiemgau, Germany's largest at the time, earning him the moniker 'White General'. He allied with right-wing militant Georg Escherich and established his own Organisation Kanzler ('Orka'), inspired by Escherich's Orgesch. Kanzler's influence extended to Austria, where he collaborated with Richard Steidle in organizing the Heimwehr.