I didn’t know that. Puts a different light on the subject leading me to a more optimistic opinon about where Germany might be in a couple of decades time.
They have 1,500,000 members in the biggest umbrella society plus another million in the other umbrella societies.
note officially they are not ‘militias’ and are merely a village hunt/shooting club, but they think of themselves as a village militia. I spoke to one drunk with a bizarre leather apron & some hand forged mystery tools in addition to his colorful regular uniform and bolt action WWII rifle. He told me he was part of the engieering detachment of the village militia.
WTF ?
Like bridges, trenches, and laying mines ?
Dang Right - we just built a wood bridge over the stream by the woods did it in less than 16 hours from felling the trees to the first crossing.
They organize themselves around the history of the village and usually have a big celebration when the recall that wonderous day in 1540 or 1360 or 1750 when the local Baron raised taxes, or some foreign lord tried to invade or pillage and the village militia kicked they butt.