Maximilian Bayer
Maximilian Bayer (11 May 1872 in Karlsruhe – 25 October 1917 in Nomeny) was the founder of Scouting in Germany, along with Alexander Lion. During World War I, he built the 27th Royal Prussian Jäger Battalion, later the core of the Finnish Army. Life Bayer was the first of two children born to Major General Stephan Bayer (1816–1893) and his second wife, Julie Henoch (1839–1888). During his early life the family moved often between Italy and Germany, living in Pisa, Florence, Bagni di Lucca, Viareggio, Baden-Baden and Gotha. While living in Baden-Baden, the nine-year-old Bayer suffered from a severe case of diphtheria of the eye. The family moved to Italy again between 1883 and 1886, and it was during this time living in Capri and Venice that he became familiar with Italian language and culture. In 1887, at the age of 14, he continued his family's military tradition by enrolling as a cadet in a Berlin military academy. His mother died the next year. Bayer graduated from the school – the main military academy for the Prussian army – as a second lieutenant in 1891. Bayer continued his career in the Prussian army and volunteered during the Herero Wars in German South-West Africa in 1904. He returned to Germany in 1905 after contracting typhoid fever and experiencing heart troubles. Upon his recovery, he embarked on a popular lecture tour in Germany on the topic of the colonial war in Africa. He also published several books about his experiences under the pseudonym "Jonk Steffen." Bayer was killed by a sniper during World War I on Germany's Western Front. His remains were not identified until 6 months later and he was originally buried in the soldier's cemetery in Metz. In 1926, Bayer's remains were moved to his family's burial place in the main cemetery in Mannheim. Founding of the German Scouting movement In late 1908, Bayer met Alexander Lion at a meeting of the German Colonial Society. Lion had served as a medical officer during the war in German South-West Africa. At the time, Lion had been in correspondence with Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, and was devoting much of his free time to the establishment of Scouting in Germany. Bayer agreed to work with Lion to edit and publish a German translation of Baden-Powell's "Scouting for Boys." The book was first published as "Das Pfadfinderbuch" (The Scout Book) in May 1909. On 20 January 1909, the first German Scout troop, "Jugendsport in Wald und Feld" (Youth Sport in Woods and Fields) was formed in Berlin. Its first chairman was the well respected General Counsel Georg Baschwitz. Bayer was elected to the board. There was much opposition to the organization, however. Lion, Bayer, and their colleagues were faced with opposition from military, civilian, and church leaders, who objected to Scouting on the grounds that it was anti-patriotic. Opponents observed that Scouting originated in England, which was one of Germany's greatest political rivals at the time. A wave of