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