Feldgendarmerie
After world war I all military police units were disbanded and no police units existed in the post-war Reichswehr. Only garrison areas were patrolled by regular soldiers which was a function normally carried out by military police. The start of W.W.II opened the floodgates for numerous police formations to form and characterised the sometimes chaotic hierarchy of the German armed forces. Civilian police units would form the basis for the Fallschirmtruppen as well as a number of Waffen SS divisions too with at least two well known commanders Sepp Dietrich and Kurt Meyer of the 12th SS serving as policemen prior to joining the military.
Within the German Army of the Third Reich, the Feldgendarmerie (also known as Kettenhund or Chain Dogs) was a military organisation that had received full infantry training and yet had extensive police powers. These military police units were employed with army divisions and higher formations. Feldgendarmerie establishments provided various different detachments which were self-contained units under the command of an army division. They worked in close cooperation with the Secret Field Police ("Geheime Feldpolizei") and with district commanders and town majors.
German Feldgendarmerie served right from the outbreak of war and after the occupation of Czechoslovakia and Poland, training schools were set up in Prague and Litzmannstadt-Görnau as well as a Police Technical School in Berlin. After the war, it was at these schools that most prospective police candidates received their instruction. They served on every front in the war and towards the end were more often employed as regular troops on the front-line and were involved in many desperate counter attacks and defences. Many were decorated for bravery. During the last days of the war all Feldgendarmerie caught by the Soviets (who had offered a bounty for their capture) could expect to be shot on the spot and many were issued with a second Soldbuch (pay book) and matching ID tags. In an area where it was fairly likely that prisoners would be taken the Feldgendarmen would hand their real pay book into the Feldgendarmerie redirection centre and would receive the false book and tags, which would state the soldiers status as a regular soldier. After the hostilities their real pay book and tags would be returned to them.
Within the German Army of the Third Reich, the Feldgendarmerie (also known as Kettenhund or Chain Dogs) was a military organisation that had received full infantry training and yet had extensive police powers. These military police units were employed with army divisions and higher formations. Feldgendarmerie establishments provided various different detachments which were self-contained units under the command of an army division. They worked in close cooperation with the Secret Field Police ("Geheime Feldpolizei") and with district commanders and town majors.
German Feldgendarmerie served right from the outbreak of war and after the occupation of Czechoslovakia and Poland, training schools were set up in Prague and Litzmannstadt-Görnau as well as a Police Technical School in Berlin. After the war, it was at these schools that most prospective police candidates received their instruction. They served on every front in the war and towards the end were more often employed as regular troops on the front-line and were involved in many desperate counter attacks and defences. Many were decorated for bravery. During the last days of the war all Feldgendarmerie caught by the Soviets (who had offered a bounty for their capture) could expect to be shot on the spot and many were issued with a second Soldbuch (pay book) and matching ID tags. In an area where it was fairly likely that prisoners would be taken the Feldgendarmen would hand their real pay book into the Feldgendarmerie redirection centre and would receive the false book and tags, which would state the soldiers status as a regular soldier. After the hostilities their real pay book and tags would be returned to them.
Field Police
The Feldgendarmerie served on all fronts throughout the war, often in the first elements in the advance and with the last units to retreat.
They were also one of the last organisations to lay down their arms after the end of the war, at least in the Western Allied zones. They continued to maintain law and order in those turbulent times albeit under new masters.
They were also one of the last organisations to lay down their arms after the end of the war, at least in the Western Allied zones. They continued to maintain law and order in those turbulent times albeit under new masters.
