| Feldjägerkorps | |
|---|---|
 Gorget of theFeldjägerkorps | |
| Founded | 27 November 1943 |
| Disbanded | 23 June 1946 |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Wehrmacht |
| Type | Military provost |
| Role | Discipline, control and punishment |
| Part of | Oberkommando der Wehrmacht |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | General der PanzertruppeWerner Kempf General der InfanterieHans-Karl von Scheele General der FliegerWilhelm Speidel [de] |
TheFeldjägerkorps (German:[ˈfɛlt.jɛːɡɐˌkoːɐ̯]) (lit. field hunter corps) was amilitary provost organization in theGermanWehrmacht duringWorld War II. It was established on 27 November 1943 and consisted of threeFeldjäger commands that reported directly to theOberkommando der Wehrmacht, headed by chief of staffGeneralfeldmarschallWilhelm Keitel. It was recruited from veteran, battle-hardened troops and was senior to all other military police organizations. It operated approximately 12 miles behind thefront lines, and its main function was to maintain order and discipline among the troops, hunting downdeserters and stragglers and meting out punishment, which could includedrumhead courts-martial and execution.
There were no military units with police-like duties in theReichswehr, the armed forces of theWeimar Republic. Following theNazi seizure of power in 1933, a type of police force was established for theNazi Party's largestparamilitary organization, theSturmabteilung (SA). The SA played a key role in the Nazi consolidation of power by intimidating and coercing their political opponents with physical violence. The level of violence was so extreme that the political leaders felt the need to exert more control over marauding, undisciplined and often drunken SA stormtroopers. They also sought to protect the SA personnel from legal prosecution by those elements of the regular police force and the judiciary that were not yet fully under Nazi control.[1]
Accordingly, the SA-Feldpolizei was established inPrussia – the largest German state – by a decree of SA-StabschefErnst Röhm on 11 August 1933. It reported directly to the Supreme SA Leadership (OSAF) and was placed under the command of SA-StandartenführerWalter Fritsch [de]. On 7 October, it was renamed the SA-Feldjägerkorps. Only ideologically reliable and physically imposing men were recruited for service, and it reached a total of about 200 men. InBavaria – the second largest German state – a separate but related organization calledFeldjägerkorps in Bayern was organized under the command of SA-ObergruppenführerJohann Baptist Fuchs on 27 February 1934. As the Nazis gained more and more control over society through the process ofGleichschaltung and the level of street violence lessened, the necessity for the SA-Feldjägerkorps diminished. On 1 April 1935, the SA-Feldjägerkorps was officially dissolved and suitable personnel were incorporated into the regular uniformed police, theSchutzpolizei.[2]
In the course of the rearmament ofNazi Germany and the establishment of theWehrmacht in 1935, no permanent military police force was initially established. The formation of permanent specialized law enforcement troops for the military only occurred onmobilization preceding the outbreak of theSecond World War. Members of this regular military police force, theFeldgendarmerie, were recruited from the over 8,000Ordnungspolizei (order police) conscripted into thearmy.[3] Organizationally, they reported to theOberkommando des Heeres (Army High Command, OKH), and each field army and division had aFeldgendarmerie component. Among its main tasks were control of thearmy rear area, control of traffic and supply lines, and conducting searches fordeserters, stragglers and those absent without leave (AWOL). TheFeldgendarmerie had the authority to issue orders to every soldier in every branch of the military. Following the example of the army, theLuftwaffe Field Divisions and theWaffen-SS also established their ownFeldgendarmerie units.[4]
By late summer 1943, after the battles ofStalingrad andKursk, the momentum along theeastern front began to turn in favor of the advancingRed Army. German resistance began to weaken, morale was affected and desertions began to increase. Drastic measures were deemed necessary by theOberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command, OKW).Feldjägerkommando were authorized by aFührer order of November 1943 in response to the increasing indiscipline, neglect, and signs of subversion behind the front lines. On 9 January 1944 the newFeldjäger units were formed.[5]
TheFeldjägerkorps consisted of threeFeldjägerkommando:
Feldjägerkommando I and II were engaged exclusively on theeastern front, whileFeldjägerkommando III finished the war on thewestern front.[7]
EachFeldjägerkommando initially comprised aFeldjägerabteilung (battalion) and, from 24 April 1944, aFeldjägerregiment. The basic unit was theStreife (patrol), which was made up of one officer and three NCOs. Fifty such patrols, divided into three companies, comprised aFeldjägerabteilung. There were fiveFeldjägerabteilungen in aFeldjägerregiment. The commander of aFeldjägerkommando carried the status and authority of an army-level commander.[7]
TheFeldjägerkorps reported directly to OKW and was charged with hunting down deserters, arresting insubordinate soldiers, looters and malingerers, and searching rear areas for any soldiers who were capable of front line service. The units were manned with battle-hardened officers and non-commissioned officers. They were recruited from the ranks of decorated soldiers who had a minimum of three years of combat experience and who had been awarded at least theIron Cross, second class.[6] They had seniority over every other soldier up to their own rank, regardless of their service branch, including theWaffen-SS. They were granted disciplinary punishment authority, including the power to arrest anyone who could not provide a satisfactory explanation for their absence from active duty. By employing fear backed up by the authority of OKW, the high command intended for theFeldjager units to act as enforcers to stem the tide of desertions and provide the incentive for the German soldiers to continue to stand and fight to the death.[5]
TheFeldjägerkommando conducted their owncourts-martial, before which suspects could be immediately brought for trial. The commander of eachFeldjägerabteilung was assisted by a high-ranking judge (Chefrichter). By May 1944, they were authorized to conduct summary court-martial proceedings, which authorized sentences to be immediately carried out without awaiting confirmation from a higher commander as was the regular procedure. In this respect, theFeldjäger commanders became judges of aFliegendes Standgericht (flyingdrumhead court martial).[8] By the end of the war in Europe, it is estimated that up to 30,000 German soldiers were tried and sentenced to death for desertion, with about 20,000 being executed. The remainder had their sentences commuted to long prison terms and were sent toconcentration camps or to so-called military "penal battalions" where they were sent on highly dangerous operations, often consideredsuicide missions, mainly on the eastern front.[9]
TheFeldjägerkorps operated parallel to the front line and approximately 12–15 miles behind it. Their basic responsibilities were to:
They could also be employed in the same capacity as theFeldgendarmerie, providing traffic control, reconnoitering and clearing roads of bomb debris.[7]
After Germany's surrender on 8 May 1945, the remaining elements ofFeldjägerkorps III were placed at the disposal of the US Army and were allowed to keep their arms in order to maintain discipline among the GermanDisarmed Enemy Forces. They helped to enforce German adherence to the cease-fire, maintained order, collected stragglers and assisted with traffic control. TheFeldjägerkorps formally surrendered its arms to theAllies on 23 June 1946, the last German military unit to do so.[10]
TheFeldjäger wore a regular German Army infantryman's uniform with the whiteWaffenfarbe piping of the infantry. Their uniform tunic displayed two distinguishing features: the shoulder strap cipher displayed the letters "Fj", and they wore a redarmband in place of a cuffband on the lower left sleeve with bold black lettering arranged in two lines:Oberkommando der Wehrmacht – Feldjäger.[7] Their most notable distinction was a crescent-shaped metalgorget with the inscriptionFeldjagerkorps suspended by a chain around their necks. These features differentiated them from theFeldgendarmerie who wore a brown cuffband and a gorget, both solely inscribed withFeldgendarmerie. TheFeldjägerkorps (along with theFeldgendarmerie) were popularly derided asKettenhunde (chained dogs), in reference to their gorget and chain.[6]