Schutzpolizei Organization (pre-WW2) - 04/16/2007 12:24 AM
Sources such as the SHAEF/MIRS Handbook tell us that only Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna were large enough to have Schutzpolizeigruppen.
Now that we are lucky enough to have access to detailed biographies of whom became Police generals, thanks to the good work of authors in the USA (Miller) and Germany (Schulz et al), data emerge that have confused at least me. For example:
- if Berlin had a single Schupo-Gruppe, how come it had five Gruppen (Mitte, Ost, Sued, West and Nord)?
- could these Gruppen in fact been Abschnitte?
- Polizeioberstleutnant Oskar Paul Knofe, for example, commanded Gruppe "Nord" der Schutzpolizei in Berlin from 1 May 1937, succeeded by Oberst der Schutzpolizei Eberhard Herf
- similarly, if Hamburg had just one Schupo-Gruppe, how can it have had two Gruppen: "Ost" and "West"? (Oberst der Schutzpolizei Eberhard Herf commanded Gruppe "Ost" der Schutzpolizei in Hamburg.
It seems confusing that a Gruppe could have contained Gruppen! Perhaps terminology changed as time went by...
This may be a bit obscure, and not uniform related, but this Forum has been so helpful in the past I thought I'd give it a try!
Best wishes to all
hpt
Now that we are lucky enough to have access to detailed biographies of whom became Police generals, thanks to the good work of authors in the USA (Miller) and Germany (Schulz et al), data emerge that have confused at least me. For example:
- if Berlin had a single Schupo-Gruppe, how come it had five Gruppen (Mitte, Ost, Sued, West and Nord)?
- could these Gruppen in fact been Abschnitte?
- Polizeioberstleutnant Oskar Paul Knofe, for example, commanded Gruppe "Nord" der Schutzpolizei in Berlin from 1 May 1937, succeeded by Oberst der Schutzpolizei Eberhard Herf
- similarly, if Hamburg had just one Schupo-Gruppe, how can it have had two Gruppen: "Ost" and "West"? (Oberst der Schutzpolizei Eberhard Herf commanded Gruppe "Ost" der Schutzpolizei in Hamburg.
It seems confusing that a Gruppe could have contained Gruppen! Perhaps terminology changed as time went by...
This may be a bit obscure, and not uniform related, but this Forum has been so helpful in the past I thought I'd give it a try!
Best wishes to all
hpt