World War II German Police Units

Gordon Williamson

ISBN 10: 1846030684 / ISBN 13: 9781846030680

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, GB, 2006

About this Item

A concise introduction to the organization, responsibilities, uniforms, and insignia of the German Police under the Nazi regime.Following Adolf Hitler's rise to power, the previously decentralized provincial police system was unified into a single state apparatus, integrated at the command levels with the SS. Despite central control, the police were divided into a complex array of departments and functions, each with its own uniform distinctions.The book explores the roles and appearances of various branches, including Police Generals, rural constables, transport policemen, and factory watchmen.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781846030680

Bibliographic Details

• Title: World War II German Police Units
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, GB
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1846030684
• ISBN 13: 9781846030680
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Embleton, Gerry
• Condition: New
• Weight: 194 grams

About this title

Synopsis

The wartime Police were headed by Himmler as chief of the SS; and throughout the occupied nations the regional SS commanders were specifically termed 'Higher SS and Police Leaders'. Hitler's police was not a single service, but a vast machinery which included many special categories ranging from conventional criminal detectives, and municipal and rural police to combat battalions sent to Russia, and from border and customs police to special railway and waterway departments, fire brigades and emergency engineer squads, and even a colonial service for North Africa. The author explains the origins, the complex organization and the particular duties of the many different police branches that formed such a critical part of the Nazi apparatus and ensured that control was maintained inside Hitler's Fortress Europe. His painstaking research has unearthed fascinating new information about the German police services and their many different uniforms and insignia, which are recreated in the meticulously detailed color artwork.

About the Authors

Gordon Williamson is a retired civil servant who spent several years working for the Royal Military Police (TA). He has written over 60 military books, including a number of titles for Osprey: ELI 183 U-boat Tactics in World War II, MAA 434 World War II German Police Units etc. Amongst his primary interests are the German Navy in World War II, U-Boats, and the Military Police forces of the Allied and Axis armies. He lives near Edinburgh in Scotland.

Gerry Embleton has been a leading illustrator and researcher of historical costume since the 1970s, and has illustrated and written Osprey titles on a wide range of subjects for more than 20 years. He is an internationally respected authority on 15th and 18th century costumes in particular. He lives in Switzerland, where since 1988 he has also become well known for designing and creating life-size historical figures for museums.