The security units of the Third Reich were many and diverse, yet often an oversimplified view is projected of these organisations. This title provides a detailed and informed picture of the variety of operations and duties, as well as the motivation and behaviour of the men involved. It charts the experiences of typical World War II security forces and police soldiers from the routine of military traffic duty, to combating partisans and resistance fighters. It covers the military police of the Armed Forces proper and the Waffen-SS, the combat units of the German State Police, the SD Sicherheitsdienst, the Schutzmannschaft' units, and the extreme and dreaded anti-partisan units 'Dirlewanger' and 'Kaminski'.

The security units of the Third Reich were many and diverse, yet often an oversimplified view is projected of these organisations. This title provides a detailed and informed picture of the variety of operations and duties, as well as the motivation and behaviour of the men involved. It charts the experiences of typical World War II security forces and police soldiers from the routine of military traffic duty, to combating partisans and resistance fighters. It covers the military police of the Armed Forces proper and the Waffen-SS, the combat units of the German State Police, the SD Sicherheitsdienst, the Schutzmannschaft' units, and the extreme and dreaded anti-partisan units 'Dirlewanger' and 'Kaminski'.

The security units of the Third Reich were many and diverse, yet often an oversimplified view is projected of these organisations. This title provides a detailed and informed picture of the variety of operations and duties, as well as the motivation and behaviour of the men involved. It charts the experiences of typical World War II security forces and police soldiers - from the routine of military traffic duty, to combating partisans and resistance fighters. It covers the military police of the Armed Forces proper and the Waffen-SS, the combat units of the German State Police, the SD Sicherheitsdienst, the Schutzmannschaft' units, and the extreme and dreaded anti-partisan units 'Dirlewanger' and 'Kaminski'.

The military policeman must be one of the least appreciated yet most indispensable military figures in modern history. In the mobile warfare of the 20th century no army could keep its vital supply routes open without the military policeman. This book documents the organisation, uniforms and insignia of the many and varied German military police units of World War II. Their duties included traffic control; maintaining military order and discipline; collection and escorting prisoners of war; prevention of looting; disarming civilians; checking captured enemy soldiers for documents; collection of fallen enemy propaganda leaflets and providing street patrols in occupied areas.

Fighting in every theatre from the burning sands of North Africa to the icy wastes above the arctic circle the German Army's Gebirgstruppen troops were some of the most effective in the whole of the Wehrmacht. Their esprit de corps and morale were extremely high and their commanders, men such as Eduard Dietl, the 'Hero of Narvik', and Julius 'Papa' Ringel, were idolised by their men. Dietl himself was the first soldier of the Wehrmacht to be awarded the coveted Oakleaves to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. In this book Gordon Williamson details the uniforms, organisation and combat histories of these elite troops.

Few branches of the German armed forces were represented on so many fronts as the mountain infantrymen, or Gebirgstruppen. From the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, through the invasions of the Balkans and Russia and the North African campaign, to the defence of the Reich 1944-45, the Gebirgsjäger earned a reputation for reliability and courage. Typically each trooper was a supremely fit individual: the need to cover difficult terrain in full kit, without the back-up of a motorised baggage train, demanded this. This new volume examines the recruitment, training, and combat experiences of the common Gebirgsjäger.

In almost every army in the world, the military police rank amongst those who are least liked by other soldiers despite the essential duties that they carry out, often being amongst the first in and last out in any theatre of war. In the German armed forces, opinions of the military police were those of fear and distrust, so great were the powers held by these troops. Germany created a plethora of different branches of what were termed 'Ordnungstruppe' ('Troops for Maintaining Order'). Many wore a distinctive metal plate around the neck, leading to their nickname 'Kettenhund' or 'Chain Dogs'. Despite being involved in the brutal treatment of partisans, their skills were so much appreciated by the Allies that on Germany's surrender, Wehrmacht military police units were allowed to remain in post to assist in controlling the vast number of disarmed German troops. Supplemented with previously unpublished photographs, Kettenhund! - The German Military Police in the Second World provides a detailed study of the organisation of these units and the distinctive uniforms and insignia they wore.