Feldgendarmerie

Within the German Army of the Third Reich, the "Feldgendarmerie" (also known as "Kettenhunde" 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. In Potsdam there was a military police school set up for the purpose of training military police and the subjects taught in these schools were as follows: Criminal code, general and special police powers, forestry, fishery and waterway codes, traffic codes, industrial codes, reporting duties, passport and identification duties, folk culture, first aid, weapons drill and insturction, shooting, defence techniques, criminal police methodology, identification service and general correspondance training. As well as all this there were also lessons in air defence, animal protection and typewriter and stenography courses.