Feuerschutzpolizei

Feuerschutzpolizei
Polizeiadler
Operational area
Country Nazi Germany
City fire departments86
Mobile regiments (1939-1943)5
Mobile battalions (1943-1945)9
Agency overview
Established24 October 1939 (1939-10-24)
Dissolved17 July 1945 (1945-07-17)
Employees12,217 (1941) within the Germany of 1937
CommissionerSS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei Hans Rumpf

Feuerschutzpolizei (lit. 'Fire Protection Police') was a fire police unit in Nazi Germany and a branch of Nazi Germany's Ordnungspolizei, formed in 1938 when the German municipal professional fire brigades were transferred to the national police. The previously red fire vehicles, blue uniforms and fire service ranks were replaced by green fire vehicles, green uniforms and police ranks.[1]

Mission

The Feuerschutzpolizei had several distinct missions: to extinguish fires; to cooperate in civil defense policy; to carry out prevention missions by ensuring, for example, that building construction uses non-combustible materials; prescribe regulations for the handling and storage of highly flammable materials; and finally, provide a fire inspection service.[2]

History

In Germany, the growing importance of the fire service and civil defence policy led to a reform of the peacetime organization of the firefighting services. Thus, the German law of December 15, 1933, regulating firefighting, placed volunteer, compulsory, and professional firefighters under the administration of the police supervisory authorities (Polizeiaufsichtsbehörden). This gave rise to the concept of a firefighting police force (Feuerlöschpolizei). The law of 1933 was supplemented by a second law dated November 23, 1938, which established the new principles of the fire service. This latter law facilitated the implementation of a rigid and uniform organization for the entire Germany. Alongside the various fire brigade organizations, it created a fire protection police force, the Feuerschutzpolizei, by transferering the professional fire brigades to the police. As a technical police force and an organization of national interest, the Feuerschutzpolizei was placed under the control of the Ministry of the Interior and became a branch of the Ordnungspolizei.[2]

Organization

Green fire vehicle.

The 1938 Law on Firefighting defined the Feuerschutzpolizei as a tightly organized auxiliary police force under state supervision, guided by the Führerprinzip, uniformly structured throughout the Reich, and led by trained personnel. The Reich Minister of the Interior was to determine which cities were to establish a fire protection police force and in which cities an existing professional fire brigade was to be converted into a fire protection police force. Paragraph 2 of the aforementioned law stated that the officers of the fire protection police were sworn police officers and, according to paragraph 4, the general civil service regulations also applied to them. Paragraph 3 of the aforementioned law set the age limit for fire protection police officers at the completed age of 60.[3]

The uniform of the fire protection police was green, similar to that of the regular police, with a few organization-specific nuances that were barely distinguishable to the public. Police rank titles and insignia were adopted. Existing vehicles and trailers were to be repainted "police green" and marked with Feuerschutzpolizei. Police insignia and place names initially remained unchanged. Standard training regulations for all fire services were introduced for all fire service branches; these were published as police service regulations.[4]

In 1941 there were Fire Protection Police units in 86 cities in Germany, in Ostmark (occupied Austria) and in General Government (occupied Poland).[5] Outside these cities, the German fire services consisted of volunteer fire brigades, in cooperation with compulsory fire brigades (Pflichtfeuerwehr) and industrial fire brigades (Werkfeuerwehr).[6] In spite of being a branch of the Ordnungspolizei, the Fire Protection Police was a municipal institution; respective cities having the budgetary responsibility for staff and equipment. Administratively and operationally the Fire Protection Police were, however, subordinated to the Ordnungspolizei.[1]

Field Units

During the war, the Feuerschutzpolizei organized six motorized firefighting regiments. Their mission was to follow the German army's advance and have the main responsibility for the occupied territories fire protection and civil defense. Each regiment consisted of some 1000 firefighters.[7]

In 1943 the regimental organization was abolished, the battalions becoming independent units. The fourth regiment was stood down, while nine battalions were formed from the rest. Each battalion consisted of about 400 fire fighters in three companies.[7] A fourth company of non-citizens (Volksdeutsche, Ukrainians and Poles), were later added.[5]

  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 1 Sachsen, 1939–1943
  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 2 Hannover, 1941–1943
  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 3 Ostpreussen, 1941–1943
  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 4 Ukraine, 1941–1943
  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 5 Böhmen-Mähren, 1942–1943
  • Feuerschutzpolizei-Regiment 6 Niederlande, 1942–1943

Ranks

Ordnungspolizei rank insignia, including the Feuerschutzpolizei.
Professional Fire Departments
(1935–1938)[8] 		Feuerschutzpolizei
(1938–1941)[9] 		Feuerschutzpolizei
(1941–1945)[9][10] 		Insignia Corresponding rank in the SS
(Wehrmacht)[11]
–
–
 Generalleutnant SS-Gruppenführer
(Generalleutnant)
Oberbranddirektor[a] Generalmajor Generalmajor SS-Brigadeführer
(Generalmajor)
Oberbranddirektor
Branddirektor 		Oberst Oberst SS-Standartenführer
(Oberst)
Oberbaurat Oberstleutnant Oberstleutnant SS-Obersturmbannführer
(Oberstleutnant)
Baurat Major Major SS-Sturmbannführer
(Major)
Brandingenieur
Brandoberingenieur
Baurat[b] 		Hauptmann Hauptmann SS-Hauptsturmführer
(Hauptmann)
–
–
 Bezirkshauptmann
–
 Inspektor Bezirksoberleutnant SS-Obersturmführer
(Oberleutnant)
Oberbrandmeister Obermeister Leutnant SS-Untersturmführer
(Leutnant)
–
–
 Bezirksleutnant
Brandmeister Meister Meister SS-Sturmscharführer
(Stabsfeldwebel)
Löschmeister Hauptwachtmeister Hauptwachtmeister SS-Hauptscharführer
(Oberfeldwebel)
Oberfeuerwehrmann Bezirksoberwachtmeister Bezirksoberwachtmeister SS-Oberscharführer
(Feldwebel)
–
 Oberwachtmeister Oberwachtmeister SS-Scharführer
(Unterfeldwebel)
Feuerwehrmann Wachtmeister Wachtmeister SS-Unterscharführer
(Unteroffizier)
–
–
 Rottwachtmeister SS-Rottenführer
(Obergefreiter)
–
–
 Unterwachtmeister[c] SS-Sturmmann
(Gefreiter)
–
–
 Anwärter[c][d] No insignia SS-Mann
(Oberschütze)
–
–
 Anwärter[c] SS-Anwärter
(Schütze)

Notes

  1. ^ The fire chief of Berlin.
  2. ^ With less than three years in the rank.
  3. ^ a b c Only in the field units
  4. ^ With more than six months in the rank.

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Gesetz über das Feuerlöschwesen vom 23. November 1938 2016-08-09.
  2. ^ a b Ranvoisy, Emmanuel (2013). Le Régiment de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris - 1939-1944. Paris: Mairie de Paris, vol. 1, p. 23.
  3. ^ Kirnich, Hans-Christoph (2013). Die Grazer Feuerschutzpolizei von 1938 bis 1945. Karl-Franzens Universität Graz, p. 43.
  4. ^ Jarausch, Dieter (2004). "Umorganisation des Feuerwehrwesens aufgrund geänderter Gesetzgebung." In: Brandschutz unter Autoritären Regimes. Pribyslav: Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Feuerwehr- und Brandschutzgeschichte, p. 34.
  5. ^ a b FEUERSCHUTZPOLIZEI (FSchP) Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine 2016-08-09.
  6. ^ Andreas Linhardt, Feuerwehr im Luftschutz 1926–1945 (2002), pp. 200–201.
  7. ^ a b Die Feuerschutzpolizei-Regimenter 2016-08-09.
  8. ^ Neustrukturierung 1935 2016-08-09.
  9. ^ a b Rodehau 2009.
  10. ^ CIA 1999, p. 19.
  11. ^ Mollo 1992, p. 51.

Bibliography

  • CIA (24 August 1999). "Records Integration Title Book" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  • Rodehau, Erwin (2009). "Dienstkleidung der Berliner Berufsfeuerwehr (1899 bis 1944)" (PDF). Feuerwehrchronik (in German). 5 (6). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  • Mollo, Andrew (1992). Uniforms of the SS, Vol. 5: "Sicherheitsdienst und Sicherheitspolizei 1931–1945". London: Windrow & Green.
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