BACKGROUND: The Feldgendarmerie, (Military Field Police), units were established on mobilization of the Wehrmacht, (Armed Forces) in August 1939 and drew the majority of their personnel from the civil Ordnungspolizei, (Order Police), as they were already familiar with policing regulations and tasks. The Feldgendarmerie were assigned a wide variety of tasks that included, military traffic control, maintaining discipline and compliance of orders of the troops, the apprehension of stragglers and deserters, escorting POW’s, (Prisoners Of War), control of the civilian population, securing communication and supply lines, anti-partisan suppression and control of any disorder in the occupied rear areas of battle, among other duties. The Feldgendarmerie were also empowered with the authority to perform location and personal searches and could demand required assistance from any military or civilian personnel. The Feldgendarmerie’s authority extended to the point that Feldgendarmerie’s ranks out-ranked similar military personnel’s ranks. As an expedient measure the Feldgendarmerie personnel originally wore police uniforms with army insignia added but by late 1939 or early 1940 they were issued army uniforms with distinct identifying insignia including a duty gorget, a cufftitle and a police sleeve badge for wear by all ranks on the upper left sleeve of the service tunic and field blouse. Officer’s versions of the police sleeve eagle badge were generally hand embroidered in bright, silver/aluminum wire threads while the EM/NCO’s version was either machine woven or embroidered in the allocated, orange waffenfarben, (Branch of service color). The Feldgendarmerie personnel’s sleeve eagles were produced on a field-grey base to match the color of the uniform it was to be worn on while regular police eagles were produced an a police green base, also to match the color of the uniform it was to be worn. Of Note: On March 10TH 1944 further wear of the Feldgendarmerie sleeve eagle was officially abolished although they continued to be worn on a limited basis. Of Interest: Due to the way the Feldgendarmerie wore the duty gorget, suspended from a chain around the neck, allegedly they were superciliously referred to as Kettenhunde, (Chain Dogs), although highly doubtfully, to their faces.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Vertically oval, field-grey wool, base with a machine embroidered police style eagle with out-stretched wings, clutching a wreathed, canted swastika in it’s talons, encompassed by a vertically oval, oak-leaf wreath, all in orange rayon waffenfarbe, (Branch of service color), threads with black eye and swastika detailing.