I hope somebody of you will be so kind to satisfy my curiosity about the following.
During the years from 1943 to 1945 the town where I was living (Vercelli in Northern Italy) had been garrisoned by some German troops belonging to "Polizei" or "Felgendarmerie" or “Schutzpolizei’ or some other similar corp, as it was evident by the eagle with oak wreath on their uniforms, by the writing "POL." on the plates of their vehicles and by their dark brown shoulder straps.
However their Waffenfarbe (eagle on the sleeve etc.) was bright green and not orange as shown on the pictures I have seen for the Felgendarmerie.
They came in on Sept.1943, together with the men of SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, who left after some weeks.
My questions are:
1. Where they members of some Gebirgsjager Polizei Regiment? I guess so because of the green waffenfarbe, but they had none of the typical Gebirgsjäger's signs (edelweiss etc.), beside the mountain cap;
2. Is it correct to speak of SS-Polizei Regiments as I read in the book Robin Lumsden Paul Hannon - “THE ALLGEMEINE – SS”
OSPRAY MILITARY MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES 266 ? I do not remember any SS symbol on their uniforms.
3. A few months later a little group of men came into the town, occupied a building far away and installed a sign “GENDARMERIE”. Their waffenfarbe was orange and they were wearing the “ringkragen” when on duty. Some Russian collaborationists where with them. What is the differente between the formers and the latters?
4. I can’t remember the motto on their belt buckle? “Gott mit uns” or "Meine Ehre heißt Treue" ?
Thanks !
Unit ID in Vercelli, Italy, 1943-45
They were members of a platoon of the Gendarmerie-Hauptmannschaft Piemont and of the Headquarters of SS-Polizei-Regiment 15, both regular Order Police (Ordnungpolizei) units. The latter seems to have been entitled to wear the Edelweiss on their cap because of their fighting in mainly mountain areas of the Western Alps. Units of SS-Polizei-Regiment 15 fought against Partisans in the Provinces of Cuneo, Turin, Vercelli, Novara, Asti, Alessandria, Varese, Como, Milano, Florence and Arezzo.
Along those units several others were garrisoned in Vercelli and in the sorrounding area.
For details check please:
http://194.242.233.149/ortdb/it/ortdb.html
CG
Along those units several others were garrisoned in Vercelli and in the sorrounding area.
For details check please:
http://194.242.233.149/ortdb/it/ortdb.html
CG
An LSSAH veteran I know remembers that his unit was barracked in a Kazerne in Vercelli. This was October 1943 and before that they had been barracked in a school in Voghera. In Vercelli they recieved twelve new Funkpanzer (Sd.Kfz. 250) to replace their 8- and 4-wheelers, and their drivers trained on the new vehicles in the Vercelli area. His unit was the Nachrichtenzug of the Aufklärungsabteilung.
Do you know which Kazerne this must have been?
Do you know which Kazerne this must have been?
Re: Unit ID in Vercelli, Italy, 1943-45
I own an Document of a member of Gend.-Hauptmannschaft Piemonte Gend.-Zug Vercelli, given to Meister d. Schpol. A. Langer.