Grepo is the short form of the German word for border police (german: Grenzpolizei). It is usually found in English referring to the ''
Grenztruppen der DDR'' (Border Troops of the GDR) who guarded the
inner German border
The inner German border (german: Innerdeutsche Grenze or ; initially also ) was the border between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not including the ...
and the
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the gover ...
, but can be used to refer to other border police, such as the former Bayerische Grenzpolizei (
Bavarian Border Police), Hessen Grenzpolizei, and the separate ''
Bundesgrenzschutz
Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; en, Federal Border Guard) is the former name of the German ''Bundespolizei'' (Federal Police). Established on 16 March 1951 as a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the BGS originally was prima ...
'' ("Federal Border Guard", now part of the ''Bundespolizei'' "
Federal Police")
Grepo in English language fiction
The word ''Grepo'' has been used in many
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
spy novels
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligen ...
. Possibly the first use was by
Len Deighton
Leonard Cyril Deighton (; born 18 February 1929) is a British author. His publications have included cookery books, history and military history, but he is best known for his spy novels.
After completing his national service in the Royal Air ...
in his 1964 book ''Funeral in Berlin.''
['']Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'' entry for "grepo".
Similar terms
The related term ''Vopo'' (
Volkspolizei
The ''Deutsche Volkspolizei'' (DVP, German for "German People's Police"), commonly known as the ''Volkspolizei'' or VoPo, was the national police force of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1945 to 1990. The Volkspolizei was a h ...
) has also been used in English fiction. The abbreviation for the criminal police—
Kripo
''Kriminalpolizei'' (, "criminal police") is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany, the Kripo was the criminal poli ...
—is less common in English texts.
See also
*
Bavarian Border Police
*
Eastern Bloc politics
Eastern Bloc politics followed the Red Army's occupation of much of Central and Eastern Europe at the end of World War II and the Soviet Union's installation of Soviet-controlled Marxist–Leninist governments in the region that would be later ...
Footnotes
External links
"Clamor in the East; Berlin Border Guards Stunned by the News"€”''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' article of November 10, 1989, reporting border police's reaction to free travel
Border guards
Defunct law enforcement agencies of Germany
Eastern Bloc
Law enforcement in communist states
Borders of East Germany
Inner German border
{{ColdWar-stub
de:Bayerische Grenzpolizei