Luftschutzpolizei (LSP) ''(Air Raid Protection Police)'' was the local civil defense organization in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Formation

LSP was the civil protection service in charge of rescuing victims of bombings in connection with the

Technische Nothilfe ''Technische Nothilfe'' (abbreviated as TN, T.N, T.H, Tech Nh, TeNo, TENO; ) was a German organisation. It began as a strikebreaker organisation after the First World War, but developed into a volunteer emergency response unit. During the Nazi ...

(Technical Emergency Service) and the Feuerschutzpolizei (professional fire departments). Created as the Security and Assistance Service ('' Sicherheits und Hilfsdienst (SHD)'') in 1935, it was renamed "Luftschutzpolizei" in April 1942, when transferred from the aegis of

Ministry of Aviation The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply. ...

to the

Ordnungspolizei The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (), abbreviated ''Orpo'', meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction w ...

. The transfer took place as part of the reorganization of the German civil defense caused by the heavy

casualties A casualty, as a term in military usage, is a person in military service, combatant or non-combatant, who becomes unavailable for duty due to any of several circumstances, including death, injury, illness, capture or desertion. In civilian usag ...

suffered from Allied bombings of civilian targets. The local SHD was transferred to the Ordnungspolizei as Luftschutzpolizei. The mobile reserve columns were transferred to the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, as motorized rescue battalions, and greatly expanded.

Organization

The LSP belonged to the Technical Auxiliary Police together with the Technical Emergency Service and the volunteer fire departments. It was subordinate to the local civil defense commander (the local

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

or municipal police commissioner), and under the direct leadership of the local protection police commander ''(Kommandeuer der Schutzpolizei),'' who exercised tactical command during air raid protection operations. In

Hauptamt Ordnungspolizei The ''Ordnungspolizei'' (), abbreviated ''Orpo'', meaning "Order Police", were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo organisation was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly on power after regional police jurisdiction w ...

, civil defense matters were handled by the Inspectorate of Air Raid Protection and Air Raid Protection Police. The LSP contained the following services: * Fire-fighting and decontamination service (FE) * Repair, demolition and rescue services (I) * Medical and first aid service (S) * Veterinary first aid service (V) * Specialized technical squads (H) The LSP was organized in ''Abteilungen'' (

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s), ''Bereitschaften'' (

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

), ''Züge'' (

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

s), ''Gruppen'' ( squads), and ''Trupps'' (

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

s). The LSP in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, had in 1943 9,300 members, organized as follows: * 30 F-companies * 18 F-platoons (water) * 8 Decontamination parks * 18 I-companies * 13 I-parks * 13 S-companies * 72 Medical air raid centers * 3 Medical supply depots * 7 Veterinary air raid centers * 5 H-companies.

Materiel

A Fire-fighting company was, according to the table of equipment, outfitted with the following vehicles. In reality, this standard could not always be maintained. * 2 Fire engines LF-25 with a capacity of 2,500 liters water per minute. * 2 Fire engines LF-15 with a capacity of 1,500 liters water per minute. * 2 Fire engines LF-8 with a capacity of 800 liters water per minute. * 1 Hose vehicle * 1 Ladder truck, large

Personnel

The personnel was made up of men over conscription age, drafted into full-time civil defense service. Allied intelligence sources believed the mean age was 45 years old. The manpower needs of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

, the industry, and the economy had priority over the LSP. As a result, only 70% of the billets in the table of organization could be filled. Many of the men were of questionable physical stamina. As members of the LSP they were also members of the reserve police. Officers of the LSP were trained at the Police Academy for Air Raid Protection Tactics, at Berlin-Schöneberg. While in uniform or performing an official duty, they were subject to the special SS and police jurisdiction.

Ranks

References

Notes

Cited literature

* * * * * * * * * {{Uniforms, insignia and ranks of Nazi Germany Police forces of Nazi Germany Police of Nazi Germany Organizations established in 1942 Civil defense 1942 establishments in Germany