''Postschutz'' (), after 1942 ''SS-Postschutz'', was a paramilitary unit of ''
Reichspost
''Reichspost'' (; "Imperial Mail") was the name of the postal service of Germany from 1866 to 1945.
''Deutsche Reichspost''
Upon the out break of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the break-up of the German Confederation in the Peace of ...
'' with a mission to protect post office installations from armed attacks.
Origins
The Postschutz was created in 1933 in order to protect the establishments of the German Post Office from communist attacks. In 1942 the Postschutz was put under the command of the
Allgemeine SS
The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autumn ...
, becoming the SS-Postschutz with
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Christian Berger (16 July 1896 – 5 January 1975) was a senior German Nazi official who held the rank of '' SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS'' (lieutenant general) and was the chief of the SS Main Office responsible ...
as military leader, and subordinated to the supervision of the
SS-Hauptamt.
Personnel
At the end of 1933 26,000 postal employees had volunteered for the Postschutz. In 1937 an agreement between 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 ...
and the Postmaster General
Wilhelm Ohnesorge
''This article is based on a translation of the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia.
Wilhelm Ohnesorge (8 June 1872 – 1 February 1962) was a German politician in the Third Reich who sat in the Hitler Cabinet. From 1937 to 1945, he ...
established that in time of war 29,000 men from the Reichspost would be reserved for the Postschutz. In 1939 the Postschutz contained 40 000 men, and was also in charge of
air raid precautions
Air Raid Precautions (ARP) refers to a number of organisations and guidelines in the United Kingdom dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air raids. Government consideration for air raid precautions increased in the 1920s an ...
for the Reichspost. All male postal employees could become volunteer members of the Postschutz. For all new employees under the age of 35 it was mandatory. Training took place at eight schools, that annually held courses for 20 000 members of the Postschutz.
Military actions
In 1942 units from the SS-Postschutz staffed the ''Fronthilfe der Deutschen Reichspost'', motor coach units operating with front units of the
Waffen-SS
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
. In 1944 the Fronthilfe contained a HQ, five battalions, a motor depot, and about 7,000 men. Members of the SS-Postschutz were also drafted into ''SS-Sicherungs-Bataillone der Deutschen Reichspost'' (SS-security battalions of the German post office), combating
partisans in occupied
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
and
Belorussia.
Ranks
References
* Klietmann, K.G. (1965), ''Die Waffen-SS: eine Dokumentation'', Osnabruck Verlag.
* Schweizer, Michael (2014), ''Der Postschutz und Postluftschutz im Dritten Reich und in den besetzten Gebieten'', Morgana-Ed.
{{Uniforms, insignia and ranks of Nazi Germany
Police units of Nazi Germany
Postal police
Postal history of Germany