Luftschutzpolizei (LSP) ''(Air Raid Protection Police)'' was the local

civil defense Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...

organization in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

Formation

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

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 period TN became in ch ...

(Technical Emergency Service) and the

Feuerschutzpolizei ''Feuerschutzpolizei'' () was a fire police unit in Nazi Germany and a branch of Nazi Germany's Ordnungspolizei, formed in 1938 when the German municipal professional fire brigades were transferred to the national police. The previously red ...

(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'' (''Orpo'', , meaning "Order Police") were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly of power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favour of t ...

. 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, missing, capture or desertion. In c ...

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, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

, 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 most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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'' (''Orpo'', , meaning "Order Police") were the uniformed police force in Nazi Germany from 1936 to 1945. The Orpo was absorbed into the Nazi monopoly of power after regional police jurisdiction was removed in favour of th ...

, 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 up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

s), ''Bereitschaften'' (

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

), ''Züge'' (

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

s), ''Gruppen'' (

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

s), 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 in ...

s). The LSP in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, 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 German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, 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

* * * * * * * * * {{Civil defence Police forces of Nazi Germany Organizations established in 1942 Civil defense 1942 establishments in Germany