German Feldpost 1943

[Michael Dobbs]

This is the second query I have received - a German Feldpost cover cancelled with an ordinary Feldpost d/s on 31.10.43.  Can anyone tell me any information as to the allocation of the FP number please which looks like 12406 or anything else useful?

Thanks, Mike  :)

[Nick Colley]

No.  :(

See attached.

chrs
N

[Chris Weddell]

Mike,

            No the same as Nick until I started to take a better look at the cover. Looking at the sender of the cover he is a member of the SS. The feldpost number is indeed 12406. The number indicates this was used by the Gruppe geheime Feldpolizei D 640 until 1942.

Gruppe geheime Feldpolizei D 640 were Secret Military Field Police.
Secret Field Police Group 640               
Situated 19.9.1940 in Gdansk, WW XX
Deployment: from spring 1941 with 12 army - Balkan, later HGr. E, 1945 HGr F, last with the 2nd army in Croatia.

This takes us back to the feldpost number only listed to 1942 why?

This is from wiki

"The Geheime Feldpolizei or GFP, Secret Field Police in English, was the secret military police of the German Wehrmacht until the end of the Second World War. These units were used to carry out plain-clothed security work in the field such as counter-espionage, counter-sabotage, detection of treasonable activities, counter-propaganda, protecting military installations and the provision of assistance to the German Army in courts-martial investigations. GFP personnel, who were also classed as Abwehrpolizei, operated as an executive branch of German military intelligence detecting resistance activity in Germany and occupied France. They were also known to carry out torture and executions of prisoners.

The need for a secret military police developed after the annexations of the Sudetenland in 1938 and Czechoslovakia in 1939. Although SS Einsatzgruppen units originally under the command of the Sicherheitspolizei (Security Police; SiPo) had been used during these operations,[1] the German High Command felt it needed a specialist intelligence agency with police functions. One that could operate with the military, but act like a security service to arrest potential opponents and eliminate any resistance. After studying data collected in Spain, Austria and Czechoslovakia, Generaloberst Wilhelm Keitel, commander in chief of the OKW, issued the "Dienstvorschrift für die Geheime Feldpolizei" (Regulations for the secret police). The GFP was created on 21 July 1939.
Although officially part of the Wehrmacht, its personnel were mainly recruited from the criminal branch of police officers who had been assigned to the armed forces. They were assigned the legal status of Wehrmachtsbeamte auf Kriegsdauer (military officials for the duration of the war) and retained the authority of other police agencies as well as the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Initially the Geheime Feldpolizei were exclusively Wehrmacht security units, but in 1942 they were absorbed by the Reich Main Security Office the SS.

GFP agents could wear either civilian clothes or uniforms in the course of their duties. A GFP official was also entitled to pass through any military roadblocks or enter military buildings. They could also use military signals and communications equipment, commandeer military vehicles, procure military supplies and accommodation wherever necessary in execution of their duty. In occupied areas, the GFP also provided personal escort to military VIPs, assistance to state security agencies in counter espionage, interrogation of suspects, prevention of sabotage and the detection of enemy agents.
In practice, GFP activity depended on the region in which it was operating. Work in occupied northern and western Europe was markedly different from operations conducted on the Eastern Front. In the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway, GFP agents were mainly confined to the secret police protection of senior Wehrmacht officers. In Belgium and France, the GFP became an executive part of the civilian police service, working alongside the military authorities to combat acts of resistance, the British Special Operations Executive and sabotage using terror tactics such as detentions, deportations and the execution of hostages. "

We know from July 1942 they came under the SS and that is why there is no listing after that date for this unit. This feldpost number was in use until 1945. This unit when the cover was sent was in action in Croatia.

[Michael Dobbs]

Chris

Many thanks for your response - a most detailed answer.  When I initially looked at the senders address I had thought that it meant the SS, but decided not to mention it to see what answers it generated.  I was puzzled as to why the was no reference to the FP number after 1942 when the cover was clearly dated 1943, but your answer sets out the reason very clearly.

Thanks for digging deaper!

I can now respond fully to the person who made the enquiry.

Mike  :) :)

[Nick Colley]

Chris, your diligence  puts me to shame!  ???

chrs
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[Michael Dobbs]

Hi everyone

The person who made the enquiry has thanked me for the response, in particular the person (Chris) who's done all the research.  He then asks if anyone could translate the letter written in German and stated:

[color=maroon]My daughter had a german student who translated it but would not tell me what was in the letter as it was about Jews !!.[/color]

I have initially stated that I do not know of anyone as in view of the above comment (which I realise could be interpreted several ways) I would not wish to 'inflict' this request on some of our German members.  Any offers ??

Thanks, Mike  :)