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The Ordnungspolizei - Orpo

Last update 27 April 2006

Police in Combat
German Order Police Orpo, formed from Schupo (Municipal Police) and Gendarmerie (Rural Police) by the German Interior Ministry in 1936. This act integrated the regular German police forces in the SS, incorporating all local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The police were divided into Orpo (Regular Police), Sipo (Security Police), and Kripo (Criminal Investigation Police).
The Orpo troops wore green uniforms, which is why they were commonly called "Green Police".
The Orpo was commanded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Kurt Daluege, who was responsible to Reichsführer-SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei Heinrich Himmler.

Orpo-Man #1
The Orpo was divided into the following offices:
Hauptamt Ordungspolizei - Central Command Office of the Orpo, Schutzpolizei - Municipal Police, Gendarmerie - Rural Police, Verwaltungspolizei - Administrative branch of the Orpo, command authority for all Orpo police stations, Verkehrspolizei - Traffic enforcement and road safety administration, Wasserschutzpolizei - Water Protection Service, Bahnschutzpolizei - Railway Protection Service, Postschutz - Postal Protection Service, Feuerschutzpolizei - Fire Protection Police, Luftschutzpolizei - Protection Service for civil defence and air raid rescue, Technische Nothilfe - Technical Emergency Corps, Funkschutz - Security Service to protect radio stations, and Investigation Service for illegal reception of foreign radio broadcasts, Werkschutzpolizei - Factory Protection Police.


Orpo-Man #2
Orpo-Man #3
In 1938, military Orpo units were established: police battalions, police regiments, and Schupo regiments. In the occupied countries these units performed police duties, fought against partisans, supported regular Wehrmacht troops, and were called in guarding the ghettos, evacuations, deportations and mass killings (see Einsatzgruppen).
The Orpo was integrated in the SS but had separate insignias and ranks. SS-men could also belong to the Orpo, for example with the rank SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei.





Sources:
Gutman, Israel, ed. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1990
Wikipedia


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