Feldjäger
Encyclopedia
.jpg)
Feldgendarmerie
The Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
In presence Feldjäger is the name of military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
of the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
, Germany's armed forces. The term Feldjäger, literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th century. Their emblem is the historic Order of the Black Eagle
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
which has as its motto Suum Cuique (Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
meaning "To each his own," a phrase derived from Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
).
History
The first modern Feldjäger unit was activated on 6 October 1955 when the bill creating the Bundeswehr was signed. The new law called for a military police training company to be established at the former Luftwaffe hospital in AndernachAndernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
. The original intention was to call the military police units of the Bundeswehr "Militärpolizei", literally military police. However, objections arose on the part of the federal states which had been given the mission of law enforcement. They wanted the use of the word "Polizei" to be unique to them and so the name was changed to Feldjäger in 1956.
Organization
The Feldjäger corps serves all component forces of the German Federal Armed Forces (BundeswehrBundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
) i.e., German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
, German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
, Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
(Air Force), Zentraler Sanitätsdienst (Joint Medical Corps) and Streitkräftebasis
Streitkräftebasis
Streitkräftebasis is a branch of the German Bundeswehr established in October 2000 as a result of major reforms of the German Bundeswehr. It handles various logistics and organisational tasks of the German Armed Forces...
(Joint Support Service), under the command of the Joint Support Command in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
which is the operational command of the Streitkräftebasis.
The Feldjäger have eight battalions of military police. Two battalions are assigned to each of the four Military District
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
Commands in Germany which are subordinate to the Joint Support Service.
Missions
The 30 Feldjäger MP Stations located throughout Germany work around the clock to perform the Feldjägers’ main mission which is to be a central point of contact for all soldiers who need assistance. There is a nationwide emergency phone number (01803-90 9999) so Bundeswehr soldiers can contact their nearest Feldjäger station at any time.The Feldjäger also have four more missions: Maintaining military discipline and order, military traffic control, security operations and investigations.
Military discipline
To maintain military discipline, the Feldjäger perform regular patrols on-post and at places where Bundeswehr personnel congregate. They also patrol at large military events, conduct checks in military installations, assist in collecting and returning stragglers and apprehended soldiers, and assist in collecting and transporting prisoners of war.Controlling military traffic
When directing and controlling military traffic, Feldjäger work closely with the civilian police to improve traffic safety and protect soldiers. Feldjäger traffic missions therefore include route reconnaissance and marking of convoy routes, preparing reports on road accidents with Bundeswehr involvement, directing and controlling military traffic, escorting military oversize or hazardous material vehicles, assisting with the planning and supervision of military traffic, safety checks on military hazardous material vehicles, and setting up military traffic networks.Security operations
Feldjäger security operations prevent crimes against the German Federal Armed Forces and prevent illegal disturbances of official Bundeswehr ceremonies. In addition, Feldjäger can be tasked to protect allied armed forces and provide personal security protection for high-risk Bundeswehr officials. They also secure the command posts of large units, escort VIPs, safeguard conferences and exhibitions, secure military property, assist commanders in physical security matters, and perform riot controlRiot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
missions.
Investigations and inquiries
Investigations and inquiries range from reporting serious accidents, analyzing matters of official interest, assisting in the investigation of military offenses, and searching for AWOLsDesertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
. The Feldjäger corps also has military working dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
(MWD) teams. The dogs are first trained to be patrol dogs and then as sniffer dogs at the Bundeswehr MWD school in Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
. Their teams assist in the search for explosives and drugs.
Overseas deployments
On overseas deployments, Feldjäger support the respective contingent by performing military police tasks. They are frequently employed in multinational military police units and not only monitor the behaviour of German soldiers in the area of operations, they also cooperate closely with local authorities, police, organizations, or the military police of other states under the Charter of the United NationsUnited Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
. House searches for illegal weapons and explosives are the day-to-day business in foreign deployments. One mission only performed overseas, for example, is the airport security and border clearance mission.
Training
To be able to conduct these varied and challenging missions, Feldjäger soldiers are sent to numerous training courses at the Feldjäger School in Hannover or to specialist courses with the civilian police. One course that all Feldjäger must complete is the proficiency test in English, which makes them excellent liaison officers when dealing with other MP forces.Uniform
The Feldjäger, although a joint force, wear Army uniforms because they originated as an Army branch of service. They wear red beretBeret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
s with the Prussian Guard Star (Order of the Black Eagle
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
) as their branch of service emblem. The collar patches and shoulder straps are piped in orange which is the Feldjäger branch colour.
For routine patrol missions, the Feldjäger wear the normal camouflage uniform with "Schwarzzeug" (literally black gear) meaning a black MP brassard, with the legend Feldjäger in smaller letters, as well as a black belt with black holster, black handcuff holder etc. However for representative purposes, e.g. parades, ceremonies and the motorcycle escort for senior officers, Weißzeug is worn. This is the older leather "white gear" worn before the Schwarzzeug, i.e., white belt, white gloves and a white holster worn on the left side of the belt in the tradition of sword carrying soldiers.
Jurisdiction
In Germany, the Feldjäger only have jurisdiction over soldiers, civil employees of the Federal Armed Forces and any civilian who enters a military compound and all civilians if this is a matter of security for the German federal army .Feldgendarmerie
The FeldgendarmerieFeldgendarmerie
The Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
(roughly translating to "Field Police") were the military police units of the armies of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(including the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
) from post-Napoleonic times to the conclusion of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.