Sbor polních myslivců

Feldjägerkorps
Feldjägerkorps
Field Hunting Corps



As Germany began to lose World War II more and more obviously, the morale of its troops began to decline. A number of measures were taken to strengthen it. One of these was the creation of the Field Hunters Corps. This was formed on 25 December 1943, both from the patrols of the conscription force (Wehrmacht-Streifendienst) and from soldiers who had distinguished themselves in combat at the front. The corps was directly subordinated to the OKW. Its members had to spend at least three years at the front and receive at least the Iron Cross 2nd Class. Officers had to have significant command experience.



The Field Hunting Corps consisted of three detachments of field hunters (Feldjägerkommando):


Feldjägerkommando I was formed in Königsberg and commanded by Air Force General Ernst Müller.


The Feldjägerkommando II was formed in Wrocław and commanded by General of Tank Troops Werner Kempf, General of Infantry Karl von Oven and finally General of Artillery Willy Moser.


The Feldjägerkommando III was formed in Vienna and was commanded by Infantry General Hans-Karl von Scheele, Infantry General Martin Grase and finally Air General Wilhelm Speidel.



The basic unit was the patrol (Streife), which consisted of an officer and three non-commissioned officers. About fifteen of these patrols formed a company, and three companies formed a battalion of field hunters (Feldjägerabteilung). The Field Hunters Regiment (Feldjägerregiment) consisted of five such battalions.


The commander of the detachment stood roughly at the level of an army commander and had punitive authority over all members of the armed forces, including SS weapons. Troops I and II were deployed on the Eastern Front, Troop III on the Western Front. They operated about fifteen kilometres behind the front line and their function was to maintain order and discipline. Field hunters captured the pickings and returned them to the troops or formed ad hoc units from them. In addition, they also carried out traffic control or the disposal of enemy landings.


The authority of the field hunters was relatively great, as evidenced by the fact that FJK III continued to operate after the war. The Allies used it to maintain order among German prisoners. Its members were still allowed to keep their weapons, which they did not surrender until 23 June 1946.



Sources:
Gordon WILLIAMSON: German Military Police Units 1939-45, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 1989
http://www.bundesarchiv.de
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Sbor-polnich-myslivcu-t67687#238682 Version : 0
Discussion post Fact post
Attachments

Join us

We believe that there are people with different interests and experiences who could contribute their knowledge and ideas. If you love military history and have experience in historical research, writing articles, editing text, moderating, creating images, graphics or videos, or simply have a desire to contribute to our unique system, you can join us and help us create content that will be interesting and beneficial to other readers.

Find out more