Estonian auxiliary police

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The Estonian auxiliary police was a paramilitary auxiliary police of the German order police in the Reichskommissariat Ostland and existed from July 1941 to probably mid-1944; an exact dissolution date is not known. Smaller contingents were integrated into the Waffen-SS when it was dissolved .

history

The Estonian units were first founded on August 25, 1941, based on the order of Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb , Commander of Army Group North , to include Baltic citizens in the Wehrmacht service and to set up security battalions from these. In this context, General Georg von Küchler , commander of the 18th Army , formed six Estonian volunteer guards (referred to as the Estonian security group , Eesti julgestus group ) on the basis of the Omakaitse troops .

After September 1941, the Wehrmacht High Command (OKW) began to set up, in addition to the above units, other units for security in the rear of the army, as Estonian auxiliary police battalions ( protection teams for short "Schuma").

During the Second World War , 26 "Shuma" battalions were formed in Estonia , numbered from No. 29 to No. 45, No. 50 and from No. 286 to No. 293. In contrast to similar associations in the Imperial Commissariat of Ukraine and Belarus , those of were controlled by the Germans, the Estonian police battalions consisted largely of locals and included only a few German officials. On October 1, 1942, the Estonian police comprised 10,400 men, 591 of whom were Germans.

See also

literature

  • Joachim Hoffmann, The Eastern Legions 1941–1943. Freiburg, 1976.
  • Aivar Niglas, Toomas Hiio (2006). "Estonian defense battalions / police battalions". In Toomas Hiio; Meelis Maripuu; Indrek Paavle. Estonia 1940-1945: Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity. Tallinn. pp. 825-876.
  • Eesti vabadusvõitlejad Teises maailmasõjas // Koostaja by August Jurs - Tallinn, 1997. p. 146-155.
  • Toomas Hiio (2006). "Combat in Estonia in 1944". In Toomas Hiio; Meelis Maripuu; Indrek Paavle. Estonia 1940-1945: Reports of the Estonian International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity. Tallinn. pp. 1035-1094.