Grand Ducal Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Gendarmerie

Gendarme of the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg Schwerin Gendarmerie Corps around 1840

The Grand Ducal Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Gendarmerie was the gendarmerie of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin from 1812 to 1918 . At least until 1866 she was part of the Grand Duchy's military contingent in the armed forces . The history of the corps, written in 1912 for the 100th anniversary of its founding, consists almost entirely of stationing and personal information.

history

(right) Schwerin gendarme around 1845

By a supreme decree of March 23, 1812, the commander of the hussar corps used for state police purposes , Major of the heart-shaped bodyguard Johann Caspar von Boddien, was commissioned by Duke Friedrich Franz I to convert the corps into a gendarmerie . Von Boddin was promoted to colonel in 1813 and major general in 1822 . On June 1, 1812, the first gendarmes were hired. The corps initially had a strength of:

- 1 inspector,

- 1 quartermaster

- 1 constable

- 6 brigadiers

- 2 sub-brigadiers

- 48 mounted gendarmes.

The gendarmes were divided into six gendarmerie brigades with the locations Ribnitz , Wismar , Hagenow , Grabow , Güstrow and Wredenhagen . On November 28, 1812, service regulations were published in which it was announced that "a corps of mounted gendarmerie" had been set up to maintain order and to speed up the enforcement of police laws.

In the following 30 years the brigade locations were relocated several times. Around 1840 the gendarmerie wore a uniform with a dark blue collar , presumably dark blue trousers with wide light blue stripes and a black shako with the national coat of arms and a red neckline analogous to the artillery . Presumably the gendarmerie uniform, like that of the military contingent, was adapted to the Prussian model in 1847 and a tunic and a spiked cap were introduced; Details are not known.

From 1847 the main location of the corps was Schwerin; The background was evidently security concerns in the context of the pre-march . In 1848 four mounted gendarmes were probably abolished through retirement, but 26 foot gendarmes were hired. The chief of the corps was now Colonel von Hopffgarten. Service journals were also introduced in 1848. In 1852/53 the corps was reinforced again and now comprised 57 foot gendarmes, 45 mounted men, 8 brigadiers, an accounting officer, a major and von Hopffgarten, who was promoted to major general.

In 1869 the brigades were renamed Beritte and some of the locations were relocated again. The rank of brigadier was also replaced by Oberwachtmeister. On October 1, 1869, Colonel Oldenburg was corps commander, his representative was the so-called gendarmerie officer, Lieutenant Colonel von Pritzbuer. Two sergeants, three foot gendarmes and seven horsemen were now stationed at the main location in Schwerin.

In 1879, due to the introduction of new judicial laws, the wards were restructured to include training, which did not affect the number of staff. The workforce in 1892 was:

- 1 brigadier (Colonel von Weltzien)

- 2 district officers

- 1 accounting officer

- 45 mounted gendarmes

- 58 foot policemen.

The gendarmes were now distributed to 49 stations in 6 mounted horses. In 1902/03 the corps was reinforced again by 2 sergeants, 13 mounted and 2 foot gendarmes. On June 1, 1912, the workforce was:

- 1 brigadier (Major von Oertzen)

- 2 district officers (captain Freiherr von Nettelbladt and first lieutenant von Raven)

- 1 purser

- 10 sergeants

- 58 mounted gendarmes

- 60 foot policemen.

At that time the corps was spread over 59 stations and had 69 service horses.

resolution

With the abdication of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV in the course of the November Revolution of 1918, the name of the corps was dropped; Details are not known. Presumably it continued to exist as a state gendarmerie until 1936, when the state police were dissolved and integrated into the Reich Security Main Office .

See also

• Royal Hanoverian Land Dragon Corps
• Kk Gendarmerie

literature

• Gendarmerie Oberwachtmeister Paul Benn: memorial to the 100th anniversary of the Grand Ducal Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Gendarmerie on June 1, 1912 , Schwerin (A. Drescher) 1912.
• Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Dietrich Monten : The German army. After the uniform work from the years 1835 to 1843 edited by Georg Ortenburg , Dortmund (Harenberg) 1990. ISBN 3-611-00132-5
• Klaus-Ulrich Keubke: The Mecklenburg Police. A chronicle from the beginning until today. Fonts for Atelier u. History painting, Schwerin 2011, ISBN 978-3-000351-40-2 .

Web links

• Literature about Grand Ducal Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Gendarmerie in the State Bibliography MV

Individual evidence

1. ↑ MDZ reader | Band | Collection of laws for the Mecklenburg-Schwerin countries | Collection of laws for the Mecklenburg-Schwerin region. Retrieved July 22, 2019 . 
2. ↑ Großherzoglich Mecklenburg-Schwerinsches official weekly paper . Schwerin 1848 ( archive.org [accessed July 22, 2019]).