Ducal Gotha Gendarmerie Corps

Ducal Gotha gendarmes in their first uniform in 1811 based on the model of the gendarmerie impériale with blue skirts, yellow leather trousers and black bicorns.

The Herzoglich Gothaische Gendarmeriekorps was the gendarmerie of the Duchy of Gotha from 1811 to 1918 . Even after the founding of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , the corps was only active in Gotha. In contrast to most of the German gendarmerie, it was not organized militarily , but was always and exclusively subordinate to the civil state authorities.

history

Gendarmerie impériale par Alfred de Marbot

The Gendarmerie Corps was founded in 1811, since the since the 1790s responsible for public safety and order Dragoons of the Ducal Dragoons regiment had not proved successful. Both the dragoons themselves and the superior military authorities considered the use of the riders for police tasks to be unreasonable. In addition, the originally mounted dragoons were ultimately only active on foot for reasons of cost. In 1807 the number of personnel was still six officers and 100 men and officers .

When the regiment was dissolved in 1807 due to Gotha's accession to the Rhine Confederation , plans arose immediately for a so-called state police militia, which should include a good 20 mounted state police Reuters (pronounced: riders ). Since the formation of the troops was delayed again and again, seven uniformed mounted gendarmes were employed based on the model of the French gendarmerie impériale . Between 1807 and 1811 these gendarmes and the police Reuter seem to have existed in parallel.

With the patent dated November 22, 1811, the "Land Police Militia", alternatively known as the Gendarmerie, was formally set up. From December 31, 1811, the gendarmerie was considered operational. It was composed of:

- a police captain ,

- 4 security officers ,

- 20 common ones ,

and was subordinate to the head of the state government, i.e. a civil authority. The Gotha gendarmes were therefore not members of the military and were subject to the civil courts for disciplinary purposes. According to Section 11 of the patent, their task was:

Maintaining and promoting public safety, preventing and detecting wrongdoing, and vigilance over compliance with police laws.

Patent dated November 22, 1811, quoted in Rasch, Gendarmerie , p. 12

In Gotha itself a command of a sergeant and two gendarmes was stationed to patrol the city and the suburbs and to act as an immediate reaction force in the country. 12 more gendarmes were permanently stationed, while three commandos, each consisting of a constable and two gendarmes, regularly patrolled the country from the capital. The lower authorities were obliged to assist the gendarmes in every way, including the punishment of z. B. Resisting concerned.

For tactical and political reasons, the uniform corresponded to the uniforms of the French gendarmerie impériale and consisted of a blue skirt, yellow leather trousers, a two-pointed hat and high boots. It was armed with a saber and two pistols including a cartridge pouch . Since the later uniform (see below) also had a blue basic color, the outward appearance of the corps also differed significantly from the military contingent of the duchy in the armed forces, which was always green until the dissolution in 1866 .

The basically French uniform was important insofar as it facilitated cooperation with the gendarmerie impériale, which is also known as the military police . B. was used against marauding French troops. When the Grande Armée withdrew from Russia , a gendarmerie brigade of five gendarmes led by a French brigadier was formed to accompany French supply convoys to Erfurt . After the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig , the ducal gendarmerie, in cooperation with eight French gendarmes, prevented Gotha from being plundered by retreating French troops. The city gates were locked together and only officers were allowed to enter the city. The gendarmes were supported by a Piket Lancers (lancers). The uniform was disadvantageous for a gendarme who fell into the hands of a troop of Russian Cossacks and was not only robbed but also beaten completely incapacitated.

After the turmoil of the coalition wars, the gendarmes were entrusted more and more with administrative police tasks such as food control or the monitoring of fire engines. In 1824 the now antiquated French uniform was abolished. Instead, a dark blue collar , long blue cloth trousers, short boots and a shako with a coat of arms, cockade and green and white neckline were introduced, as well as a blue peaked cap , dark gray cloth trousers with riding leather and a long blue overskirt for normal business purposes . It is unclear which uniform served as a model.

In order to facilitate the supervision of the individually stationed gendarmes, five gendarmerie brigades were founded in 1829, which were stationed in Gotha, Waltershausen , Ichtershausen , Ohrdruf and Tonna . The administrative police tasks were also expanded and the gendarmes were temporarily deployed in the customs service and in the forestry and fishing service and as messengers. Foot gendarmes were hired for the first time in 1830, although this was due to fiscal reasons. To be able to retire three mounted gendarmes, only one new rider and two foot gendarmes were hired; the pensions could be financed through the savings for the two riders.

However, this system did not work as the foot gendarmes were far less agile than the riders. In 1837, the sergeant Ludwig was posted to Coburg to set up a gendarmerie based on the Gotha model. Until then, in Coburg, as in Gotha until 1807, the military had performed the police duties and had also proven to be ineffective.

In 1844 the corps received a completely changed uniform that contained both Prussian and Bavarian elements. The dark blue, single-breasted tunic with white buttons, light blue collar and light blue Swedish lapels was made according to the Prussian pattern , the caterpillar helmet with white fittings according to the Bavarian pattern. In addition, dark-gray trousers and a dark-gray coat were worn, as well as a blue cap with a black-lacquered peak for special business activities.

This uniform was still in use shortly before the First World War and probably until the corps was dissolved in 1918; only the caterpillar helmet was probably replaced by the Prussian pickel hood around 1880 . Before 1911, all gendarmes had been equipped with revolvers .

In the 1840s, the number of mounted gendarmes was further reduced. Allegedly, foot genders were now more effective, as they did not have to spend any time on the horse care and could operate more inconspicuously. In addition, the introduction of the railroad and improved postal connections made it much easier to control individual items. In 1849 the gendarmes' pensions were finally taken over by the general pension fund , so that younger staff could be employed. This had to complete a one-year trial period. Finally a cash register was introduced to allow the state to buy the horses of the mounted gendarmes, which prevented the gendarmes from becoming indebted.

With the introduction of the district offices in 1858, the structure of the corps changed considerably. A brigade was now stationed at each of the offices in Gotha, Ohrdruf and Waltershausen. In 1861, the post of commander was also canceled and the money saved as a result was used for hiring another foot gendarme and for the remonte.

Another step was the abolition of the brigade commands in the 1880s, which strengthened the powers of the district offices. From 1888 there was only one brigade as a gendarmerie command for the entire Duchy of Gotha . The commanding officer was now a sergeant who was directly subordinate to the State Ministry. Its function, however, was very limited, as the direct supervision was incumbent on the district offices. This structure was still in place in 1911. At that time, the corps consisted of a sergeant as commander, seven mounted and 16 foot gendarme. At this point in time, the first gendarmes had already been hired who had attended a gendarmerie or police school and had a better knowledge of the criminal police and generally had better knowledge of the law.

Stationing and manpower in 1912

Gendarmes of the Herzoglich Gothaischen Gendarmeriekorps 1911.

In 1912 the corps consisted of a sergeant, seven mounted and 16 foot gendarmes, who were stationed in the three district offices of Gotha, Waltershausen and Ohrdruf in 23 locations. Presumably Gotha at least had its own local police.

resolution

The corps was presumably - details are not known - first renamed after the November Revolution of 1918 and possibly integrated into the new police force when the state of Thuringia was founded in 1920 .

See also

• Royal Hanoverian Land Dragon Corps
• kk gendarmerie

literature

• Hans Rasch (ed.): The Gendarmerie of the Duchy of Gotha 1811-1911 , Gotha 1911.
• 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