4. Kompanie, 2. Battalion, Feldjägerkorps III
By 1943, the war was clearly starting to turn against Germany and morale amongst the front line troops was getting lower and lower. Until this time, the Feldgendarmerie and Geheime Feldpolizei had been relied upon to try and curb desertion and maintain discipline, however these men had other duties as well and the situation was getting out of hand. In November 1943, a new formation was created - the Feldjägerkorps. In order to be eligible for service, soldiers had to have a minimum 3 years frontline combat experience and have earned the Iron Cross 2nd class.
Composition
The Feldjägerkorps consisted of 3 Feldjägerkommando:
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Feldjägerkommando I formed in Königsberg under the command of General der Fleiger Ernst Müller
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Feldjägerkommando II formed in Breslau under the command of General der Panzertruppe Kempf
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Feldjägerkommando III formed in Vienna under the command of General der Infantrie von Scheele
Feldjägerkommando I and II saw action on the Eastern front, whilst Feldjägerkommando III saw action on the western front. a Feldjägerkommando was made up of a single Feldjägerregiment. This regiment was subdivided into five Feldjägerabteilungen which in turn comprised of 3 Kompanies, of about 50 men. The basic unit was the Striefe (patrol) which was made up of anywhere between 1 Feldjäger and 3 Feldjäger and an officer.
Operation
The authority of the Feldjägerkorps came directly from the German Army High Command, and as such even the lowest ranking soldier theoretically carried more power than army officers. The commanding officer of a Feldjägerkommando had the same level of authority as an Armee commander with the authority to punish any soldier of any branch of service (the Waffen SS included).
The Feldjägerkorps operated parallel to the front line and approximately 12-15 miles behind it. Their basic duties were to:
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maintain order and discipline
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prevent panic retreats
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gather stragglers and assemble them at collection points, where they could be assembled into ad hoc units
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check soldiers travel and/or leave permits at embarkation points
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round up deserters and either return to their units, hand them over to the Feldgendarmerie or Geheime Feld Polizei or issue punishment themselves.
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Gather PoWs and hand them over to the appropriate authorities.
They could also be employed in the same capacity as a Feldgendarm.
After the surrender of Germany, Feldjägerkommando III remained armed and at the disposal of the US Army in order to maintain discipline amongst the German PoWs. Feldjägerkommando III finally and formally surrendered its arms to the Allies on 23rd June 1946.
Although the image of the Feldjäger was one of a tough, brutal soldier who shot on sight; this was often not the case. Veterans have stated that if they were caught by the Feldjäger, as long as they had a valid reason and the necessary paperwork to be behind the lines they were left alone. In only a very few cases on the Western front were summary executions used. More was to be feared from roaming groups of deserters or SS officers who took it upon themselves to "police" the rear line areas - in some cases fire fights between these groups and the Feldjägerkorps occurred.
Uniform
The Feldjäger wore a normal infantryman's uniform with white waffenfarbe. The only items which identified him were the gorget and red armband (as at the top of the page).
The recreation
We have chosen to represent a streife of 4. Kompanie, II Battalion, Feldjägerkommando III as it can be confirmed that this unit was operating in the Caen area, just prior to D-Day. This ties in with the other elements of the unit (Medical, Geheime Feldpolizei and Feldgendarmerie) with regards to areas of operation.
