
The ''Feldjäger'' () are Germany's
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
. The term ''Feldjäger'', literally meaning field
huntsmen or field
Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th century.
History
The first modern ''Feldjäger'' unit was activated on 6 October 1955 when the bill creating the ''Bundeswehr'' was signed. The new law called for a military police training company to be established at the former ''
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
'' hospital in
Andernach
Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...
. The original intention was to call the military police units of the ''Bundeswehr'' "''Militärpolizei''", literally military police. However, objections arose on the part of the federal states which had been given the mission of law enforcement. They wanted the use of the word "''Polizei''" to be unique to them and so the name was changed to ''Feldjäger'' in 1956.
Organization
The ''Feldjäger'' corps serves all component forces of the German Federal Armed Forces (''
Bundeswehr
The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...
'') i.e.,
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
,
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...
and
German Air Force
The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
. The Military Police Command has its headquarters in Scharnhorst Kaserne in
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and is under the operational command of the
Bundeswehr's Territorial Tasks Command of the ''Streitkräftebasis''.
The ''Feldjäger'' have three regiments of military police stationed around Germany which are subordinate to the Military Police Command as is the ''Feldjäger'' School which is also in Hanover, but in the Hauptfeldwebel-Lagenstein-Kaserne (previously Emmich-Cambrai-Kaserne).
Missions
The 24 ''Feldjäger'' MP Stations located throughout Germany work around the clock to perform the ''Feldjägers main mission which is to be a central point of contact for all soldiers who need assistance. There is a nationwide emergency phone number (0800 190 9999) so ''Bundeswehr'' soldiers can contact their nearest ''Feldjäger'' station at any time.
[Internet presence of the Feldjäger https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/kontaktinformationen-184168]
The ''Feldjäger'' also have four more missions: Maintaining military discipline and order, military traffic control, security operations and investigations.
Military discipline
To maintain military discipline, the ''Feldjäger'' perform regular patrols on-post and at places where ''Bundeswehr'' personnel congregate. They also patrol at large military events, conduct checks in military installations, assist in collecting and returning stragglers and apprehended soldiers, support the military courts of justice, and assist in collecting and transporting prisoners of war.
Controlling military traffic
When directing and controlling military traffic, ''Feldjäger'' work closely with the civilian police to improve traffic safety and protect soldiers. ''Feldjäger'' traffic missions therefore include route reconnaissance and marking of convoy routes, preparing reports on road accidents with ''Bundeswehr'' involvement, directing and controlling military traffic, escorting military oversize or hazardous material vehicles, assisting with the planning and supervision of military traffic, safety checks on military hazardous material vehicles, and setting up military traffic networks.
Security operations
''Feldjäger'' security operations prevent crimes against the German Federal Armed Forces and prevent illegal disturbances of official ''Bundeswehr'' ceremonies. In addition, ''Feldjäger'' can be tasked to protect allied armed forces and provide personal security protection for high-risk ''Bundeswehr'' officials. They also secure the
command posts of large units, escort VIPs, safeguard conferences and exhibitions, secure military property, assist commanders in physical security matters, and perform
riot control
Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...
missions.
Investigations and inquiries
Investigations and inquiries range from reporting serious accidents, analyzing matters of official interest, assisting in the investigation of military offenses, and searching for
AWOLs. The ''Feldjäger'' corps also has
military working dog
Dogs have a very long history in warfare, beginning in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied, and some continue to exist in modern milit ...
(MWD) teams. The dogs are first trained to be patrol dogs and then as sniffer dogs at the ''Bundeswehr'' MWD school in Ulmen, around 60 km west of
Koblenz
Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary.
Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
. Their teams assist in the search for explosives and drugs.
Overseas deployments
On overseas deployments, ''Feldjäger'' support the respective contingent by performing military police tasks. They are frequently employed in multinational military police units and not only monitor the behaviour of German soldiers in the area of operations, they also cooperate closely with local authorities, police, organizations, or the military police of other states under the
Charter of the United Nations
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the United Nations (UN). It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the Secretariat, the G ...
. House searches for illegal weapons and explosives are the day-to-day business in foreign deployments. One mission only performed overseas, for example, is the airport security and border clearance mission.
Training
To be able to conduct these varied and challenging missions, ''Feldjäger'' soldiers are sent to numerous training courses at the ''Feldjäger'' School in
Hannover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
or to specialist courses with the civilian police. One course that all ''Feldjäger'' must complete is the proficiency test in English, which makes them excellent liaison officers when dealing with other MP forces.
Uniform
The ''Feldjäger'', although a joint force, wear Army uniforms because they originated as an Army branch of service. They wear red
beret
A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...
s with a badge derived from the Prussian
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...
, with the motto ''
Suum Cuique
"" (), or "''Unicuique suum''", is a Latin phrase often translated as "to each his own" or "may all get their due." ''Suum cuique'' has been significant in the history of philosophy and as a motto.
The English phrase "to each his own eserts ( ...
'' (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
meaning "To each his own," a phrase derived from
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
), as their branch of service emblem. The collar patches and shoulder straps are piped in orange which is the ''Feldjäger'' branch colour.
For routine patrol missions, the ''Feldjäger'' wear the normal
flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of three-, four-, five- or six-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark gree ...
camouflage uniform with ''"Schwarzzeug"'' (black gear) meaning a black MP brassard, with the legend ''Feldjäger'' in smaller letters, as well as a black belt with black holster, black handcuff holder etc. However, for representative purposes, e.g. parades, ceremonies and the motorcycle escort for senior officers, ''Weißzeug'' is worn. This is the older leather "white gear" worn before the ''Schwarzzeug'', i.e., white belt, white gloves and a white holster worn on the left side of the belt in the tradition of sword carrying soldiers.
Jurisdiction
In Germany, the ''Feldjäger'' only have jurisdiction over soldiers, civil employees of the Federal Armed Forces, and any civilian who enters a military compound. The ''Feldjäger'' also hold authority over any civilian who enters military jurisdiction if there is some issue of federal security or federal jurisdiction. The ''Feldjäger'' will also apprehend those violating local laws on local military posts.
Feldgendarmerie
The ''
Feldgendarmerie
The term ''Feldgendarmerie'' (; ) refers to military police units of the armies of the Kingdom of Saxony (from 1810), the German Empire and Nazi Germany up to the end of World War II in Europe.
Early history (1810-1918)
From 1810 to 1812 King ...
'' (roughly translating to "Field Police") were the military police units of the armies of the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
(including the ''
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'') from post-
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
ic times to the conclusion of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
See also
*
Feldgendarmerie
The term ''Feldgendarmerie'' (; ) refers to military police units of the armies of the Kingdom of Saxony (from 1810), the German Empire and Nazi Germany up to the end of World War II in Europe.
Early history (1810-1918)
From 1810 to 1812 King ...
*
Feldjägerkorps
*
Geheime Feldpolizei
The ''Geheime Feldpolizei'' (; ), shortened to GFP, was the secret military police of the German ''Wehrmacht'' until the end of the Second World War (1945). Its units carried out plainclothes and undercover security work in the field. Their ope ...
References
External links
Kameradschaft der Feldjäger e.V.Official Feldjäger page on the Joint Support Service (SKB) website (in German)Feldjäger (unofficial)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldjager
Joint Support Service (Germany)
Military administrative corps of Germany
Military provosts of Germany