Feldjägerkorps Gorget

History Feldjägerkorps

The Feldjägerkorps was a military police organization in the German Wehrmacht during World War II. It was formed on 27 November 1943 from distinguished veterans and Patrol Service personnel. This corps was formed into three Feldjäger Commands (I, II and III), which reported directly to Field Marshal Keitel, and was senior to all other military police organizations.

By 1943, World War II was turning against Germany and morale amongst the front line troops was dropping. Until this time, the Feldgendarmerie and Geheime Feldpolizei had been relied upon to try to 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.

The Feldjägerkorps operated parallel to the front line and approximately 12–15 miles behind it. Their basic duties were to:

• Maintain order and discipline
• Prevent panic retreats
• Gather stragglers and assemble them at collection points, where they could be assembled into ad hoc units
• Check soldiers travel and/or leave permits at embarkation points
• Round up deserters and either return to their units, hand them over to the Feldgendarmerie or Geheime Feld Polizei or issue punishment themselves.
• Gather Prisoners of War (PoWs) and hand them over to the appropriate authorities. 

Reference : Wikipedia