1st SS Police Regiment

The 1st SS Police Regiment was a security and police formation which was formed in 1942 by combining units of the Polizei-Regiment 1 with existing SS garrison and police forces in the vicinity of Berlin. The creation of the regiment was the first in a series of consolidations of SS and police battalions which were reclassified from several hundred formations to what would eventually become approximately thirty major SS security commands.

Police Regiment One

The first regiment of the Ordnungspolizei had been formed in 1939 from state police (Landespolizei) units of Danzig and had assisted with rear area actions during the invasion of Poland as a component of "Brigade Eberhardt". In October 1939, the regiment was re-designated as an Army unit when it became Regiment 243 of the 60th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht.

Returning to police control in 1941, the regiment was reinforced from the Polizei Abschnitt Mitte which was the main police command for northern and central Germany. In 1942, the unit was declared as the 1st SS Police Regiment and assigned the garrison of Berlin.

SS Regimental Actions

In the late 1942, components of the 1st SS Police Regiment were deployed to the Eastern Front and attached to Army Group North. The second battalion then was assigned to assist with security operations and attached to various security police units on the individual company level. The third battalion was then sent to Upper Krajina in Slovenia for anti-partisan duty. In March 1943, the regiment was recalled and redeployed to France where a cadre from the first regiment formed the 14th SS Police Regiment. A smaller 1st regiment was then sent back to Russia to provide security in Maerish-Ostrau. In 1944, the regiment was split up with a few reserve units returned to Berlin while the remainder formed the Polizei Schützen Regiment 31.

Organization

At its original creation, the 1st SS Police Regiment was subordinated to the Higher SS and Police Leader "Spree" which was the SS command for all SS units in and around the Berlin capitol area. The SS and Police Regiment comprised three police infantry battalions as well as a signals and headquarters unit. A police tank company was planned, but never formed.

End of the Regiment

The 1st SS Police Regiment ended its existence a training and reserve formation in Berlin. In early 1945, its membership was folded into regular combat units, many of which later fought in the Battle of Berlin. A new SS-Polizei Regiment 1 was then formed in Hungary but was shortly thereafter disbanded on March 12, 1945.

References

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