Postschutz

Postschutz (Postal Protection), in 1942 SS-Postschutz, was a paramilitary unit of Deutsche Reichspost with a mission to protect post office installations from armed attacks.

Origins

The Postschutz was created in 1933 in order to protect the establishments of the German Post Office from communist attacks. In 1942 the Postschutz was put under the command of the Allgemeine SS, becoming the SS-Postschutz with Gottlob Berger as military leader, and subordinated to the supervision of the SS-Hauptamt.

Personnel

At the end of 1933 26,000 postal employees had volunteered for the Postschutz. In 1937 an agreement between the Wehrmacht and the Postmaster General Wilhelm Ohnesorge established that in time of war 29,000 men from the Reichspost would be reserved for the Postschutz. In 1939 the Postschutz contained 40 000 man, and was also in charge of air raid precautions for the Reichspost. All male postal employees could become volunteer members of the Postschutz. For all new employees under the age of 35 it was mandatory. Training took place at eight schools, that annually held courses for 20 000 members of the Postschutz.

Military actions

In 1942 units from the SS-Postschutz staffed the Fronthilfe der Deutschen Reichspost, motor coach units operating with front units of the Waffen-SS. In 1944 the Fronthilfe contained a HQ, five battalions, a motor depot, and about 7,000 men. Members of the SS-Postschutz were also drafted into SS-Sicherungs-Bataillone der Deutschen Reichspost (SS-security batallions of the German post office), combating partisans in occupied Slovenia and Belorussia.

References

• Klietmann, K.G. (1965), Die Waffen-SS: eine Dokumentation, Osnabruck Verlag.
• Schweizer, Michael (2014), Der Postschutz und Postluftschutz im Dritten Reich und in den besetzten Gebieten, Morgana-Ed.