20th SS Police Regiment | |
---|---|
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Schutzstaffel |
Type | Security |
Size | Regiment |
Garrison/HQ | Wehrkreis Böhmen-Mähren |
The 20th SS Police Regiment (German : SS-Polizei-Regiment 20) was initially named Police Regiment Bohemia (Polizei-Regiment Böhmen) when it was formed in 1939 after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Bohemia. It was redesignated as the 20th Police Regiment in mid-1942 before it received the SS title in early 1943.
German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.
The German occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945) began with the German annexation of Czechoslovakia's border regions known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. German leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this action was the alleged privations suffered by the ethnic German population living in those regions. New and extensive Czechoslovak border fortifications were also located in the same area.
Bohemia is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech lands in the present-day Czech Republic. In a broader meaning, Bohemia sometimes refers to the entire Czech territory, including Moravia and Czech Silesia, especially in a historical context, such as the Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by Bohemian kings.
Police Regiment Bohemia was created shortly after the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. Assigned were six battalions numbered I through VI, although they were renumbered in the 200 series in October. Some of these were transferred elsewhere and only partially replaced so that the regiment had five battalions in early 1941, Police Battalions (Polizei-Batallion) 32, 316, 317, 319, and 320. All of these units were transferred to Russia after Operation Barbarossa in June and gradually replaced by three newly formed battalions, Reserve Police Battalion Prague, Reserve Police Battalion Kolin, and Reserve Police Battalion Klattau. When the regiment was renamed in July 1942, the battalions were redesignated as the regiment's first through third battalions, respectively, although their headquarters companies were not formed until 23 January 1943. [1] All of the police regiments were redesignated as SS police units on 24 February. In April, I Battalion became part of Police Rifle Regiment 33 (Polizei-Schützen-Regiment) and was later replaced by Police Training Battalion Klagenfurt and Graz. In October it became independent and was sent to Italy. II Battalion was transferred to Hungary in March 1944 and was redesignated as II Battalion of the 1st SS Police Regiment in August. [2]
The Police Battalion 316 was a formation of the Order Police during the Nazi era. During Operation Barbarossa, it was subordinated to the SS and deployed in German-occupied areas, specifically the Army Group Centre Rear Area, of the Soviet Union, as part of Police Regiment Centre. Alongside detachments from the Einsatzgruppen and the SS Cavalry Brigade, it perpetrated mass murder in the Holocaust and was responsible for large-scale crimes against humanity targeting civilian populations. In mid-1942, the battalion was reassigned to the 4th Police Regiment and operated in Slovenia.
The Police Battalion 320 was a formation of the German Order Police during the Nazi era. During Operation Barbarossa, it was subordinated to the SS and deployed in German-occupied areas, specifically the Army Group South Rear Area, of the Soviet Union, as part of Police Regiment Special Purpose. Alongside detachments from the Einsatzgruppen of the SD, it perpetrated mass murder in the Holocaust and was responsible for large-scale crimes against humanity targeting civilian populations.
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. The operation stemmed from Nazi Germany's ideological aims to conquer the western Soviet Union so that it could be repopulated by Germans, to use Slavs as a slave-labour force for the Axis war effort, and to seize the oil reserves of the Caucasus and the agricultural resources of Soviet territories.
The regiment has been implicated in two incidents of war crimes in Italy in June 1944 with 4 civilians killed. [3]
The 15th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 15th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police units (Ordnungspolizei) to conduct security warfare behind the Eastern Front. The regiment was destroyed in January 1943 and its personnel was used to reconstitute it in Norway several months later from existing police units. The regiment was transferred to Italy in late 1943 and remained there for the rest of the war.
The 1st SS Police Regiment was initially named the 1st Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Occupied Europe. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943. Later that year it was disbanded and its battalions were reassigned to other SS Police units. The regiment was reformed in late 1944 in Hungary, but was absorbed by 35th SS and Police Grenadier Division in early 1945.
The 4th SS Police Regiment was named the 4th Police Regiment when it was temporarily formed in 1939 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties during the invasion of Poland. The second formation was ordered in 1942 from existing Order Police units in Occupied France. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 2nd SS Police Regiment was initially named the 2nd Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Occupied Europe. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 3rd SS Police Regiment was named the 3rd Police Regiment when it was temporarily formed in 1939 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties during the invasion of Poland. The second formation was ordered in 1942 from existing Order Police units in the Netherlands. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943. It remained in the Netherlands for the rest of World War II.
The 5th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 5th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Occupied Serbia. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943. The regiment was disbanded at the end of 1944.
The 6th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 6th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties on the Eastern Front. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 7th SS Police Regiment was named the 7th Police Regiment when it was formed from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Occupied Norway. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943. It remained in Norway for most of the rest of World War II.
The 8th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 8th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties on the Eastern Front. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 9th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 9th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties on the Eastern Front. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 10th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 10th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 by the redesignation of Police Regiment South for security warfare in the occupied Soviet Union. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 12th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 12th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police units (Ordnungspolizei) in Germany. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943. The regimental headquarters was disbanded in early 1944, but its battalions remained in service.
The 16th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 16th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police units (Ordnungspolizei) for security duties on the Eastern Front. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 17th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 17th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police units (Ordnungspolizei) for security duties on the Eastern Front. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 19th SS Police Regiment was initially named the 19th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1942 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Occupied Europe. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The 21st SS Police Regiment was initially named Police Regiment Moravia when it was formed in 1939 after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties in Moravia. It was redesignated as the 21st Police Regiment in mid-1942 before it received the SS title in early 1943.
The 22nd SS Police Regiment was initially named the 4th Police Regiment when it was formed in 1939 from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for rear-area security duties during the invasion of Poland. It then became Police Regiment Warsaw. It was redesignated as the 22nd Police Regiment in mid-1942 before it received the SS title in early 1943.
The 25th SS Police Regiment was initially named Police Regiment Lublin when it was formed in late 1939 after the German invasion of Poland from existing Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) units for security duties there. It was redesignated as the 25th Police Regiment in mid-1942 before it received the SS title in early 1943.
The 26th SS Police Regiment was initially named Police Regiment North Norway when it was formed in early 1941 after the German invasion of Norway in 1940 from existing Order Police units for security duties there. It was redesignated as the 26th Police Regiment in mid-1942 before it received the SS title in early 1943.
The 28th SS Police Regiment Todt was initially named the 28th Police Regiment when it was formed in mid-1942 from existing Order Police units for security duties in Occupied Norway. All of its units were transferred to other regiments shortly after forming; it was reformed as the 28th Police Regiment Todt later that year. It was redesignated as an SS unit in early 1943.
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.