"Chain dogs", the German Army and the 1945 Battle of Berlin

[steve2470]

https://www.darwinmilitarymuseum.com.au/dmm-blog/ringkragen#/

In English ‘ringkragen’ means ‘ring collar’ and was originally a part of a military armoured suit that protected the throat. Over time, it became a symbol of status within an organization, i.e. a standard (flag) bearer or, in this case, a sign of police authority.

The duty gorget and readily identifiable badge of office of the World War II German Feldgendarmerie (military policeman) was only worn while on duty. It was known as "Kettenhunde", which translates to ‘chain dogs’. These officers were hated, feared and loathed by his own countrymen.

snip

The Feldgendarmerie was reformed in 1939 when the German Army mobilized for war. The tasks the Feldgendarmerie were called upon to perform were much the same as military police do in any army: control of traffic to and from the front line, maintenance of order and discipline, rounding up stragglers, arresting deserters and looters, interrogation of suspects, anti-partisan patrols, escorts for prisoners, manning checkpoints and checking IDs and travel passes as well as general policing duties.

Although they did carry out some traffic control duties, these were the real "head hunters." In the closing stages of the war they were tasked with rounding up stragglers and any man, or boy, fit enough to hold a rifle or a Panzerfaust. They packed these unfortunates off to the front line to try and stem the unstoppable Russian advance. Their power was absolute and any man suspected of being a deserter could be summarily executed by shooting or hanging. A common scene in the crumbling Third Reich was that of a soldier hanging from a convenient lamp post with a sign around his neck proclaiming his desertion and disloyalty to Reich and Fuhrer. Authorized to settle any dispute at the point of a gun they often did. They held the power of life and death and used it as they saw fit.

I learned of "chain dogs" from this documentary: Real Time History — 16 Days in Berlin https://nebula.app/16daysinberlin (subscription required, sorry) or, go here and subscribe if you wish: https://curiositystream.com/ . The documentary is on the Nebula add-on. Basic CS is like $2 a month with no 4k, adding Nebula is another $9 a month, which I will be cancelling soon. It seems to be a good documentary service, but I need to save money.

The ringkragen


My entire life, I had seen these ringkragen in movies, films and documentaries but had no idea what it was or what they meant. "Chain dogs" was truly a new revelation to me.

[George McGovern]

1. Thank You Steve2470 for this revealing part of history. Bad history -- but fascinating just the same.

[mitch96]

2. Ironically it's on the South Carolina flag. Some think it's a crescent moon

Then there's the gorget. Stroup tells us that some people believe the crescent to be an homage to the gorget, a piece left over from the era when armor was in use.
https://www.knowitall.org/audio/crescent-south-carolinas-flag-it-moon-or-not-south-carolina-focus

[white cloud]

3. Thanks It would fit right in this books

I saw it last week on CS Great job.

“Why can’t you be like the German generals?” Mr. Trump told John Kelly, his chief of staff, preceding the question with an obscenity, according to an excerpt from “The Divider: Trump in the White House,” by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, published online by The New Yorker on Monday morning. (Mr. Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times; Ms. Glasser is a staff writer for The New Yorker.)