Description
WW2 German Ordnungspolizei
The German Ordnungspolizei, also known as the Orpo, was a law enforcement organization that played a significant role in World War II. The Orpo was established in 1936 as a national police force in Nazi Germany, under the control of Heinrich Himmler’s SS. Its main role was to maintain law and order in Germany and to assist the Nazi regime in implementing its policies.
At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Orpo was mobilised and assigned a number of military duties, including guarding vital installations, participating in combat operations, and carrying out security duties in occupied territories. The Orpo also played a significant role in carrying out the Holocaust, rounding up and deporting Jews and other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.
The Orpo was notorious for its brutality and participated in many atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war. Its members were also involved in the massacre of Jews and other civilians in various places throughout Eastern Europe, including the infamous massacre at Babi Yar in Ukraine.
After the war, many members of the Orpo were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the Einsatzgruppen trial, where members of the Orpo were convicted of mass murder. Despite the atrocities committed by the Orpo during the war, it continues to be a subject of fascination and study by historians and scholars today.