Kriegsmarine Marinekuestenpolizei Straps

[Gordon Williamson]

Shoulder straps as worn by an NCO of the MKP. Note the use of a "clear" rather than "fouled" anchor - i,e, the twist of rope usually found around the anchor is omitted.

[NavalMark]

Nice pair,

clear anchor - could it also be a Bootsmann(Wehrersatzwesen) ? Personal of Wehrersatzwesen also wore clear anchors on sleeve and shoulderboards...

Regards

Markus

[Gordon Williamson]

Nice pair,

clear anchor - could it also be a Bootsmann(Wehrersatzwesen) ? Personal of Wehrersatzwesen also wore clear anchors on sleeve and shoulderboards...

Regards

Markus

Hi Markus,

Yes, of course. But they will fit well to display with my MKP Gorget. :cheers:

[Paul R]

So these guys were basically "Shore Patrol"?! VERY interesting.

[Gordon Williamson]

So these guys were basically "Shore Patrol"?! VERY interesting.

Hi Paul,

Kind of - but only if you take it literally - in that I suppose you could say they did patrol the shore. I wouldn't really compare them too much to what the US Navy would think of as the Shore Patrol. You wouldn't see a squad of these guys rousting drunken sailors out of a bar. I'd say they were more concerned with security than discipline.

From the photos I have seen, none of them look too young (I'd say most looked 30s or 40s) and were career policemen drafted in from the Wasserschutzpolizei (WSP). They weren't formed into "units" like the Feldgendarmerie "Trupp", with their own specific Field Post Numbers etc. A handful of these guys were allocated to the office of each Hafenkapitän which I guess was the military harbourmaster.

The issue of their uniforms is really complex. They used WSP uniforms, KM uniforms, mixed WSP/KM and at one point their official uniform became the KM brown work jacket rather than the blue Reefer jacket. Very difficult to find photos of two MKP guys wearing the same type of uniform !

As far as I can see, the Police rank of Oberwachtmeister was considered equivalent to Obermaat. Now a KM Obermaat wouldn't wear shoulder straps but would have the "klaren Anker" over a chevron on the arm, as mentioned by Markus. However, the relevant Marineverordnungsblatt specifies that MKP Obermaat would wear the shoulder strap with braid edging and the clear anchor, no pip, which for the KM proper, would be for the rank of Bootsmann ( Portepee Unteroffizier) a higher rank. (The straps shown above, for an MKP NCO would be for a Feldwebel -equivalent to Police Revier-Oberwachtmeister).

So, straps without a pip could be Bootsmann for Wehrersatzwesen , or Obermaat for MKP, two totally different ranks. Confusing, eh !

[nesredep]

Shoulder straps as worn by an NCO of the MKP. Note the use of a "clear" rather than "fouled" anchor - i,e, the twist of rope usually found around the anchor is omitted.

Hello!

Gordon

Interesting straps.I have never thought there was a difference! Thanks for showing this rare straps.

All the best

Nesredep.