Industrial Police

Gordon Craig · February 21, 2016

Don Bible posted a metal badge for the Industrial Police (IP) on the Police and Civil Organization sub forum of the WAF a few days ago. He has given me permission to post it in a thread on the GMIC. It was a badge I had not seen before. However, with some review of my files I found what appears to be one of these badges in wear by an Industrial Policeman. Below you will find some information on this short lived organization, pictures of the badge Don posted and some other pictures related to the IP.

Regards,

Gordon

"Industrial Police

(Source: The Employment of Local Nations by US Army Europe, 1945-1966, Bruce Siemon & Roland E. Wagberg, HQ USAREUR 1968;
INDUSTRIAL POLICE

In May 1947 EUCOM adopted a policy for the replacement of organized Labor Service guard units with industrial police -- individually hired displaced persons and Germans trained in police-type guard duties. The policy had two objectives: In the first place, it would reduce overhead because the industrial police did not receive the rations, clothing, billeting, and other benefits enjoyed by the guard companies. Also, by abolishing the organized guard companies -- completely manned by displaced persons -- the United States would remove an incentive for displaced persons to remain in Germany and resist repatriation or resettlement.

The industrial police differed from LS guard units in not having a military-type organization, being limited to one meal a day at a charge of 50 Pfennige per meal that was deducted from monthly payrolls, and not being granted PX privileges. The industrial police guarded U.S. installations, formerly patrolled by LS guard units. Concurrent with employment of industrial police, German civil police were charged with ensuring security of messes, clubs, billets, quarters, and parking lots.

Industrial police carried non-automatic carbines and were issued five rounds of ammunition per man when on duty. U.S. military uniforms were dyed blue and issued to the industrial police. Military post commanders were responsible for their training, including orientation in mission and instruction in communications, first aid, English, and weapon firing.

While on guard duty industrial police could detain U.S. or Allied personnel apprehended pilfering, damaging, or misusing property. They could detain U.S. and Allied personnel only for the time necessary to turn them over to U.S. supervisory personnel. They also had the power to arrest German nationals and displaced persons who violated regulations they were charged with enforcing.

Industrial police were paid in accordance with the applicable Land wage tariff, while organized guards were paid according to a scale established by EUCOM. This scale was considerably higher than the land tariffs for industrial police because DP personnel received preferential treatment. The schedules for industrial police included various grades and locality wage differentials typical of German schedules.

15th Labor Supervision Company

By 1949 the LS guard units, with a strength of only 7,000, were not able to meet the support demands of the tactical forces. The static industrial police were unable to fill the gap between service required and that afforded by the organized guard units.

At the time there were slightly more than 9,000 industrial police -- approximately 98 percent of them German -- employed as static guards. In July 1950 EUCOM directed the military post commanders to convert industrial police members to LS personnel and to organize them into guard companies. At the time, EUCOM authorized an overall increase of 15,500 in Army LS personnel strengths; industrial police personnel volunteering for labor service duty would fill approximately 7,000 of these spaces, and the remainder would have to be recruited.

Certain policy changes were made to facilitate the conversion, as for example the provision that former members of the Waffen SS -- normally disqualified for labor service - might be considered for acceptance on the basis of their records with the industrial police.

By the end of 1950 there remained only 400 industrial police, all of than in Berlin. The net effect of the increase in LS personnel was to change the composition of the organization.

Whereas until 1950 the labor service had been composed exclusively of displaced persons, the conversion of industrial police to labor service introduced a large block of German nationals into the organization. Of course, with the completion of the resettlement and repatriation program, all displaced persons either had been assimilated into the local economy or had left the Federal Republic. Thus, any former DP personnel who joined labor service after the restoration of guard companies in 1950 were at least nominally Germans.

The troop augmentation of 1951 - 1952 further raised labor service strength, especially in the guard elements. Total LS strength climbed to 25,535 by January 1952, with 17,457 of the total in guard units. By 1953, actual guard strength was 19,573. Budget limitations for FY 1954 resulted in a reorganization and redistribution of LS units and personnel. The FY 1954 budget authorized 17,775 guard personnel, a reduction of 1,852 spaces from the 1953 authorization of 19,627. The trend during the redistribution was to release German personnel. Actual guard strength went below authorization and on 30 June 1954 was 17,370. At the end of the occupation period a 10 percent reduction was made, so that in June 1955 guard members numbered approximately 15,000; 13,844 of the 23,640 total LS personnel then on the rolls were German."