Description
Physical description
Single-breasted four-pocket jacket of police green wool, having a stand & fall collar and is fastened to the front by six field-grey painted stipple pattern buttons. The breast pockets are pleated but those to the skirt are of plain bellows form. Double-litzen collar patches are fitted, machined to carmine truppenfarbe backing. The epaulettes are of (1936-1941 pattern) police form, with carmine backing, and a police eagle badge is sewn to the upper left sleeve, machined in carmine threads on a police green oval, having the text, "Frankfurt a. M." beneath the eagle & swastika device.
To the left breast pocket button is attached a metal chain suspending a black duty whistle.
Label
Germany had employed a two-tier system of fire-fighters before 1933 with a regular fire service permanently posted to urban locations, and a volunteer body in the less populated rural communities. In 1934 control passed to the Ordnungspolizei, and following the Polish campaign the regular fire formations became part of the Feuerschutzpolizei. Those of the Freiwillige Feuerwehr, the part time volunteers, remained under the control of local authorities and were a supplement to the regulars. Their 'police' designation is explained by the fact that in certain circumstances they could use the powers of authority and arrest if the Schutzpolizei or Gendarmerie were not available.
As the Second World War developed the Feuerschutzpolizei became deployed in the wake of conventional forces in occupied territories as fire-fighters. Some two million personnel served in both branches, and as the Reich fell many were drafted into combat areas, defending their towns and cities against enemy forces.
Inscription
1
1943
Johann Schreiber
Frankfurt a.M.
Vb 46
98 74
41 69