Military Police

FALL 2015

Military Police contains information about military police functions in maneuver and mobility support, area security, law and order, internment/resettlement, and police intelligence operations.

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42 MILITARY POLICE By Master Sergeant Patrick V. Garland (Retired) A t the end of hostilities in Europe in 1945, the occu- pied areas of Germany and Austria were divided into areas of occupation that were controlled by the Allied countries of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Russia. Likewise, the capitals of Berlin and Vienna were subdivided into occupier areas of responsibility. In Vienna, the frst district (which was also called the "inner city") was placed under quadripartite control, with the chairmanship changing every month. The fundamental thinking behind this four-power control was that the most important governmental authorities and administrative bodies were located in the in- ner city. If the inner city were controlled by only one of the Allied powers, that particu- lar power could have exerted pressure on the Austrian gov- ernment and public authori- ties. In 1948, a reporter for The New Yorker wrote, "Vi- enna must be the most pa- trolled city on earth. Besides the city's police force and the routine military police main- tained by each of the four occupying powers, there are several more or less secret police outfts, such as Russia Ministvo Vnutrennykh Del, or MVD, and the American Army's Criminal Investiga- tions Division, or CID. The most unusual of Vienna's po- lice forces is the International Patrol. It was organized by the former American provost marshal in Vienna, [Colonel William] B. Yarborough." 1 When duties began on 5 August 1945, the patrols consisted of three soldiers—one military police offcer from each of the three Allied powers of the United States, Great Britain, and Russia. On 27 September 1945, French mili- tary police offcers joined as fourth men. At frst, the patrols used American jeeps as patrol vehicles but they proved too small for the four-man patrols; so larger command cars were then used. In later years, American and Russian sedans were used as patrol vehicles. The U.S. contingent was from Company C, 796th Military Police Battalion, and the British force consisted of members of the 105th Provost Company. Attempts to identify the Russian and French units met with no response from their respec- tive embassies. The patrol members wore the uniforms of their own nations. In ad- dition, each member wore a distinctive metal badge on his arm, midway between his shoulder and elbow. Ameri- can, Russian, and French members wore their insignia on their left sleeves; British members wore theirs on their right sleeves. Between 1300 and 0100 daily, fve patrols were oper- ating—one each in the Ameri- can, British, Russian, and French sectors and a standby at the International Patrol Headquarters. Between 0100 and 0700, only three patrols were operating—one for the American and French sectors, one for the British and Rus- sian sectors, and a standby. The patrols were constantly on the alert for traffc viola- tions involving Allied vehicles and incidents involving per- sonnel from any two different

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