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The Constabulary
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| The origins of the Constabulary can be traced to the summer of 1945 as American officials wrestled with the problem of how to police their German occupation zone while reducing the number of soldiers in Europe as part of demobilization. Fortunately, the German population was more cooperative than planners originally thought and the major problems facing the American occupiers was refugee control and routine criminal activity. Starting on 31 October 1945, commanders in various regions of Germany were directed to establish district constabularies in order to establish training and operational procedures for a larger constabulary force that would follow. The purpose of these early units was to reinforce existing American and German law enforcement and border security operations. |
Duty uniforms of the Constabulary |
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| As American efforts to control its zonal border began, it became obvious the specialized constabulary force was needed. Thousands of refugees wishing to escape the Russian occupation in the eastern zone overwhelmed the traditional U.S. forces manning the zonal border. Not only were specialized forces needed, but also new tactics. As a result, the US Constabulary was officially established on July 1, 1946, and assumed general security responsibilities throughout the American zone. The 30,000 soldier force was organized into three brigades with three regiments each and faced the challenging mission of restoring order, keeping the Russians in their own zone, and rounding up illegal border crossers, outlaws, and war criminals. |
Troopers Everett E. Wright, Cyrus J. Signore, & Jack L. Sofie with their M-8 armored car. - E. Cologne photo |
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| Early Constabulary border patrols consisted of dismounted patrols and stationary control posts at authorized border crossing points. The control points were usually manned by six or seven soldiers while other troopers patrolled within a one kilometer belt of the border. Within a month, though, the Constabulary learned that patrolling in greater depth was more effective and spread their operations to cover a ten kilometer deep zone along the zonal boundary. To patrol the zone the troopers used a combination of mounted jeep and armored car patrols, dismounted foot patrols, and the well-known horse patrols that became an icon of the Constabulary effort. |
Horse
Platoon The Platoons used former SS and Wehrmacht mounts. |
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As the Constabulary perfected their patrolling skills and the German Land Police were once again rearmed in the border area, the crime and refugee problems began to lessen. Still the border was dangerous as the Soviets tended to fire upon US patrols for no apparent reason. In December, 1952, the Constabulary was disbanded as the 14th Cavalry and 2d Cavalry Regiments were re-formed to patrol the Iron Curtain. |
Facts
In August 1947, over 5,000 illegal border crossers were apprehended by the Constabulary in one week. |
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For more information on the Constabulary, visit www.usconstabulary.com For information about joining the US
Constabulary Association contact: |
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The
Germans called them the "Blitz Polizei" (Lightning Police) while
their fellow GIs called them
the "Circle C Cowboys." They were the U.S. Constabulary and they were
the first unit dedicated to restoring order and maintaining the peace along the
Iron Curtain in both Germany and Austria. 
