Estonian Auxiliary Police
| Estonian Auxiliary Police | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1941 – November 1944 |
| Country |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Engagements |
Battle of Stalingrad Battle for Narva Bridgehead Battle of Emajõgi |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Harald Riipalu |
Estonian Auxiliary Police were Estonian units that fought in World War II under command of Germany. Estonian regular units allied with Nazi Germany began to be established on 25 August 1941, when under the order of Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, commander of the Army Group North, Baltic citizens were permitted to be recruited into Wehrmacht service and grouped into Special units and volunteer battalions to fight against partisans. In this context, Colonel General Georg von Küchler, commander of the 18th Army (Germany), formed six Estonian volunteer guard units (Estnische Sicherungsgruppe, Eesti julgestusgrupp; numbered 181-186) on the basis of the Omakaitse squads (with its members contracted for one year).
After September 1941, the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht started to establish the Estonian Auxiliary Police Battalions ("Schuma") in addition to the aforementioned units to perform the guard duties and fight against partisans in the rear of Army Group North. During the war, 26 "Schuma" battalions were formed in Estonia, numbered from 29th to 45th, 50th, and from the 286th to 293rd. Unlike similar units deployed in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine and White Ruthenia, which were controlled by the Germans, the Estonian Police battalions were made up of national staff and included only one German monitoring officer. Moreover, as a sign of special trust, the Wehrmacht ranking system was introduced in the Estonian Police Battalions. As of October 1, 1942, the Estonian Police forces comprised 10 400 men, with 591 Germans attached to them.
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