February 21, 20242 yr #1 Gents, I picked up a Paris Police uniform from the time of German occupation that I thought I would show. The tunic is a very dark blue wool with four pockets circa 1933-1945 I believe. There are seven large silver color Paris buttons on the front along with four smaller matching buttons on the breast pockets and the shoulder straps. The embroidered numbers on the collar are the number designation for this particular policeman. The leather belt is brown with a single tongue blackened buckle and the pistol holster and ammunition pouch were also brown. The kepi is dark blue and the enamel badge with "P-P" at the top front indicates the Paris Police while the separate large enameled number below that is the precinct number the policeman works in. Also notice the tiny matching silver buttons worn on the kepi chin strap. Lastly, notice the attached picture that shows an occupied Paris Policeman working with a German SS NCO where this style of police uniform was worn.
February 21, 20242 yr #3 Just superior! Sarge, quick question. Were the Parisian Police considered "collaborators" after Paris was liberated?
February 22, 20242 yr Author #4 17 hours ago, Scarecrow said: Just superior! Sarge, quick question. Were the Parisian Police considered "collaborators" after Paris was liberated? "A policeman's lot is not a happy one." according to The Pirates of PInzance. Yes they were, particularly the armed police units who fought the partisans. As a Paris Policeman this fellow woke up one morning and went to work his shift and found the Germans in charge and new laws to enforce. He worked in occupied Paris while others worked in the Vichy Government part of France. They all collaborated with the German Police to enforce the new laws. Here is the French Police MAB pistol and reworked holster for the time of German occupation.
February 28, 20242 yr Author #8 On 2/24/2024 at 11:04 AM, Marshallj said: I recommend “Is Paris Burning” for more on Paris Police. Yes, and another is Michael Marrus & Robert Paxton, "Vichy France and the Jews". ISBN 0-465-09005-2
February 29, 20242 yr #9 Very nice parisian police uniform, not so common even in french collection. Does the parisian police were calaborators ? Well I mean some did some doesn't the most iconic fact of collaboration is the "rafle du Vélodrome d'hiver" in July 1942. I would say the institution colaborated but at the human scale the thing is more conplicated.
February 29, 20242 yr #10 One little thing about your présentation, PP on the kepi doesn't mean "Police de Paris" but "Préfecture de Police" with thé city symbole (Paris). At this time, each city had his own police as the National Police didn't existed until Vichy created it in 1941.
March 2, 20242 yr Author #11 You are correct concerning the PP part of the cap insignia toitoine66. I should have said the top insignia with "PP" indicated the Paris Police while the lower numbered one indicated the specific precinct. Great photo BTW. As to the collaboration issue as ask by Scarecrow, I understand the rather complicated issues since I am a retired policeman. This issue is often in the eye of the beholder as we say on this side of the pond. For instance, I have a grouping from a WWII Philippine Constabulary Captain who fought the Japanese and was marched to the Bataan POW camp then reinstated by the Japanese authorities during occupation. He was subsequently placed in a US POW camp and again reinstated by the Philippine government until he retired. So, a complicated issue indeed. Interestingly, he was promoted to Major during Japanese occupation but was demoted after the end of the war by the Filipinos. So, he served the rest of his time in the Constabulary and retired as a Captain. George
March 17, 20242 yr #12 There is an intersting video about the résistant policeman during the occupation. There is english subtilies. There is also that one about the Vichy police and the collaboration witch is really well done but I can't find it on YT unfortunatly:
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