Description
Probst was active in the German Army since 1934 with Infanterie Regiment 20.
Medals: Sudetenland Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, War Merit Cross with Swords Second Class
Service with:
Infanterie Regiment Amberg 20
Infanterie Regiment 260
Infanterie Regiment 268
Sicherungs Regiment Russworm
Sicherungs Regiment Seidel
Sicherungs Regiment 30
Gruppe Heeresstreifendienst beim Panzer Armee Korps 4
Wehrmacht Streifen Lehrabt
According to his impressive battle calendar, Probst was a very experienced soldier.
What was the Heeresstreifendienst?
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Ordnungstruppen/HWS.htm
The Feldgendarmerie, which was primarily intended to monitor military order and discipline, was only able to a limited extent to monitor the soldiers due to its ties to large units and command offices. In addition, large areas of the German sphere of influence were not covered by local command posts (home war zone, parts of the occupied areas under civilian administration), so that initially there was hardly any control. In November 1939, these phenomena gave rise to the establishment of the army, air force and navy patrol services, which were combined on February 1, 1941 under the leadership of the OKW to form the “Wehrmacht patrol service”. The patrol units set up in 1940 as individual patrols or patrol companies by the respective command authorities were combined from 1941 into army patrol groups (later Wehrmacht patrol groups) and train guard departments. The task of monitoring the behavior of the individual soldier in public was later joined by the requirement to look after the soldiers by setting up refreshment stations, warming rooms, overnight accommodation, washrooms, etc. at railway junctions at home and in the occupied territories and at other places where suddenly strong concentrations of individually traveling soldiers appeared. For this purpose, the patrol services were then coupled with the organs of Wehrmacht travel (transport service offices, front control centers) and the mobile or stationary care facilities.
Comments:
A very interesting role in the German Army, these guys were most feared by their own men, as the war went on they had ever more power to make decisions about deserters etc. Not often found such units. Comes with two reports on his behaviour as well as his western capture papers (discharge).
