Need help with IDing pictures!

[RaunchyRifles]

Hey guys & gals, while visiting relatives in Germany, my family showed me these photos. They have no idea what uniform/regiment/unit these men are apart of or what, only that the one guy is a relative. I would like to know what he was part of. Thanks

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[Peter Laidler]

Might be better if we were able to enlarge them.......

[RaunchyRifles]

here's a direct link to Imgur
pics - Album on Imgur
hopefully it helps

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The bloke in that last one looks pretty well enlarged already.

[RCS]

the rifles are WW1 G98 with the straight bolt handle, could be a reserve unit from the mid to late 1930's ?

[Paul S.]

Hazarding a WAG, I'll say railway guards or postal officers of some sort.

But then, I know very little about German uniforms of any era. So, ...

[Peter Laidler]

Shame Raunch Rifles didn't just show them enlarged - asked. I couldn't get them any bigger on what's its name he suggested. I bet there'd have been a better response and identification........

[Gil Boyd]

I think they are dressed and armed as Feldgendarmerie IMHO with a little bit of family knowledge on the German side as to uniforms and bits and pieces they wore.

Feldgendarmerie units were generally given support duties in the occupied countries directly under the control of the Wehrmacht General. Their duties were in the main policing of areas behind the front lines to try and stop sabotage. Also mundain jobs like traffic control and population control, but mostly to locate and execute resistance teams.

It was only when Wehrmacht combat units moved out of a region, the Feldgendarmerie role would formally cease. The control would then be transferred to occupation authorities under the control of the Nazi Party and SS.

The Feldgendarmerie units are known to have assisted the SS in committing war crimes in occupied areas.

[Gil Boyd]

Having put all my eggs in one basket calling them all Feldgendarmerie, the accomplished looking 2IC front left with the IC in the middle of the pack, has the sleeve banner on but the rest don't so this could be an end of course photo with the leader, before they were signed in officially and given their sleeve banners to wear. The Officer in the centre has the Aqu------ what ever its called across his shoulders, but as I can't seem to keep the definition as I zoom that my best shot IMHO

[Gil Boyd]

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