Order Police battalions

Order Police battalions
Police battalions in parade formation, Minsk, occupied Belarus, 1943
Active1939–1945
Country Nazi Germany
BranchOrdnungspolizei (Order Police, "Orpo")
TypeUniformed police
RoleParticipation in the Holocaust
Nazi security warfare
SizeBattalions
Part ofPolice units under SS command

Order Police battalions were battalion-sized militarised units of Nazi Germany's Ordnungspolizei which existed during World War II from 1939 to 1945. They were subordinated to the Schutzstaffel and deployed in areas of German-occupied Europe, specifically the Army Group Rear Area Commands and territories under civilian administration. Alongside the Einsatzgruppen, Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht, these units were involved in perpetrating the Holocaust and were responsible for large-scale crimes against humanity against civilian populations under German occupation.