What was the gestapo used for

The Gestapo was formally organized after the Nazis seized power in In April , he was given command of the Gestapo as well, integrating all of Germany's police units under Himmler. Because of these frequent changes, the functions of the Gestapo became blurred, and often overlapped with those of the other branches of the German forces.

At the end of , when the Jews in Eastern Europe were interned in ghettos , the Gestapo was charged with guarding and supervising the ghettos, imposing forced labor, and causing starvation and disease in an effort to decimate the ghetto inhabitants.

After the invasion of Russia in , the decision was made to kill all the Jews of Europe in gas chambers and the Gestapo was called upon to supervise the dispatch of the Jews to the camps specially adapted or constructed for the program of mass murder. The Gestapo units excelled in their unabated and premeditated cruelty, in their ability to delude its intended victims as to the fate that awaited them, and in the use of barbaric threats and torture to lead the victims to their death, all as part of the " Final Solution.

During its tenure, the Gestapo operated without any restrictions from the civil authority, meaning that its members could not be tried for any of their police practices. This unconditional authority added an elitist element to the Gestapo; its members knew that whatever actions they took, no consequences would arise. After the war, very few of the important members of the Gestapo were caught and brought to trial. Sources : Gutman, Israel. Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. Please subscribe to sign in to comment.

Please update your payment details to keep enjoying your Irish Times subscription. Careless whispers: how the German public used and abused the Gestapo The Gestapo was a very small organisation reliant on informers to denounce enemies of the regime, but jealous spouses and neighbours often used it to settle scores Mon, Sep 28, , Updated: Tue, Sep 29, , Frank McDonough.

Topics: Frank Mcdonough Germany. More from The Irish Times Books. Home energy upgrades are now more important than ever. Commenting on The Irish Times has changed. The account details entered are not currently associated with an Irish Times subscription.

You should receive instructions for resetting your password. When you have reset your password, you can Sign In.

Please choose a screen name. This name will appear beside any comments you post. Your screen name should follow the standards set out in our community standards. Screen Name Selection. Only letters, numbers, periods and hyphens are allowed in screen names.

Please enter your email address so we can send you a link to reset your password. Your Comments. Sign In Sign Out. We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Standards.

We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or by filling out this form. New comments are only accepted for 3 days from the date of publication. Subscriber Only. Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian Cox: ticking the boxes. Short stories. Funeral, a new short story by Robert Sheehan. Poetic justice, a new short story by Moya Roddy. The Books Podcast. This was especially so in occupied Norway and France.

In France the Milice worked with the Gestapo to hunt out resistance groups. In Eastern Europe, the Gestapo played its part in the Holocaust. Gestapo agents hunted for Jews who may have escaped a general round up. At the Nuremberg Trials , the Gestapo was declared a criminal organisation. The International Tribunal listed the atrocities the Gestapo was linked to.

What happened to him is not known for sure. But there are lots and lots of other Gestapo rats still alive and kicking. Three Gestapo rats are dead and gone out of the picture for us. You see, we hope that you two will be able to draw the Gestapo away from Jones.

The secret police of the Third Reich in Germany. The Gestapo operated against Germans suspected of treason by using brutal interrogation and torture; they instilled widespread fear by their terrorist methods.