Bandenbekämpfung

Quick Facts: Who was Bandenbekämpfung?

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Bandenbekämpfung

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German military doctrine of anti-partisan operations, evolving into systematic brutality.

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Origins & Early Life

In German military history, Bandenbekämpfung (lit. '"bandit-fighting" or "combating of bandits"; English equivalent of "anti-partisan operations"'), also referred to as Nazi security warfare during World War II, refers to the concept and military doctrine of countering resistance or insurrection in the rear area during wartime with extreme brutality. The doctrine provided a rationale for disregarding the established laws of war and for targeting any number of groups, from armed guerrillas to civilians, as "bandits" or "members of gangs". As applied by the German Empire and later Nazi Germany, it became instrumental in the crimes against humanity committed by the two regimes, including the Herero and Nama genocide and the Holocaust. Historian Alex J. Kay estimates that around one million civilians died as a result of German anti-partisan warfare—excluding actual partisans—among the 13 to 14 million people murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

Career & Major Achievements

According to historian and television documentary producer Christopher Hale, there are indications that the term Bandenbekämpfung may go back as far as the Thirty Years' War. Civilians and military officers in Prussia during Napoleon's campaign were not themselves unacquainted with the practice of "partisan" warfare as Prussian field marshal August Neidhardt von Gneisenau and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz encouraged mass resistance by civilians and instructed the Landsturm to strike at the French enemy's rear, disrupt their movements, and interdict supply lines in an effort to mobilize its population. The Prussians later termed this identical conduct as "banditry" when the French employed it against Prussian forces in 1870. For the Prussians, the legitimacy of irregular resistance evidently depended not on its nature but on which army it threatened. Under the German Empire established by Otto von Bismarck in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War—formed as a union of twenty-five German states under the Hohenzollern king of Prussia—Prussian militarism flourished; martial traditions that included the military doctrine of Antoine-Henri Jomini's 1837 treatise, Summary of the Art of War, were put into effect.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Some of the theories laid out by Jomini contained instructions for intense offensive operations and the necessity of securing one's "lines of operations". German military officers took this to mean as much attention should be given to logistical operations used to fight the war at the rear as those in the front, and certainly entailed security operations. Following Jomini's lead, Oberstleutnant Albrecht von Boguslawski published lectures entitled Der Kleine Krieg ("The Small War", a literal translation of guerrilla), which outlined in detail the tactical procedures related to partisan and anti-partisan warfare—likely deliberately written without clear distinctions between combatants and non-combatants. To what extent the teaching of these Prussian military officers and theorists contributed to the intensification of unrestrained warfare cannot be known precisely, but officers like Alfred von Schlieffen encouraged professional soldiers to embrace a dictum that advocated "for every problem, there was a military solution". Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Chief of the Prussian General Staff, added hostage-taking as a means of deterrence to sabotage activities and the employment of collective measures against entire communities, which became the basis for German anti-partisan policies from 1870 and remained as such through 1945.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1870: 1870 Milestone — The Prussians later termed this identical conduct as "banditry" when the French employed it against Prussian forces in 1870.
2. 1871: 1871 Milestone — Under the German Empire established by Otto von Bismarck in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War—formed as a union of twenty-five German states under the Hohenzollern king of Prussia—Prussian militarism flourished; martial traditions that included the military doctrine of Antoine-Henri Jomini's 1837 treatise, Summary of the Art of War, were put into effect.

Notable Quotes by Bandenbekämpfung

“The legitimacy of irregular resistance evidently depended not on its nature but on which army it threatened.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Bandenbekämpfung

True or False: “The term Bandenbekämpfung was first used exclusively during the Nazi regime in World War II.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Indications suggest the concept may date back as far as the Thirty Years' War.

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