History

The Deutsche Reichsbahn (German National Railway) was created after the First World War in 1920 by combining the formerly independent state railways of the abolished German Empire into a national organisation. Under NSDAP rule, the German state railway system was reorganised in the 1930s to better meet the needs of the economy and to prepare for war, eventually supplying the front lines with soldiers and supplies. The Reichsbahn also had an infamous role to play in the Holocaust, transporting Jews and other “undesirables” to concentration and extermination camps.

The Bahnschutzpolizei (railway protection police) was founded in 1939 as a merger of the Bahnpolizei (railway police) and the Reichsbahnschutz (railway protection force), the latter being regular railway employees that, beyond their normal functions, additionally served as railway security personnel.
The Bahnschutzpolizei as a railway sub-organisation was made up of policemen that were employed by the Reichsbahn rather than the German police force. Their task was to ensure railway safety as well as preventing railway-related espionage and sabotage. During the war, most members of the Bahnschutzpolizei served in the occupied Eastern European territories.

Between February and September of 1941, sleeve eagle insignia were worn in combination with a cuff title stating the wearer’s service location. The eagle emblem is yellow on a black cloth backing. The cuff title is black with yellow edges, with the wearer’s service location in yellow script, often preceded by the word “Reichsbahndirektion” (state railway directorate) or “Wehrmacht-Verkehrsdirektion” (armed forces traffic directorate). Both was worn on the upper left sleeve of the tunic and the greatcoat, with the eagle above the cuff title.

In September of 1941, the cuff titles were discontinued and the sleeve insignia was altered to display the eagle emblem in combination with the wearer’s service location. The insignia is shield-shaped with the eagle at the top and the service location in a semi-circle underneath it. The location name was often preceded by the abbreviation RVD (for Reichsverkehrsdirektion, state traffic directorate), HVD (for Hauptverkehrsdirektion, central traffic directorate), or WVD (for Wehrmacht-Verkehrsdirektion, armed forces traffic directorate).