Technische Nothilfe


Technische Nothilfe was a German organisation. It began as a strikebreaker organisation after the First World War, but developed into a volunteer emergency response unit. During the Nazi period TN became in charge of technical civil defence.

History

The TN was founded on September 30, 1919 by Otto Lummitzsch with the stated purpose to protect and maintain vital & strategic facilities. At the time, these vital infrastructure facilities were under threat from sabotage and attack during a period bordering on civil war, which was caused by the collapse of German economy following the end of World War I and exacerbated by a spate of politically motivated wildcat strikes, usually by left-wing elements. In effect they were strike-breakers.
The organization was formed from primarily post World War I army engineering/technical unit members, and transitioned into a volunteer civilian organisation which was registered by the Department of the Interior. The change was required by the demilitarisation requirements of the Treaty of Versailles, in order that the TN would not be classified as a military organization. Based on the nature of its operations, the background of its personnel was mainly conservative middle class, but included a large number of students, especially those in technical studies. In the Weimar Republic period, the TN was seen as a threat by the working class and thus aroused the animosity of trade unionists, and more particularly the Communist Party of Germany. The TN intervened as a volunteer aide organization, when strikes could not be avoided, and when the public welfare was endangered as in strikes of electricity, food service and railroad workers.
As economic conditions improved and strikes became less common and less aggressive, the TN was able to shift its activities into public welfare areas such as disaster relief, with respect to floods, fires, industrial accidents, bridge and railway collapses; as well as responding to motor vehicle accidents in the countryside. A mobile Bereitschaftdienst was set up, in order to be able to more readily respond. Clandestine air raid protection activities also began in the late 1920s – early 1930s as the Luftschutzdienst. From 1931–1934, the TN also became involved in the Freiwilligen Arbeitsdienst and supervised training at over 12,000 locations. The FAD was later morphed into the Reichsarbeitsdienst.
Throughout the Third Reich the TN, within Germany, focused on civil defence — air raid rescue, general disaster response, and relief work. From 1936 the TN was gradually absorbed into Ordnungspolizei as an auxiliary police organization and it came under the ultimate control of Heinrich Himmler, as the head of the police, and ultimately the SS. From June 1, 1943, the TN members, serving outside of the Reich, wore the green uniform of the Police and were referred to as the TN-Police. In addition to working within Germany, the TN was active in Nazi-occupied countries from September 1, 1939 as Einsatzgruppen, which followed the Wehrmacht and restored vital services and functions in Poland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Norway. Local TN branch organisations were formed in some occupied countries, notably as the Technische Noodhulp in the Netherlands and as the Teknisk Nødhjelp in Norway.
The TN Einsatzgruppen participated in the occupation of the Saar, Austria, Sudetenland, Poland and then in the Western Campaigns of 1940. Their purpose was to secure vital industries, prevent or repair sabotage, rebuild the infrastructure TN units were taken into Luftwaffe service early on and other TN units into Heer service in mid 1941. Those in Army were named the Technische Truppen, which was commanded by Erich Hampe, the long term Stellv. Chef der TN . Also, some TN units served in the Kriegsmarine, although it is poorly documented. Other TN units, under the control of the TN Headquarters, remained in service until the end of World War II.
In 1945 the victorious Allies dissolved the TN. Its functions were assumed again in 1950 when Otto Lummitzsch was requested by the West German government to form the Technisches Hilfswerk which exists to the present day with civil defence responsibilities and also participates in worldwide disaster relief responses.

Leadership

Chief

Deputy Chief

Ranks

Collar insignia 1936–1943Shoulder insignia 1936–19431936–19431943–1945Equivalent rank in the Wehrmacht
TN-AnwärterAnwärter der TNSchütze
TN-Mann—Oberschütze
TN-VormannUnterwachtmeister der TNGefreiter
TN-ObervormannRottwachtmeister der TNObergefreiter
TN-ScharführerWachtmeister der TNUnteroffizier
—Oberwachtmeister der TNUnterfeldwebel
TN-OberscharführerZugwachtmeister der TNFeldwebel
TN-HauptscharführerHauptwachtmeister der TNOberfeldwebel
TN-StabsscharführerMeister der TNStabsfeldwebel
TN-KameradschaftsführerZugführer der TNLeutnant
TN-GemeinschaftsführerOberzugführer der TNOberleutnant
TN-GefolgschaftsführerBereitschaftsführer der TNHauptmann
TN-BereitschaftsführerAbteilungsführer der TNMajor
TN-HauptbereitschaftsführerOberabteilungsführer der TNOberstleutnant
TN-BezirksführerLandesführer der TNOberst
TN-LandesführerLandesführer der TNOberst
Stellvertretender Chef der TN—Generalmajor
Chef der TNChef der TN = SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der PolizeiGeneralleutnant