German Stazi Ordnungspolizei Police Flag 3 X 5 ft. Standard 3rd Reich

Orpo Flag WW2 German Ordnungspolizei Flag — Third Reich Order Police

Standard, 3×5 Feet

The Official Flag of the Third Reich’s National Civilian Police Force

The Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) flag is one of the most historically significant law enforcement artifacts of World War II Germany — the official standard of the Third Reich’s national uniformed civilian police organization. An essential piece for serious collectors, historians, theatrical productions, and WWII reenactors, this flag represents a critical and often overlooked institution within the machinery of the Nazi state.

History of the Ordnungspolizei — The “Green Police”

The Ordnungspolizei (German: Order Police, abbreviated Orpo) was established in 1936 under SS-Obergruppenführer Kurt Daluege as a consolidation of Germany’s various regional and municipal police forces into a single national uniformed organization under the authority of Heinrich Himmler’s SS apparatus.

Easily identified by their distinctive green uniforms — in sharp contrast to the SS’s black and the Wehrmacht’s field grey — Orpo officers were widely known throughout occupied Europe as the Grüne Polizei (Green Police). At its peak the organization numbered over 300,000 men, making it one of the largest police forces in the world at the time.

While the Orpo’s primary mandate was conventional civilian law enforcement — traffic control, criminal policing, and public order — the organization’s role expanded dramatically following the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Orpo battalions were deployed across occupied Eastern Europe, where they participated in some of the most notorious atrocities of the Holocaust, including mass executions carried out by Police Battalions such as the infamous Reserve Police Battalion 101 — the subject of historian Christopher Browning’s landmark work Ordinary Men (1992).

The Ordnungspolizei was formally dissolved at the end of the war in 1945 and was declared a criminal organization by the Nuremberg Tribunal, though individual prosecutions of its members were limited.

Frequently Asked Questions & Little-Known Facts

Q: Is the Ordnungspolizei the same as the Stasi? No — these are entirely different organizations from different eras. The Ordnungspolizei (Orpo) was the uniformed civilian police of Nazi Germany (1936–1945). The Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) was the East German secret police, operating from 1950 to 1990 under the communist German Democratic Republic — a separate country, a separate era, and a completely different institution.

Q: How large was the Ordnungspolizei? At its wartime peak, the Orpo comprised over 300,000 uniformed officers, supplemented by auxiliary police battalions drawn from occupied territories. It was one of the largest uniformed police organizations ever assembled.

Q: Why were they called the “Green Police”? Unlike the black-uniformed SS or the field grey of the Wehrmacht, Orpo officers wore a distinctive dark green uniform, making them immediately recognizable to occupied civilian populations across Europe. The nickname Grüne Polizei was used widely by civilians throughout Nazi-occupied countries.

Q: What was the Orpo’s role in the Holocaust? Orpo battalions deployed to Eastern Europe played a direct and extensively documented role in the mass murder of Jewish civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, and partisan populations. Reserve Police Battalion 101, a middle-aged Hamburg Orpo unit, is estimated to have killed over 83,000 people in occupied Poland — their actions documented in detail by historian Christopher Browning.

Q: What productions feature the Ordnungspolizei? Orpo uniforms and insignia appear in numerous WWII historical productions including Schindler’s List, The Man in the High Castle, Band of Brothers, and countless European historical dramas set during the German occupation of France, Poland, and the Netherlands.

Q: Is it legal to display this flag? In the United States, display of this flag is fully protected under the First Amendment. Display laws vary significantly across Germany, Austria, France, and other European nations, where certain Third Reich symbols are restricted outside of educational, artistic, and historical contexts.

Standard Quality — Super-Weave Polyester, 3×5 Feet

Our most popular quality level — durable, lightweight, and versatile for events, display, and theatrical use.

• Through-dyed on both sides — design is fully visible from either direction
• Bright, fade-resistant dye for lasting color in indoor and fair-weather outdoor use
• 100% synthetic waterproof material — lightweight and easy to handle
• Double-stitched edges on all sides for lasting durability
• Reinforced grommet holes with metal rings for secure pole attachment
• Fits any standard flagpole or mounting system

Recommended Uses

• Fair-weather outdoor display on poles and mounts
• Theatrical productions — film, television, and stage
• WWII reenactments and living history events
• Indoor museum and historical displays
• Parades, events, and demonstrations
• Home display and seasonal decoration

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