History of The Battalion
Mission
The 709th Military Police Battalion conducts professional law enforcement, and in conjunction with NATO allies, protects USAREUR in order to preserve the force and enable Unified Land Operations. On order, the battalion deploys and directs Multi-National Military Police Operations in support of regional military objectives and operational requirements.
History
The 709th Military Police Battalion has served with honor and distinction in Europe for over 80 years. Headquarters and Headquarter Detachment, 709th Military Police Battalion was first constituted on 10 January 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 709th Military Police Battalion. The Battalion was activated at Camp Niantic, Connecticut on 9 April 1942. The Battalion trained for immediate service in World War II.
At the height of the submarine menace, the Battalion received the critical mission of securing portions of the New England coast against potential saboteurs, while providing on-site security for various, radio stations, defense plants, and war material shipments. The Battalion was tasked in early 1943 to guard German prisoners of war shipped from North Africa to US ports and to escort prisoners from these ports to internment facilities.
In October 1943, the Battalion consolidated at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where it underwent six months of intensive training. On 25 July 1944, the Battalion departed Boston Harbor enroute for Liverpool, England, thus marking the last time it was in the Continental United States. The Battalion landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy and on 29 August 1944, the Battalion entered Paris. As the sole military police unit in the city, the unit operated the Paris Detention Barracks and provided installation security and traffic escort for supply movements in the war-torn city.
The Battalion was reorganized and redesignated on 5 June 1945 as the 709th Military Police Service Battalion. In October 1945, the battalion moved to Frankfurt, Germany, assuming military police duties in another major city devastated by war. The Battalion was reorganized and redesignated again on 18 September 1951 as the 709th Military Police Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army.
In March 1953, the Battalion assumed all military police service support throughout the newly created Northern Area Command. In October 1977, the Battalion expanded its support mission throughout the V Corps area, activating Companies A, B, and C on 21 October 1977. During the height of the cold war the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment provided command and control, intelligence, administrative, logistics and maintenance support to five companies providing military police combat support to V Corps and peacetime law enforcement to twelve communities.
During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the Battalion played an important role in securing rail cars and convoys designated for ports of embarkation and providing continuous law enforcement and personnel security missions for communities within Germany. In 1991 the Battalion deployed to Northern Iraq in support of operation Provide Comfort, where it provided humanitarian relief to Kurdish refugees. In September 1994, the Battalion moved its headquarters from Frankfurt, Germany to Hanau, Germany.
In more recent history, the 709th Military Police Battalion played a major part in contingencies across the globe. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the battalion was assigned to securing rail cars and convoys designated for ports of embarkation while also providing continuous law enforcement and personnel security missions for communities within Germany. In 1991, the battalion deployed to Northern Iraq in support of Operation Provide Comfort. In 1995, HHD moved to Hanau, Germany.
In December 1995, the Battalion deployed to Croatia in support of operation Joint Endeavor, where it provided security and traffic circulation control support to the initial bridge building operations over the Sava River. In early January 1996, the Battalion crossed the Sava River as part of the lines of the communication opening force, preparing the way for eventual entrance of Task Force Eagle units into Bosnia-Herzegovina. Missions conducted in Bosnia included: river crossing operations, main supply route security, traffic circulation control, area security in and around US base camps, convoy escorts, VIP escorts, law enforcement operations, civil disturbance operations, and eventually Bosnian election support. The Battalion returned to Germany in October 1996.
In April 2002, HHD and one company deployed to Kosovo in support of Task Force Falcon and the Multinational Brigade East. HHD and one company deployed to Iraq in March 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the fall of 2005, the unit deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In June 2007, HHD moved to Grafenwoehr and Rose Barracks, Vilseck in 2018.
The 709th Military Police Battalion is under the 18th Military Police Brigade which is assigned to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command. As they have for the past eighty years, the 709th Military Police Battalion continues to provide law enforcement and force protection to our service members and their families. The 709th Military Police Battalion served with honor and distinction in the European Theater since it landed at Normandy in 1944. The Warrior Battalion takes pride in its service to our Nation.
Active Subordinate Units
HHD 709th Military Police Battalion – Vilseck
92nd Military Police Company – Kaiserslautern & Baumholder
527th Military Police Company – Hohenfels & Ansbach
529th Military Police Company – Wiesbaden, Vicenza & Camp Darby
554th Military Police Company – Stuttgart
615th Military Police Company – Vilseck
Deactivated Subordinate Units
28th MP Detachment
127th MP Company
382nd MP Company
564th MP Company
50th MP Detachment
284th MP Company
527th MP Company
61st MP Detachment
293rd MP Company
537th MP Company
67th MP Detachment
294th MP Company
532nd MP Company
94th MP Company
340th MP Company
536th MP Company
Insignia
The colors green and yellow are for the Military Police. The fleur-de-lis and galley, taken from the arms of the city of Paris, have a two-fold meaning as charges. Together, they indicate service in the area around Paris; individually, the fleur-de-lis represents service in Northern France and the galley symbolizes the early assignment of the organization: escorting prisoners from North Africa. The two wavy bars represent two trips in this capacity. The Latin motto, Securitas Copiarum, translates to: Guardians of the Troops.
Sources:
709th Military Police Battalion (army.mil)
709th Military Police Battalion - Wikipedia
709th Military Police Battalion (globalsecurity.org)
Editor’s Note:
There are many sites that have the 709th’s history, some are better at referencing the Cold War while some have focused more on modern activities. Many units have been assigned to support the Battalion that do not exist today. The list of deactivated subordinate units came from our members that were once assigned to that unit.
