[DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department Technical Manual, TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces published in March 1945. — Figures and illustrations are not reproduced, see source details. — As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. — Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.] CHAPTER I. THE GERMAN MILITARY SYSTEM Section V. FUNCTIONS OF THE CORPS AREA 4. Garrison Headquarters The local territorial responsibilities of the corps area commander are exercised through Armed Forces Senior Garrison Officers (Wehrmacht-Standortälteste). In garrisons with permanent headquarters (Kommandanturen), or on maneuver areas (Truppenübungsplatze), the commander (Kommandant) is automatically the senior garrison officer. If the majority of the units or installations in a garrison belong to the Navy or Air Force, the senior garrison officer may be taken from these branches of the Armed Forces instead of from the Army, but he remains subordinate to the corps area commander. The area of the garrison town and its immediate vicinity is designated as the garrison district (Standortbezirk), its boundaries fixed by the senior garrison officer with the approval of the corps area commander. Within this district the senior garrison officer is fully responsible for discipline, local defense, and related matters on behalf of the entire Armed Forces; enlisted personnel, for example, require a pass to leave the garrison district. All parts of the corps area which are not included in garrison districts are allotted by the corps area commander to so-called garrison areas (Standortbereiche), which are placed under the control of existing senior garrison officers for the exercise of the same functions as within the districts. If there is an airport (Fliegerhorst) within the garrison district, it is treated as an autonomous district and placed under the command of a German Air Force officer. The senior garrison officer is authorized to commandeer soldiers and horse-drawn vehicles in his area to do work for the general purposes of the garrison. In case of emergency he may mobilize special detachments. The senior garrison officer issues regulations for garrison guards and patrols and cooperates with units of the Armed Forces Patrol Service (Wehrmacht-Streifendienst). He is responsible for local defense measures, especially for the air raid protection of all installations belonging to the Armed Forces, and for the efficiency of the air raid protection services. The senior garrison officer is responsible for the maintenance of military discipline among all members of the Armed Forces within his territory; all military personnel on leave have to report at the garrison headquarters within 48 hours, and the senior garrison officer may declare certain restaurants or streets off limits.

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