Military Police Corps

The United States Military Police Corps was officially established as a separate branch of the U.S. Army in September 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. Its creation responded to the need for specialized units responsible for maintaining military order, security, and the movement of armed forces in a context of massive mobilization and operations in multiple theaters.

During the war, the Military Police Corps was deployed to all theaters of operations where U.S. forces were engaged, including Europe, North Africa, Italy, the Pacific, and the United States. Its missions included controlling road traffic, securing logistics routes, protecting military installations, managing prisoner-of-war camps, and enforcing military discipline within units.

In Europe, from 1942-1943, military police units were engaged in the landings in North Africa and then in Italy, where they regulated military traffic, protected ports, and managed rear areas. During the Normandy landings in June 1944, they played an essential role in organizing the beaches, regulating the flow of troops and equipment, and securing the landing zones and lines of communication behind the front lines.

During the Allied advance through France, Belgium, and Germany, the Military Police Corps was responsible for managing traffic on congested roads, securing headquarters, escorting convoys, and taking charge of a growing number of German prisoners of war. It also helped secure liberated areas, enforce military orders, and maintain order in occupied territories.

In the Pacific, military police units carried out similar missions, including securing bases, managing Japanese prisoners, regulating traffic, and maintaining order in rear areas and recaptured territories. They were also deployed to islands and forward bases established as the Americans advanced.

After the German surrender in May 1945 and the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Military Police Corps was engaged in occupation, security, and law enforcement missions in Europe and Asia, contributing to the stabilization of occupied territories and the repatriation of American forces.

The US Military Police Corps' service record during World War II covers all American theaters of operations, with continuous participation in the campaigns in North Africa, Italy, Normandy, Western Europe, and the Pacific, as well as security and occupation missions carried out until the end of the conflict.