German Geheime Feldpolizei Poster Translation

[green_acorn]

I have a Geheime Feldpolizei poster warning a Belgian community about various security and espionage matters. A word that has my translator friend stumped is "Taubenhinterziehung" deaf evasion suggested by Google Translate and Pigeon Evasion don't quite seem right in the context of the poster. Would any linguist out there familiar with period German know what it means?

Cheers,

Hendo

[charlie2]

Without the full sentence in german it's a bit difficult. I asked my german wife (not that she is from that period) and received a blank stare. After a while we came to the conclusion that it probably means turning blind eye to something.

I/we are interested to see what others think.

Charlie

[egbert]

a simple one: "Taubenhinterziehung" (this word is not used anymore) then was when people hid their private pigeons from being "drafted" in the Army. I.e. claiming that they do not posses any pigeons or falsifying the quantities possessing.

A similar word today would be to evade (paying tax i.e.) , like hiding money from the tax office....

[charlie2]

Sometimes things are simpler than they appear

[egbert]

Sometimes things are simpler than they appear

Its easier when you buy your wife some pigeons . she will be responsible than for Taubenhinterziehung.

[Martin Bennitt]

Would the inference also be that they were suspected of using the pigeons to carry messages, rather than keeping them for the cookpot, for example?

Cheers Martin B

[green_acorn]

This is the poster:

I should add that it is not from Belgium but France. I thought I had amended my original post, but I forgot to upload the changes.

The poster was intended for the Boncourt area, which I believe to be Boncourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, France. The intent of the poster is to warn hotel guests and landlords about various security and espionage matters. It directs landlords to post the notice in every guest room.

Based on Egberts advice we think the translation should read:

The circumstances in which the Secret Field Police must be immediately notified?

Every time a criminal matter against the security of the German Army is to be brought to the attention of the Secret Field Police without delay, and also when there is any suspicion of same. Upon being notified, the Secret Field Police will immediately send officials. A brief statement of the facts, outlining those things, which form the evidence is essential to initiate the investigation. Experience dictates that these matters should be left alone until the arrival of the Secret Field Police.

As criminal matters are not only covered under sections 89-91 R. Str. G.B. and 57-59 M. St. G.B. (Espionage, War Regulations), especially also border crossing, letter smuggling, information trading, hiding pigeon, unauthorised entry upon railway installations, stopping the railway (eisenbahnanschl(ae)ge: another word we were not quite sure of), caching weapons, evading control of military persons, travelling without a passport, taking photographs without a permit, as well as the manufacture and possession of propaganda and newspapers of hostile nations.

Further the Secret Field Police should be immediately informed of any events and signs which affect the public morale (hostile activity, strikes, work disruption, or incitement thereto).

Also of the appearance of hostile carrier pigeons, and air balloons, as well as the landings of hostile flyers should immediately be brought to the attention of the Secret Field Police.

The notices and messages of the relevant local field offices of the Secret Field Police follow.

The name of the relevant field district and post of the Secret Field Police is:

Nebenstelle (substation) Boncourt

Display this in guest rooms!

It is terrible being monolingual.

Cheers,

Hendo

[bierast]

Would the inference also be that they were suspected of using the pigeons to carry messages, rather than keeping them for the cookpot, for example?

Absolutely, this was the major concern with pigeons. We touch on this in our book Fighting the Kaiser's War, which includes translated Geheime Feldpolizei documents (found by my co-author at the Saxon Archives in Dresden) from the 4. Armee area in Flanders.

Since this notice is in German, surely it must be intended primarily for German military and/or civilian auxiliary personnel? 'Hotel guests' would surely tend to fall into this category (with the exception of the odd accredited journalist etc.). The objective would then be to ensure that any of the matters listed here would be escalated immediately to the GeFeldPo, rather than merely to an Ortskommandantur, the reader's own unit etc.

[charlie2]

Its easier when you buy your wife some pigeons . she will be responsible than for Taubenhinterziehung.

if only I could train the dog to catch them!

[JWK]

Eisenbahnanschläge : attacks on the railways

And the title I read as : In which circumstances should the Secret Police be notified immediately ?

Same as what you have, but they posed it as a question.

[trajan]

... A word that has my translator friend stumped is "Taubenhinterziehung" deaf evasion suggested by Google Translate and Pigeon Evasion don't quite seem right in the context of the poster. ...

Off topic, I know, but perhaps somebody (Egbert?) will enlighten me as to how a deaf person is a 'Taube'?

[green_acorn]

JWK,

Thank you. I had actually amended what my friend had written, as it didn't seem right. I shall correct it.

Cheers,

Hendo

[egbert]

Off topic, I know, but perhaps somebody (Egbert?) will enlighten me as to how a deaf person is a 'Taube'?

Easy peasy- the word Taube means=pigeon

The word taub means= deaf

The modern day electronic translation features do not substitute an old fashioned human being

[JWK]

Here is what I make of it:

The Secret Field Police is to be notified immediately of any instance of criminal activity against the security of the German Army, even if it’s only a suspicion.

The BFP will immediately send officials to investigate.

Short statement of facts, presentation of witnesses, and safeguarding of evidence are required to start the preliminary investigation.

Apart from that the Gendarmerie [Civilian Police] and the Military Police have to restrict themselves to only the absolutely necessary actions until the arrival of the GFP.

As criminal activities not only those instances as per &&89-91 R. Str. G.B. and 57-59 M.Str.G.B. (Espionage, High treason) are to be taken into consideration, but also illegal bordercrossing, smuggling of letters, communication of newsreports, hiding carrierpigeons, unauthorised entering of railway installations, attacks on the railways, concealing weapons, hiding persons liable for military service, travelling without a pass (pass-less persons), photographing without a permit, as well as producing and possession of hateful and abusive pamphlets and newspapers from the enemy countries.

Furthermore the GFP is to be informed immediately of all circumstances and signs which can affect the public morale (Anti-German demonstrations , Strikes, work-refusal and incitement of same)

The GFP is also to be informed immediately of the dropping of enemy-carrierpigeons and pamphlets, as well as landings of enemy pilots/aircraft.

Notifications and reports should be sent to the office of the GFP responsible for the region.

The Secret Field Police office responsible for this region is :

Branchoffice Roncourt

[JWK]

And this is how you wrap a pigeon for dropping from an aircraft:

[trajan]

Easy peasy- the word Taube means=pigeon

The word taub means= deaf

The modern day electronic translation features do not substitute an old fashioned human being

Thanks Egbert - the reason I asked was because I have been completely deaf in one ear (and partly so in the other) since a childhood illness, and one of the first words I learnt when I went to work for the Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Bodendenkmalplege in 1971 (after important things like Kelle, Schubkarre, Bier[!], usw) was 'Taube', to explain to people why I had difficulties in understanding them. So, long before electronic translation features...

And this how you wrap a pigeon for dropping from an aircraft:

How to wrap a pigeon.jpg

What about the cherries? After all, a squab w/o cherries is not a proper feast ... Joking aside, what a wonderful illustration!

[charlie2]

§§ 89-91 R. Str. G.B. und 57-59 M.G.B. = Paragraphs 89-91 of the Imperial penal code and paragraphs 57-59 of the Military penal code

[green_acorn]

Gents,

Thank you very much for your translations and insights. As Andi Lucas has pointed out the poster being in German means the notice about "guests rooms" probably is intended as something like "Display this in the rooms soldiers are billeted in". But I suspect the Germans were a bit sensitive to local opinion and used the term "guests" instead.

Cheers,

Hendo

[MBrockway]

Easy peasy- the word Taube means=pigeon

The word taub means= deaf

The modern day electronic translation features do not substitute an old fashioned human being

To add to the confusion, it is often possible in German to make a noun from an adjective by adding suitable endings. Thus 'taub', can become 'die Tauben' - used to refer to deaf people as a group, as in English 'the deaf'.

Identical to 'die Tauben' - 'the pigeons' (plural).

Context is all and electronic translation needs to be extremely sophisticated to get close to the human brain on that :-)