History UsefulNotes / TheGestapo

* ''Film/{{Resistance|2020}}'': The infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Barbie Klaus Barbie]] aka "The Butcher of Lyon" (who organized round-ups of thousands of Jews and tortured resistants to death) is featured in the film.

* ''Film/LesPasseurs'': A [[LesCollaborateurs French]] [[TheMole mole]] working for the Gestapo infiltrates a people-smuggling network near the Swiss border.

* ''Film/{{Resistance|2020}}'': The infamous Klaus Barbie aka "The Butcher of Lyon" (who organized round-ups of thousands of Jews and tortured resistants to death) is featured in the film.

* ''Film/IsParisBurning'': "Captain Serge" turns out to be a [[LesCollaborateurs French Gestapo mole]] who passed as a resistance officer and leads a bunch of unsuspecting young men who wanted to join the Resistance to their death straight before a trigger-happy squad of German soldiers.

* ''Film/BlackBook'': The SD is featured in this one. The Dutch resistance targets local SD leader ''Hauptsturmführer'' Ludwig Müntze, who turns out to be a decent man. The real threat turns out to be Müntze's deputy, ''Obersturmführer'' Günther Franken, who had the family of the film's Jewish heroine slaughtered.

* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'': Arnold Ernst Toht is perhaps the most famous Gestapo agent moviewise, and also the most unrealistic (from how he dresses all the way to his {{Ghostapo}} mission far from Germany).

* ''Film/AceOfAces'': A Gestapo squad is seen ransacking a Jewish bookshop seemingly just for the sake of it. It's doubly ArtisticLicenseHistory because they all weat a black leather coat and a hat, and because it would be more of a ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) thing to do.

The '''''Ge'''heime '''Sta'''ats'''po'''lizei'', aka the Secret State Police.

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]] (and to its credit was actively sabotaging Germany's war effort), the Gestapo was organized primarily to be an [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the Nazi Party]]. Thus, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame isn't much of a compliment]].

The Gestapo kept people in Hitler's empire terrorized and docile. They were always trying to convince people that [[WeAreEverywhere they were everywhere]]. They were in charge of hunting fugitives from the concentration camps and those who [[SacredHospitality sheltered or assisted]] them, and fighting against LaResistance. The Gestapo was famous for its fondness for ColdBloodedTorture.

Unfortunately for the Reich, they were not as skillful at dealing with other espionage agencies as they were at sowing terror. Officers were selected for political reliability rather than professionalism. And even more than the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}}, they were everybody's ChewToy. However, there were some effective agents who served here. One of them was SS-and-Police General Heinrich [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep "Gestapo"]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Müller_%28Gestapo%29 Müller]] (the only Chief of Gestapo from 1933 to 1945), who [[JustFollowingOrders had the reputation of robotic efficiency]] in dealing with internal dissent. Above him as chief of all police organizations within the Reich stood Reinhard Heydrich, who was known by Hitler as [[RedBaron "the man with an iron heart"]]. He served for ambition rather than ideology, but served very competently until he had the misfortune of being assassinated by LaResistance in Prague. Given that he was nicknamed "The Hangman" and gave the order for the Final Solution in the Holocaust, he probably [[KarmicDeath deserved it.]]

Contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with the SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of internal and external counter-intelligence and security service had been the [=SD=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and for some time led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]] (and to its credit was actively sabotaging Germany's war effort), the Gestapo was organized primarily to be an [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the Nazi Party]]. Thus, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust isn't [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame much of a compliment]].

On the other hand, contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with the SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of internal and external counter-intelligence and security service had been the [=SD=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and for some time led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

And no, despite the common portrayal in media, Gestapo officers never wore sinister [[BadassLongcoat black, leather coats courtesy of the SS]] complete with a black CommissarCap. That's pure [[RuleOfCool Hollywood invention]]. Until 1936 they actually didn't have any specific uniforms and were a plainclothes service. Later they were issued grey uniforms worn by all intelligence and SS administration services, but being SecretPolice most Gestapo officers preferred operating in civilian clothes and usually tried to protect their real identity.

On the other hand, contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of internal and external counter-intelligence and security service had been the [=SD=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and for some time led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

The '''''Ge'''heime '''Sta'''ats'''po'''lizei'', aka the Secret State Police. [[SarcasmMode I wonder what]] that [[SecretPolice could]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin be]]?

Unfortunately for the Reich, they were not as skillful at dealing with other espionage agencies as they were at sowing terror. Officers were selected for political reliability rather than professionalism. And even more than the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}}, they were everybody's ChewToy. However, there were some effective agents who served here. One of them was SS-and-Police General Heinrich [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep "Gestapo"]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_M%C3%BCller_%28Gestapo%29 Müller]] (the only Chief of Gestapo from 1933 to 1945), who [[JustFollowingOrders had the reputation of robotic efficiency]] in dealing with internal dissent. Above him as chief of all police organizations within the Reich stood Reinhard Heydrich, who was known by Hitler as [[RedBaron "the man with an iron heart"]]. He served for ambition rather than ideology, but served very competently until he had the misfortune of being assassinated by LaResistance in Prague. Given that he was nicknamed "The Hangman" and gave the order for the Final Solution in the Holocaust, he probably [[KarmicDeath deserved it.]]

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]] (and to its credit was actively sabotaging Germany's war effort), the Gestapo was organized primarily to be a [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany the Nazi Party]]. Thus, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust isn't [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame much of a compliment]].

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]] (and to its credit was actively sabotaging Germany's war effort), the Gestapo was organized primarily to be a [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazi Party]]. Thus, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust isn't [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame much of a compliment]].

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]], the Gestapo was organized primarily to be a [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazi Party]]. Thus, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust isn't [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame much of a compliment]].

On the other hand, contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of internal and external law enforcement had been the [=SD=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and for some time led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

On the other hand, contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of counter-espionage within the Reich had been the [=SD-Inland=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

On the other hand, contrary to popular belief usually fueled by incorrect portrayal of Gestapo in media (that often mix it up with SS, especially of the ''Einsatzgruppen'' kind), Gestapo was, for the most part, a rather ineffective organization. It was permanently understaffed (in extreme cases little more than 100 officers were given jurisdiction over the area inhabited by several million citizens). Gestapo staff were constantly overworked with red tape and could rely only on the willingness of Germans eager to support the Nazi regime (which, frankly, usually bogged the proceedings further as officers had to separate useful information from exaggerations and blatant lies). In the occupied territories they were universally loathed and could rely only on information gained from [[LesCollaborateurs collaborators]]. Historians usually agree that despite what notoriety it gained later, Gestapo was absolutely no match for the Soviets' NKVD. The truly scary branch of counter-espionage within the Reich had been the [=SD=] (security department within the [=SS=]), which had been created and led by Heydrich himself and always driven to do the best (or, judging by what they did in RealLife, the ''worst'').

Unfortunately for the Reich, they were not as skillful at dealing with other espionage agencies as they were at sowing terror. Officers were selected for political reliability rather than professionalism. And even more than the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}}, they were everybody's ChewToy. However, there were some effective agents who served here. One of them was SS-and-Police General Heinrich [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep "Gestapo"]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_M%C3%BCller_%28Gestapo%29 Müller]] (the only Chief of Gestapo from 1933 to 1945), who [[JustFollowingOrders had the reputation of robotic efficiency]] in dealing with internal dissent. Above him as chief of all police organizations within the Reich stood Reinhard Heydrich, who was known by Hitler as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "the man with an iron heart"]]. He served for ambition rather than ideology, but served very competently until he had the misfortune of being assassinated by LaResistance in Prague. Given that he was nicknamed "The Hangman" and gave the order for the Final Solution in the Holocaust, he probably [[KarmicDeath deserved it.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/SophieSchollTheFinalDays http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gestapo_sophie_scholl_8523.jpg]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:{{Gestapo}} agents escorting [[LaResistance Sophie Scholl]] to the KangarooCourt.]]

While the UsefulNotes/{{Abwehr}} was an ordinary intelligence organization whose main fault was that it was saddled with [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the wrong government]], the Gestapo was organized primarily to be a [[GovernmentConspiracy Official Department of Evilness]]. While the Abwehr was responsible to the state, the Gestapo was responsible to [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazi Party]]. Thus Hitler on the whole trusted the Gestapo more. As it turned out he may have been right to do so from his point of view, although having Hitler's trust isn't [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame much of a compliment]].