A Greifkommando in Berlin, April 1945
The Greifkommando ("grab detachment") was a unit of the German military, usually SS, that was tasked with capturing and executing deserting troops and civilians fleeing without permission. The job was originally undertaken by the Feldgendarmerie during the earlier years of World War II, but an upsurge in partisan activity restrained the ability of the Feldgendarmerie to deal with the growing problem of desertion, and the greifkommando units were formed from the remnants of SS divisions or even civilians who strongly believed in endsieg ("end-victory"). During the Battle of Berlin, the Greifkommando targeted "cowardly" Volkssturm troops and civilians (many of them old men and young boys), and they were infamous for hanging deserters and fleeing civilians while hanging signs from them saying that they supported the Bolsheviks.