The German-Croatian Police (German: Deutsch-Kroatische Polizei; Croatian: Hrvatsko-Njemačko Redarstvo), also known as the German-Croatian SS Police and Gendarmerie, was a force established by the SS for internal security operations in the Independent State of Croatia, a puppet state of Nazi Germany during World War II. In all, 32,000 Croats served in the various units of this Police force, under German command, with the task of preserving order and help defend Axis strategic positions throughout the country.