The Abwehr intelligence branch of the OKW fielded contingents used for special operations. Named after their home station, the Brandenburg barracks, the Brandenburgers operated in western Poland during the Polish campaign. Disguised as Germanand Polish-speaking Polish soldiers, their missions included contacting the German minority in Poland for intelligence information and seizing important Polish installations by surprise.

After the campaign, the Brandenburgers were formally organized as the 800th Lehrbau Battalion (Lehrbau, Construction Instruction, was a deception name), and this designation is backdated in the OB for the Brandenburgers.

The EWZ (Einwanderere Zentralstelle Sonderkommand) battalion was a special OKW unit charged with "protecting German interests in the joint SovietGerman resettlement commission," part of the German Resettlement Commission that evacuated the Volksdeutsch from Soviet territory to Germany.

The EWZ unit officially assisted the commission, but its actual mission was to spy on Soviet territory and be able to infiltrate the Soviet border. In 1941, its Russianspeaking personnel became the basis of the IV/800 Brandenburger battalion.

Inside Europa First to Fight Designer's Notes Part II, Section B Germany [Europa 24]

German Army Divisions and Panzer Troops
Mountain Troops and Infantry
Cavalry, Artillery, and Engineer/Construction Troops
Security Troops
The Replacement Army
Luftwaffe
Kriegsmarine
Brandenburgers
SS and SA
Table 1: 1939 German Tanks
Table 2: 1939 German Divisions: Authorized Organizations
Table 3: German Divisions: Authorized Strengths
Table 4: German Aircraft

Inside Europa First to Fight Designer's Notes Part II, Section A Germany [Europa 23]

Introduction
Army Re-armament and Manpower
Strategic Situation
Germany-Allies Strength Comparison
German High Command and the Government
Volksdeutsch Resettlement 1939-1942
The Wehrkreis System
Frontier Defenses and Border Regt Commands