"protection team"; plural: Schutzmannschaften,[nb 1] abbreviated as Schuma) was the collaborationist auxiliary police of native policemen serving in those areas of the Soviet Union and the Baltic states occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Heinrich Himmler, head of the Schutzstaffel (SS), established the Schutzmannschaft on 25 July 1941, and subordinated it to the Order Police (Ordnungspolizei; Orpo).

[6] The auxiliary police battalions (Schutzmannschaft-Bataillone) were created to provide security in the occupied territories, in particular by combating the anti-Nazi resistance.

[6] Due to limited supervision, particularly in rural areas, members of Schutzmannschaften had considerable power and there were frequent complaints of corruption and abuse.

[18] Initially, Schutzmannschaften was organized based on existing police structures and spontaneous anti-Soviet groups that formed at the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Due to this legacy and its semi-military status, Lithuanians associated police battalions with their national aspirations of independent Lithuania.

[20] A number of them had prior police or military experience and wanted a job which paid steady wages and provided food rations.

Joining the German war apparatus also provided certain privileges and protections for the men and their families (for example, exemption from forced labor).

[24] To increase their reliability, Himmler ordered the organization of NCO training,[25] which would include political education, that lasted up to eight weeks.

[29] In general, the battalions were poorly provided for, sometimes even lacking food rations, as priority and preference was given to German units fighting in the front lines.

By that time German advance into Soviet Union halted and Nazi officials considered using the battalions for more direct military duties.

46, dated August 1942, he agreed to strengthen and enlarge Schutzmannschaft, but to use it only for Nazi security warfare and other auxiliary duties behind the front lines.

[35] About 12,000 men guarded forced laborers (Soviet POWs, civilians, Jews) working on the Durchgangsstrasse IV, a major road from Lemberg (now Lviv) to Stalino (now Donetsk).

[39] After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, several former members of Schutzmannschaft were denaturalized by United States or Canada and deported back to their countries.