The German administration

In the occupied territories, all State powers were transferred to the German army, the ultimate authority held by the General Headquarters (established in Luxembourg and later at Charleville and Spa, with a command post in Avesnes). Alongside each army general in charge of an army group, there was a corresponding military governor who had complete control over the civilian population. Towns and villages were grouped together under a Kommandantur, a command post which was generally established in the main administrative centre of a district. For those close to the front, this was an Orstkommandantur; for those further away, an Etappenkommandantur. A commander (often a military officer) was placed at the head of each Kommandantur. He was assisted by a Landwache or land officer (whom local people soon came to nickname "langue de vache", or "cow’s tongue" in English) who controlled the farms, and an inspecting officer in charge of requisitioning and searches. Each commander also had a large staff of 6 to 8 men. These were initially soldiers but they were soon replaced by German civilians. These Kommandanturen were housed in public buildings or houses whose owners had been evicted. Lille was administered by a general, given the title of Governor, and a deputy general. In Valenciennes and Saint-Armand, the commander was a colonel assisted by a captain. In 1917, Avesnes was governed by a colonel-commander, a deputy lieutenant, 21 non-commissioned officers and soldiers and various officials to run the hospitals, shops and business committees. The gendarmerie was responsible for policing. Each Kommandantur had a post manned by a few gendarmes supervised by a non-commissioned officer. They were responsible for traffic, assisting in requisitioning operations, tackling fraud and monitoring the population. In the towns, a military police force made up of soldiers unfit for front line duty assisted the gendarmerie. In rural areas, an auxiliary force policed the fields. Offenders were brought before the police court or Polizeiamt presided by a judge who was a professional civil servant. It was here that the many fines imposed to punish violations had to be paid.