96

During the First World War, the image of military police, as seen by the troops, forms part of the creation of a group identity. Thus, the satire of the ? gendarmerie ?, produced in trench newspapers is tolerated at the front by a general staff which is anxious to federate its troops. This specific press and the literary testimonies spread during the postwar years perpetuate the picture of an opportunistic and finical military police force, happy to be absent from the front. As the assignments of the military police frustrate the combat soldier during his leisure time, they become strongly feared and hated as the conflict drags on. The identification of the military police with the enemy or with the firing squad, and the soldier's bitterness, which are perceptible into the interwar period, bear witness to the unpopularity of a whole institution.