The Gestapo, or Geheime Staatspolizei (Secret State Police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and was responsible for combating political opposition to the Nazi regime. The Gestapo was not a very large organisation, its size fluctuated over the years, but at its peak in the mid-1940s, it had around 32,000 employees, including both professional police officers and part-time informants. The Gestapo was headquartered in Berlin and had offices throughout Germany and in occupied territories.