Hartmann organized the first armed group of pro-Nazi Cretans mainly from the Tzoulias family in the village of Krousonas. Despite the fact that Schubert took part in war crimes, there is no evidence that he was involved in the Krousonas pro-Nazi group until June 1942 when he took command. Schubert recruited several convicted Greek criminals and others pro-Nazi Cretans from Krousonas. In April 1943 Schubert was transferred to Feldgendarmerie Local German Command 981 (Ortskommandatur) in Chania subordinate to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) Herbert Glebin. The relations between Schubert and Hartmann became more and more strained and Hartmann ordered the imprisonment of Schubert to the Agia prison outside Chania. Schubert was released by orders of generalleutnant (lieutenant general) Bruno Braeuer commander of occupied Crete who was convicted and executed as a war criminal after the war. Bruno Braeuer gave Schubert (now an oberfeldwebel (sergeant)) complete freedom of action to suppress the resistance answering to no one. In September 1943 the Schubert group was officially established as Jagdkommando Schubert also 'National Detachment for Chasing Criminals/Communists' in eastern Crete. The Jagdkommando Schubert was an anti-communist militia group intended to capture local resistance fighters and those who helped them. The soldiers were dressed in Italian and the officers in Wehrmacht uniforms and became known among Cretans as the Schuberai, Schubertiani or Schuberites (). They were notorious for their sadistic practices during attacks against civilians that involved beating, torture, shootings and the destruction of numerous villages in Crete and Makedonia (e.g., Oropedio Lasithiou, Rodakino, Kali Sykia, Kallikratis, etc.). Even today, calling someone a Schuberitis is considered in Crete to be a serious insult synonymous to treachery and cruelty. These events had enraged the local resistance fighters and the British agents and made them want to eliminate the Schuberai at all costs. Soon, Schubert's unit lost its effectiveness as it could not operate away from his base without the escort of a large Wehrmacht protective force. It is also possible that German officers in Crete were enraged because Schubert's practices were too cruel even for the standards of Nazi Germany. Hence, in January 1944 Schubert was ordered by Bruno Brauer to leave Crete. The men of his group were given the choice to stay in Crete or follow him to Macedonia. About half of his men were transferred to Macedonia to reinforce the collaborationist battalion of Georgios Poulos (a.k.a. Poulos Verband). While in Macedonia, Schubert's group continued