Jump to content

Allgemeine SS

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

General SS
Allgemeine SS
The general SS was the administrative and non-combative part of theSS.

ReichsführerHeinrich Himmlerleads an SS ceremony on the anniversary of the death ofHeinrich IatQuedlinburg,July 1938
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 1934
Preceding agencies
Dissolved8 May 1945
JurisdictionGermanyandoccupied Europe
HeadquartersSS-Hauptamt,Prinz-Albrecht-Straße,Berlin
52°30′26″N13°22′57″E/ 52.50722°N 13.38250°E/52.50722; 13.38250
Employees100,000 c.1940
Minister responsible
Parent agencySchutzstaffel
Child agencies

TheAllgemeine SS([ˌalɡəˈmaɪ̯nəˈɛsˈɛs];"General SS" ) was a major branch of theSchutzstaffel(SS)paramilitaryforces ofNazi Germany;it was managed by theSS Main Office(SS-Hauptamt). TheAllgemeine SSwas officially established in the autumn of 1934 to distinguish its members from theSS-Verfügungstruppe(SS Dispositional Troops or SS-VT), which later became theWaffen-SS,and theSS-Totenkopfverbände(SS Death's Head Units or SS-TV), which were in charge of theNazi concentration campsandextermination camps.SS formations committed many war crimes against civilians and allied servicemen.[1]

Starting in 1939, foreign units of theAllgemeine SSwere raised in occupied countries. From 1940 they were consolidated into the Directorate of theGermanic-SS(Leitstelle der germanischen SS). When the war first began, the vast majority of SS members belonged to theAllgemeine SS,but this proportion changed during the later years of the war after the Waffen-SS opened up membership to ethnic Germans and non-Germans.

Early years

[edit]

Adolf Hitlerin 1925 orderedJulius Schreckto organise the formation of a new bodyguard unit, theSchutzkommando( "Protection Command" ).[2]Hitler wanted a small group of tough ex-soldiers like Schreck, who would be loyal to him. The unit included oldStoßtruppmembers likeEmil MauriceandErhard Heiden.[3][4]The unit made its first public appearance on 4 April 1925. That same year, theSchutzkommandowas expanded to a national level. It was also successively renamed theSturmstaffel( "Storm Squadron" ) and then finally theSchutzstaffel( "Protection Squadron"; SS) on 9 November 1925.[5]The SS was subordinated to theSAand thus a subunit of the SA and the NSDAP. It was considered to be an elite organization by both party members and the general population.

The main task of the SS was the personal protection of theFührerof theNazi Party,Adolf Hitler. In 1925 the SS had only 200 active members and in 1926, it ended the year with the same number.[6][7]There were 280 members in 1928 as the SS continued to struggle under the SA.[8]AfterHeinrich Himmlertook over the SS in January 1929, he worked to separate the SS from the SA.[9]By December 1929, the number of SS members had grown to 1,000.[10]Himmler began to systematically develop and expand the SS with stricter requirements for members as well as a general purge of SS members who were identified as drunkards, criminals, or otherwise undesirable for service in the SS. Himmler's ultimate aim was to turn the SS into the most powerful organization in Germany and most influential branch of the party.[11]By 1930 Himmler had persuaded Hitler to run the SS as a separate organisation, although it was officially still subordinate to the SA.[12]

Formation and service

[edit]

After theMachtergreifung(seizure of power) by the NSDAP in January 1933, the SS began to expand into a massive organization. By the end of 1932 it included over 52,000 members.[6]By December 1933 the SS increased to 204,000 members and Himmler ordered a temporary freeze on recruitment.[6]

On 20 April 1934,Göringand Himmler agreed to put aside their differences, largely because of their mutual hatred of the SA. Göring transferred control of theGestapoto Himmler, who was also named chief of all German police forces outsidePrussia.Two days later Himmler namedReinhard Heydrichthe head of the Gestapo.[13]The SS was further cemented when both it and the Gestapo participated in the destruction of the SA leadership during theNight of the Long Knivesfrom 30 June to 2 July 1934. They either killed or arrested every major SA leader, above allErnst Röhm.[14]

Himmler was later named the chief of all German police in June 1936,[15]and the Gestapo was incorporated with theKripo(Criminal Police) into sub-branches of theSiPo.Heydrich was made head of the SiPo and continued as chief of theSD.[16]

In August 1934, Himmler received permission from Hitler to form a new organisation from theSS Sonderkommandosand thePolitischen Bereitschaften,theSS-Verfügungstruppe(SS-VT). This was a paramilitary force, which in war was to be subordinate to theWehrmacht( "Armed Forces" ), but remained under Himmler's control in times of peace and under Hitler's personal control regardless. According to this restructure, the SS now housed three different subordinate commands:

  1. Allgemeine SS,
  2. SS-Verfügungstruppe(SS-VT)[17]
  3. SS-Wachverbände,known as the SS-Totenkopfverbände(SS-TV) from 29 March 1936, forward[18][19]

Himmler further conducted additional purges of the SS to exclude those deemed to be opportunists,alcoholics,homosexuals,or of uncertain racial status. This "house cleaning" removed some 60,000 SS members by December 1935. By 1939, the SS had risen again and reached its peak with an estimated 240,000 members.[20]

By the outbreak ofWorld War IIin Europe, the SS had solidified into its final form. Correspondingly, the term "SS" could be applied to three separate organizations, mainly theAllgemeine SS,SS-Totenkopfverbändeand the Waffen-SS, which until July 1940 was officially known as the SS-VT.[17][21]When the war first began, the vast majority of SS members belonged to theAllgemeine SS,but this statistic changed during the later stages of the war when the Waffen-SS opened up membership for non-Germans.[22][23]Further, with Himmler as Chief of the German Police, the SS also controlled the uniformedOrdnungspolizei(Order Police).[15]

Hierarchy and structure

[edit]

The termAllgemeine-SSreferred to the "General SS," meaning those units of the SS considered "main, regular, or standard." By 1938, the Allgemeine SS was administratively divided into several main sections:

  • Full-time officers and members of the main SS departments
  • Part-time volunteer members of SS regional units
  • SS security forces, e.g., theSicherheitspolizei(SiPo – Gestapo & Kripo) andSicherheitsdienst(SD)
  • Concentration Camp staffs of theTotenkopfverbände
  • Reserve, honorary or otherwise inactive SS members

After World War II began, the lines between theAllgemeine SSand the Waffen-SS became increasingly blurred, due largely to theAllgemeine SSheadquarters offices having administrative and supply command over the Waffen-SS. By 1940, all of theAllgemeine SShad been issued grey war-time uniforms. Himmler ordered that the all-black uniforms be turned in for use by others. They were sent east where they were used by auxiliary police units and west to be used byGermanic-SSunits such as the ones in theNetherlandsandDenmark.

Full time SS personnel

[edit]

Approximately one third of theAllgemeine SSwere considered "full time" meaning that they received asalaryas government employees, were employed full-time in an SS office, and performed SS duties as their primary occupation. The vast majority of such full-time SS personnel were assigned to the main SS offices that were considered part of the Allgemeine SS. By 1942, these main offices managed all activities of the SS and were divided as follows:[24][25]

Main office commanders and staff were exempt from military conscription, although many, such as Heydrich, served as reservists in the regular German military. Main office members did join the Waffen-SS, where they could accept a lower rank and serve in active combat or be listed as inactive reservists. By 1944, with Germany's looming defeat, the draft exemption for theAllgemeine SSmain offices was lifted and many junior members were ordered into combat with senior members assuming duties as Waffen-SS generals.

SS regional units

[edit]

The core of theAllgemeine SSwas part-time mustering formations spread throughout Germany. Members in these regional units would typically meet once a week in uniform, as well as participate in various Nazi Party functions. Activities including drill and ideological instruction, marching in parades, and providing security at various Nazi party rallies.

Regional SS units were organized into commands known asSS-Oberabschnittmeaning "SS-Senior Sector" responsible for commanding a (region), which were subordinate to the SS-HA;[26]SS-Abschnitt(SS-Sector) was the next lower level of command, responsible for administering a (District);[27]Standarten(regiment), which were the basic units of theAllgemeine SS.[28]Before 1934, SS personnel received no pay and their work was completely voluntary. After 1933, theOberabschnittcommanders and their staff became regarded as "full time" but the rank and file of theAllgemeine SSwere still part-time only. RegularAllgemeine SSpersonnel were also not exempt from conscription and many were called up to serve in theWehrmacht.

Security forces

[edit]
1939 photograph; shown from left to right areFranz Josef Huber,Arthur Nebe,Heinrich Himmler,Reinhard HeydrichandHeinrich Müller.According to the archival caption, these men are planning the investigation of thebomb assassination attemptonAdolf Hitlerof 8 November 1939 inMunich.

In 1936, the state security police forces of the Gestapo and Kripo (Criminal Police) were consolidated. The combined forces were folded into theSicherheitspolizei(SiPo) and placed under the central command ofReinhard Heydrich,already chief of the partySicherheitsdienst(SD).[15]Later from 27 September 1939 forward, the SD, Gestapo, and Kripo were folded into theReich Security Main Office(RSHA) that was placed under Heydrich's control.[29]As a functioning state agency, the SiPo ceased to exist. The ordinary uniformed German police, known as theOrdnungspolizei(Orpo), were under SS control after 1936 but were never incorporated into theAllgemeine SS;although many police members were also dual SS members.[15]

Thedeath squadunits of theEinsatzgruppenwere formed under the direction of Heydrich and operated by the SS before and during World War II.[30]In September 1939, they operated in territories occupied by theGerman armed forcesfollowing theinvasion of Poland.Men for the units were drawn from the SS, the SD, and the police.[31]Originally part of the SiPo, in late September 1939 the operational control of theEinsatzgruppenwas taken over by the RSHA. When the killing units were re-formed prior to theinvasion of the Soviet Unionin 1941, the men of theEinsatzgruppenwere drawn from the SD, Gestapo, Kripo, Orpo, civilian (SS auxiliary) andWaffen-SS.[32]TheEinsatzgruppenunits perpetrated atrocities in the occupied Soviet Union, including mass murder of Jews, communists, prisoners of war, and hostages, and played a key role inthe Holocaust.[33]

Concentration camp personnel

[edit]

All Concentration Camp staffs were originally part of theAllgemeine SSunder the office of theConcentration Camps Inspectorate(Inspektion der Konzentrationslageror IKL). First headed byTheodor Eicke,the Concentration Camp personnel were formed into theSS-Wachverbändein 1933, which later became known as the SS-Totenkopfverbände(SS-TV). Thereafter, the SS-TV branch increasingly became divided into the camp service proper and the militaryTotenkopfformation controlled by the SS-VT (forerunner of the Waffen-SS).[18][34]

Jews fromCarpathian Rutheniaarriving atAuschwitz concentration camp,1944

As the Nazi regime became more oppressive and World War II escalated, the concentration camp system grew in size, lethal operation, and scope as the economic ambitions of the SS intensified.[35]Intensification of the killing operations took place in late 1941 when the SS began construction of stationary gassing facilities to replace the use ofEinsatzgruppenfor mass killings.[36][37]

Victims at these newextermination campswere killed with the use ofcarbon monoxidegas from automobile engines.[38]DuringOperation Reinhard,three death camps were built in occupied Poland:Bełżec(operational by March 1942),Sobibór(operational by May 1942), andTreblinka(operational by July 1942).[39]On Himmler's orders, by early 1942 the concentration camp at Auschwitz was greatly expanded to include the addition ofgas chambers,where victims were killed using the pesticideZyklon B.[40][41]

After 1942, the entire camp service was placed under the authority of the Waffen-SS for a variety of administrative and logistical reasons. The ultimate command authority for the camp system during World War II was theSS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt(WHVA) underOswald Pohl.Beside the camp operations, the WHVA was the organization responsible for managing the finances, supply systems and business projects for theAllgemeine SS.[42][43]By 1944, with the concentration camps fully integrated with the Waffen-SS and under the control of the WVHA, a standard practice developed to rotate SS members in and out of the camps, based on manpower needs and also to give assignments to wounded Waffen-SS officers and soldiers who could no longer serve in front-line combat.[44]This rotation of personnel is the main argument that nearly the entire SS knew of the concentration camps, and what actions were committed within them, making the entire organization liable forwar crimesandcrimes against humanity.[45]

Other units

[edit]

By late 1940 theAllgemeine SScontrolled theGermanic SS(Germanische SS), which werecollaborationistorganizations modeled after theAllgemeine SSin several Western European countries. Their purpose was to enforceNazi racial doctrine,especiallyanti-Semiticideals. They typically served as local security police augmenting German units of the Gestapo, SD, and other main departments of the Reich Main Security Office.[46]

TheAllgemeine SSalso consisted of theSS-Frauenkorps(literally, "Women's Corps" ) which was an auxiliary reporting and clerical unit,[47]which included theSS-Helferinnenkorps(Women Helper Corps), made up of female volunteers. Members were assigned as administrative staff and supply personnel, and served in command positions and as guards at women's concentration camps in places such asRavensbrück concentration camp.[48][49]Like their male equivalents in the SS, females participated in atrocities against Jews, Poles, and others.[50]

In 1942, Himmler set up theReichsschule für SS Helferinnen(Reich school for SS helpers) inOberehnheimto train women in communications so that they could free up men for combat roles.[51]Himmler also intended to replace all female civilian employees in his service withSS-Helferinnenmembers, as they were selected and trained according to NSDAP ideology.[52][53]The school was closed on 22 November 1944 due to the Allied advance.[54]

Ranks

[edit]

Theranksof theAllgemeine SSand the Waffen-SS were based upon those of the SA and used the same titles. However, there was a distinctly separate hierarchical subdivisions of the larger Waffen-SS from its general-SS counterpart and an SS member could in fact hold two separate SS ranks. For instance, in 1940Hermann Fegeleinheld theAllgemeine SSrank of aStandartenführer(full colonel), yet was only ranked anObersturmbannführer(lieutenant colonel) in the Waffen-SS.[55]If this same SS member were anarchitectural engineer,then theSS-Hauptamtwould issue a third rank ofSS-Sonderführer.

SS members could also hold reserve commissions in the regular military as well as aNazi Party political rank.Add to this that many senior SS members were also employees of the Reich government in capacities as ministers, deputies, etc. In 1944, nearly every SS general was granted equivalent Waffen-SS rank, without regard to previous military service. This was ordered so to give SS-generals authority over military units and POW camps and apparently to try to provide potential protection under theHague Conventionrules of warfare.[56]In the event of capture by theAllies,SS-Generals thereby hoped they would be given status as military prisoners rather than captured police officials.

Social background of SS-Officers

[edit]
Social background of SS-Officers in 1938
Social background SS-Branch
Social classwhen entering the SS-Officer Corps SS-Totenkopfverbände SS-Verfügungstruppe Allgemeine SS
Lower Class[n 1] 26% 22% 27%
Lower Middle Class[n 2] 41% 42% 43%
Upper Middle Class[n 3] 33% 36% 31%
  1. ^Unskilled workers, skilled workers, military junior enlisted.
  2. ^Independent craftsmen, farmers, small businessmen, salaried employees, civil servants, military non-commissioned officers, nonacademic professionals
  3. ^Managers, higher civil servants, professionals, university students, entrepreneurs, military officers
Source: [57]

Total manpower

[edit]

In 1944, the stated membership estimate for the SS was 800,000. The Waffen-SS had approximately 600,000 of those members in their ranks.[58]The Waffen-SS had grown from threeregimentsto over 38divisionsduring World War II, and served alongside theHeer(regular army), but never formally a part of it.[59]In comparison, by the end of the war theAllgemeine SSonly had a little over 40,000 men still in its ranks.[60]

Order of battle

[edit]

The mustering formations of part-time SS members, considered before 1938 to be the core of theAllgemeine SS,were maintained in their own order of battle, beginning with regiment sizedStandartenunits and extending upwards to division strengthOberabschnittecommands. Within theAllgemeine SSStandartenthere were in turn subordinate battalions ofSturmbannthemselves divided into companySturme.

For most rank and file members of theAllgemeine SS,theSturmlevel was the highest which the ordinary SS member would typically associate with. TheSturmitself was further divided into platoon sizedTruppen(sometimes known asZug) which were in turn divided into squad sizedScharen.For largerAllgemeine SScommands, theScharenwould be further divided intoRottewhich were theAllgemeine SSequivalent of afire team.

Himmler had grand visions for the SS and authorized SS and Police Bases (SS- und Polizeistützpunkte) to be established in occupied Poland and occupied areas of the Soviet Union. They were to be "armed industrialized agricultural complexes". They would also maintain order in the areas they were established. They did not go beyond the planning stage.[61]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^Stein 2002,pp. 75–76, 276–280.
  2. ^Weale 2010,p. 26.
  3. ^Weale 2010,pp. 16, 26.
  4. ^McNab 2009,pp. 10, 11.
  5. ^Weale 2010,pp. 26, 27, 29.
  6. ^abcMcNab 2009,p. 16.
  7. ^Weale 2012,p. 32.
  8. ^Weale 2010,pp. 32, 33.
  9. ^Weale 2010,pp. 45–47.
  10. ^Weale 2012,p. 49.
  11. ^Weale 2010,pp. 45–47, 300–305.
  12. ^Evans 2003,pp. 228–229.
  13. ^Williams 2001,p. 61.
  14. ^Hildebrand 1984,pp. 13–14.
  15. ^abcdWilliams 2001,p. 77.
  16. ^Longerich 2012,pp. 201, 469, 470.
  17. ^abStein 1984,p. 23.
  18. ^abPadfield 2001,p. 129.
  19. ^Buchheim 1968,p. 258.
  20. ^Snyder 1994,p. 330.
  21. ^Flaherty 2004,p. 156.
  22. ^Koehl 2004,pp. 212–213.
  23. ^Höhne 2001,p. 458.
  24. ^Yerger 1997,pp. 13–21.
  25. ^Stackelberg 2007,p. 302.
  26. ^Yerger 1997,pp. 82, 83.
  27. ^Yerger 1997,p. 117.
  28. ^Yerger 1997,p. 169.
  29. ^Gerwarth 2011,p. 163.
  30. ^Longerich 2012,p. 425.
  31. ^Longerich 2010,p. 144.
  32. ^Longerich 2010,p. 185.
  33. ^McNab 2009,pp. 113, 122–131.
  34. ^Wachsmann 2015,pp. 196–198.
  35. ^Wachsmann 2010,pp. 26–27, 196–198.
  36. ^Gerwarth 2011,p. 208.
  37. ^Longerich 2010,pp. 279–280.
  38. ^Evans 2008,p. 283.
  39. ^Evans 2008,p. 283, 287, 290.
  40. ^Evans 2008,pp. 295, 299–300.
  41. ^Wachsmann 2010,p. 29.
  42. ^Weale 2012,p. 115.
  43. ^Longerich 2012,p. 559.
  44. ^Reitlinger 1989,p. 265.
  45. ^Stein 1984,pp. 258–263.
  46. ^McNab 2013,pp. 105–106.
  47. ^Lower 2013,p. 108.
  48. ^Schwarz 1997,pp. 223–244.
  49. ^Lower 2013,pp. 108–109.
  50. ^Lower 2013,p. 109.
  51. ^Gerhard Rempel,Hitler's Children(University of North Carolina Press: 1989) pp. 224-232.
  52. ^Century 2011.
  53. ^Rempel 1989,pp. 223–224.
  54. ^Mühlenberg 2011,p. 27.
  55. ^Miller 2006,p. 306.
  56. ^"Nuremberg Trial Proceedings Volume 20 day 195".Avalon Project, Yale Law School.Retrieved3 January2009.
  57. ^Ziegler, Herbert F. (1989). "Elite recruitment and National Socialism: the SS-Führerkorps, 1925-1939."Politik und Milieu: Wahl- und Elitenforschung im historischen und interkulturellen Vergleich.Sankt Katharinen, table 1.2020-01-11
  58. ^Stein 1984,p. xxv.
  59. ^McNab 2009,pp. 54, 56, 57, 66.
  60. ^Stein 1984,p. xxi.
  61. ^Ingrao, Charles W.; Szabo, Franz A. J. (2008).The Germans and the East.Purdue University Press,p. 288.[1]

Bibliography

[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Allgemeine_SS&oldid=1172014077"