Allgemeine-SS order of battle

See "Waffen-SS divisions" for the Waffen-SS order of battle

The Allgemeine-SS order of battle comprised the mustering formations of SS units in Nazi Germany and Austria that existed prior to and during World War II.

The basic mustering formations were made up of part-time SS members, considered the core of the Allgemeine-SS. The primary unit was the regiment sized Standarten and extending upwards to division strength Oberabschnitt commands. Within the Allgemeine-SS Standarten there were in turn subordinate battalions of Sturmbann, themselves divided into company sized Sturme.

The Sturm was further divided into platoon sized Truppen which were in turn divided into squad sized Scharen. For larger Allgemeine-SS commands, the Scharen would be further dividied into Rotte which were the Allgemeine-SS equivalent of a fire team.

Senior-level commands

The two senior-level formations of the Allgemeine-SS were the division sized Oberabschnitt and the brigade sized Abschnitt.

Oberabschnitt commands

The highest command level of the Allgemeine-SS formations. Many of the SS-Oberabschnitt commanders also served as SS and Police Leaders. The SS-Oberabschnitt was formed in the mid-1930s from older formations known as SS-Gruppen. By 1942, the existing Oberabschnitt commands were as follows:

Designation Headquarters Years of Operation Last commander Notes
AlpenlandSalzburgJune 1, 1939 – May 8, 1945SS-Brigadeführer Hermann HarmOne of two major Oberabschnitt in Austria
Böhmen-MährenPragueApril 1, 1944 – May 8, 1945SS-Oberführer Emanuel SladekPrimary Oberabschnitt in Czechoslovakia
DonauViennaMay 30, 1938 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Walter SchimanaFormed from Oberabschnitt Österreich in 1938
ElbeDresdenApril 4, 1936 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Ludolf von AlvenslebenFormed from Oberabschnitt Mitte in 1936
Fulda-WerraArolsenJanuary 1, 1937 – May 8, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck-Pyrmont
Lothringen-SaarpfalzSaarbrückenOctober 1, 1940 – October 15, 1941SS-Gruppenführer Theodor BerkelmannRenamed Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1941
MainNurembergApril 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945SS-Brigadeführer Benno Martin
MitteBraunschweigApril 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Rudolf QuernerFormed from Oberabschnitt Nordwest in 1936
NordHamburgOctober 1, 1932 – April 20, 1940SS-Gruppenführer Hans-Adolf PrützmannDivided into Oberabschnitts Nordsee and Ostsee in 1940
NordostKönigsbergDecember 15, 1933 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hellwig
NordseeAltonaApril 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Georg von Bassewitz-BehrFormed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
NordwestOsloApril 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Wilhelm RediessPrimary Oberabschnitt in Norway.
Ost(1)BerlinNovember 16, 1933 – November 14, 1939SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp DietrichOne of the original SS-Gruppen formed in 1929. Known as SS-Gruppe Ost until 1934, renamed Oberabschnitt Spree in 1939 no titular after Sepp Dietrich
Ost(2)KrakauSeptember 15, 1942 – May 8, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm KoppePrimary Oberabschnitt in Poland. Named from former Oberabschnitt Ost located in Germany
OstlandRigaDecember 12, 1941 – March 3, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich JeckelnPrimary Oberabschnitt in Latvia
ÖsterreichViennaFebruary 15, 1934 – May 30, 1938SS-Oberführer Ernst KaltenbrunnerRenamed as Oberabschnitt Donau in 1938
OstseeStettinFebruary 1, 1940 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Emil MazuwFormed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
RheinKoblenzJanuary 1, 1934 – September 11, 1943SS-Gruppenführer Theodor BerkelmannMerged with Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1943 to form Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark
Rhein-WestmarkWiesbadenSeptember 11, 1943 – March 24, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen StroopFormed from Oberabschnitts Rhein and Westmark in 1943
SpreeBerlinNovember 14, 1939 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Max Schneller (permanent deputy)Known as Oberabschnitt Ost until 1939. Previous name then assigned to a new Oberabschnitt formed in Poland
SüdMunichApril 4, 1936 – April 20, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Karl Freiherr von EbersteinLongest Oberabschnitt in continuous existence, known originally as SS-Gruppe Süd
SüdostBrieg and BreslauMarch 15, 1932 – May 8, 1945SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt
SüdwestStuttgartNovember 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hofmann
UkrainaKievDecember 1, 1941 – September 2, 1944SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf PrützmannPrimary Oberabschnitt in the Ukraine
WarthePosenOctober 26, 1939 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Willy Schmelcher
WeichselDanzigNovember 9, 1939 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Katzmann
WestDüsseldorfNovember 18, 1929 – May 8, 1945SS-Gruppenführer Karl GutenbergerKnown originally as SS-Gruppe West
WestmarkNeustadt & MetzOctober 15, 1941 – September 11, 1943SS-Gruppenführer Theodor BerkelmannMerged with Oberabschnitt Rhein in 1943 to become Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark

Abschnitt commands

An intermediate command level existed between the supreme Oberschnitt commands the local Allgemeine-SS regiments. Known as the SS-Abschnitt these commands were formed between 1933 and 1935 from the older SS-Brigaden. SS-Abschnitts were identified by Roman numeral designators, which were also displayed on the cuffbands of the Abschnitt member's SS uniform.

Abschnitt Number Roman Numeral Designation Headquarters Years of Operation Last commander
1stIMunich1930 – 1945SS-Brigadeführer Franz Jaegy
2ndII
3rdIII
4thIV
5thV
6thVI
7thVII
8thVIII
9thIX
10thX
11thXI
12thXII
13thXIII
14thXIV
15thXV
16thXVI
17thXVII
18thXVIII
19thXIX
20thXX
21stXXI
22ndXXII
23rdXXIII
24thXXIV
25thXXV
26thXXVI
27thXXVII
28thXXVIII
29thXXIX
30thXXX
31stXXXI
32ndXXXII
33rdXXXIII
34thXXXIV
35thXXXV
36thXXXVI
37thXXXVIIReichenberg1938 – 1945Dr. Karl Feitenhansl
38thXXXVIII
39thXXXIX
40thXXXX
41stXXXXI
42ndXXXXII
43rdXXXXIII
44thXXXXIV
45thXXXXV

The SS also maintained the following brigade cavalry commands for Allgemeine-SS cavalry units:

Regimental commands

The core units of the Allgemeine-SS were the regiment sized Standarten which were divided into "foot regiments" and "cavalry units".

Standarten commands

In all, the SS formed a total of one hundred and twenty seven "Fuß Standarten" some of which were accorded honor titles.

SS cavalry regiments

The Allgemeine-SS maintained twenty four cavalry regiments which were organized in the same manner as the regular SS-Standarten but used a special collar patch, displaying crossed lances, as a unit insignia. The Reiter-SS came to an effective end at the start of World War II, as most of its members transferred into the Waffen-SS as cavalry officers. After this point, the Allgemeine-SS cavalry existed on paper only. At the Nuremberg Trials, special mention was made that the General-SS cavalry was exempt from the classification as a "criminal organization" which had been applied to the rest of the SS.

The Reiter-SS units were as follows:

Specialty commands

In addition to its regular formations, the Allgemeine-SS maintained special-purpose units for transport, signals, and engineering. A brief experiment in 1931 also attempted to form an SS-flight unit. These units were known as:

SS-Kraftfahrstürme
Nineteen transport companies were formed by the SS throughout Germany. The areas of responsibility were:

SS-Nachrichtensturmbanne
The following signal battalions were formed throughout Germany and Austria by the Allgemeine-SS. A single signal battalion was also formed in Czechoslovakia.

SS-Pioniersturmbanne
Engineering battalions were maintained by the Allgemeine-SS in the following cities:

SS-Fliegersturm

In November 1931, the SS briefly commissioned a flight unit consisting of a small number of SS personnel trained to fly powered aircraft. An extremely rare SS badge, known as the SS-SA Fliegerabzeichen, was issued to most members of the SS-Fliegersturm. The Fliegersturm was disbanded after only a few months and its members merged into other Nazi organizations such as the National Socialist Flyers Corps.

SS Naval Units

In the mid-1930s, there was some discussion in SS leadership circles to form a special corps of SS-naval units, mainly due to the SA, the early rival to the SS, having formed its own marine unit (SA-Marine). However, due to Heinrich Himmler's general disinterest in naval affairs, an SS naval corps was never founded although many members of the Allgemeine-SS did serve on active duty in the Kriegsmarine.

References

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