Thirty Seventh SS-Abschnitt
The Thirty Seventh SS-Abschnitt was a brigade of the Allgemeine-SS which was formed in October 1938 as a subordinate unit of SS Senior District Elbe. Headquartered in Reichenberg, the first commander of the Abschnitt was SS-Oberführer Willi Bradner. By 1939, the unit had been assigned three SS regiments, these being the 96th, 100th, and 103rd Standarten of the Allgemeine-SS.
Second World War
Upon the outbreak of World War II, Abschnitt commander Bradner was deployed for front line duties with his deputy Robert Knapp assuming titular command. Knapp become the official Abschnitt commander on December 17, 1941 and held this post for three years while also rising to the rank of SS-Brigadeführer. On August 1, 1944, he was replaced by a much junior officer due to the brigade having lost most of its operational members to other duties in the war. By December 1944, the Abschnitt was essentially a paper command with no further mustering units of the General-SS in active service.
For the last year of its existence, the administration of the defunct SS-brigade was placed under the command of the Abschnitt Chief of Staff, Dr. Karl Feitenhansl. In May 1945, the Abschnitt was formally disbanded upon the surrender of Nazi Germany.
Chain of Command
- Superior Command: SS-Oberabschnitt Elbe
- Subordinate Commands: 96th SS-Standarte, 100th SS-Standarte, 103rd SS-Standarte
References
- Yerger, Mark C. Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS, Schiffer Publishing (1997). ISBN 0-7643-0145-4
| SS and Police Leaders |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Oberabschnitt |
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| Abschnitt | ||
| Reiterabschnitt |
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| Standarte |
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| Reiterstandarte |
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| Specialty Units | ||