- See "Waffen-SS divisions" for the Waffen-SS order of battle
The Allgemeine-SS regional commands were titled SS-Oberabschnitte (SS Main Districts) and first were established on November 16, 1933. They replaced the earlier command structure composed of five SS-Gruppen and comprised the regional component of the Allgemeine-SS command structure. They reported to the SS-Amt (SS Office), in 1935 renamed the SS-Hauptamt (SS Main Office). Their commanders carried the title of SS-Oberabschnitte Führer and usually held the rank of SS-Gruppenführer or SS-Obergruppenführer. Beginning in November 1937, when the Higher SS and Police Leaders were established, the SS-Oberabschnitte were subordinated to them. However, in nearly every instance, the SS-Oberabschnitt Führer held both positions simultaneously. The Oberabschnitt Führer's staff was headed by a Stabschef (Chief of Staff) who oversaw departments encompassing administration, training, personnel, medical affairs, as well as specialty units such as signals and engineer battalions.[1]
These regional commands originally existed only in Germany and Austria and generally conformed to the existing Wehrkreis (Military Districts) of the Wehrmacht. During the Second World War, additional Oberabschnitte were established for six conquered areas (Baltic States & Byelorussia, Bohemia and Moravia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Ukraine). Other occupied territories, however, did not have Oberabschnitte established, and SS personnel there were directly under the jurisdiction of the Higher SS and Police Leader for that area. By 1944, there were a total of 23 active Oberabschnitte.[2]
Oberabschnitte Commands
editThe following table lists, by date of formation, the existing Oberabschnitte commands that were established from November 1933 through April 1944.[3][4]
| Final Designation | Headquarters | Years of Operation | Last permanent commander | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elbe | Dresden | November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Ludolf von Alvensleben |
Part of former SS-Gruppen Ost and Südost Renamed Mitte June 1934 – April 1936. Wehrkreis IV | ||
| Mitte | Braunschweig | November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Rudolf Querner |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Nord. Formed as Oberabschnitt Nordwest. Renamed Mitte April 1, 1936. Wehrkreis XI | ||
| Nord | Hamburg | November 16, 1933 – April 1, 1936 | SS-Obergruppenführer Werner Lorenz |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Nord. Divided into SS-Oberabschnitte Nord (later Ostsee) and Nordwest (later Nordsee). Wehrkreise II & X. | ||
| Spree | Berlin | November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich[notes 1] |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Ost. Formed as Oberabschnitt Ost. Renamed Spree November 14,1939. Wehrkreis III | ||
| Süd | Munich | November 16, 1933 – April 20, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Karl von Eberstein |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Süd. Wehrkreis VII | ||
| Südost | Brieg; Breslau |
November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt |
Former SS-Gruppe Südost. Wehrkreis VIII | ||
| Südwest | Stuttgart | November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hofmann |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Süd. Wehrkreis V | ||
| West | Düsseldorf | November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Karl Gutenberger |
Part of former SS-Gruppe West. Wehrkreis VI | ||
| Nordost | Königsberg | December 15, 1933 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann[notes 2] |
Part of former SS-Gruppe Ost. Formed from a portion of Oberabschnitt Nord. Wehrkreis I | ||
| Rhein | Koblenz | January 1, 1934 – September 11, 1943 | SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann |
Part of former SS-Gruppe West. Formed from a portion of Oberabschnitt West. Merged with Westmark in September 1943 to form Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark. Wehrkreis XII | ||
| Donau | Vienna | February 15, 1934 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Walter Schimana |
Formed as Oberabschnitt Österreich. Renamed Donau May 1938. Wehrkreis XVII | ||
| Main | Nuremberg | April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Benno Martin |
Formed from a portion of Oberabschnitt Süd. Wehrkreis XIII | ||
| Nordsee | Altona | April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Georg-Henning Graf von Bassewitz-Behr |
Formed from division of the first Oberabschnitt Nord and named Nordwest. Renamed Nordsee April 20, 1940. Wehrkreis X | ||
| Ostsee | Stettin | April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Emil Mazuw |
Formed from division of the first Oberabschnitt Nord and also named Nord. Renamed Ostsee February 1, 1940. Wehrkreis II | ||
| Fulda-Werra | Arolsen | January 1, 1937 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck-Pyrmont |
Formed from portions of Oberabschnitte Rhein & Elbe. Wehrkreis IX | ||
| Alpenland | Salzburg | June 1, 1939 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Erwin Rösener[notes 3] |
Formed from a portion of Oberabschnitt Donau. Wehrkreis XVIII | ||
| Warthe | Posen | October 26, 1939 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Willy Schmelcher |
Oberabschnitt in Wartheland. Wehrkreis XXI | ||
| Weichsel | Danzig | November 9, 1939 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Katzmann |
Oberabschnitt in Danzig-West Prussia. Wehrkreis XX | ||
| Nord | Oslo | April 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Wilhelm Rediess |
Oberabschnitt in Reichskommissariat Norwegen. Third Oberabschittt named Nord. | ||
| Nordwest | The Hague | May 23, 1940 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Hanns Albin Rauter |
Oberabschnitt in Reichskommissariat Niederlande. | ||
| Westmark | Saarbrücken; Neustadt; Metz | August 1, 1940 – September 11, 1943 | SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann |
Formed as Oberabschnitt Lothringen-Saarpfalz. Renamed Westmark October 15, 1941. Merged with Rhein in September 1943 to form Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark. Wehrkreis XII | ||
| Ostland | Riga | December 1, 1941 – March 3, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Jeckeln |
Oberabschnitt in Reichskommissariat Ostland. | ||
| Ukraina | Kiev | December 1, 1941 – April 20, 1944 | SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann |
Oberabschnitt in Reichskommissariat Ukraine. | ||
| Ost | Krakau | September 15, 1942 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Koppe |
Oberabschnitt in the General Government. | ||
| Rhein-Westmark | Wiesbaden | September 11, 1943 – March 24, 1945 | SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop |
Formed by merger of Oberabschnitte Rhein and Westmark. Wehrkreis XII | ||
| Böhmen-Mähren | Prague | April 1, 1944 – May 8, 1945 | SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Hermann Frank[notes 4] |
Oberabschnitt in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. | ||
Notes
edit- ^ From November 1939, SS-Gruppenführer Max Schneller substituted for Dietrich who continued to hold titular command.
- ^ From December 1944, SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hellwig substituted for Prützmann who continued to hold titular command.
- ^ From November 1944, SS-Brigadeführer Hermann Harm substituted for Rösener who continued to hold titular command.
- ^ From February 1945, SS-Oberführer Emanuel Sladek substituted for Frank who continued to hold titular command.
References
edit- ^ Yerger 1997, pp. 82–83.
- ^ McNab 2009, p. 41.
- ^ Yerger 1997, pp. 83–115.
- ^ McNab 2009, pp. 34–35.
Sources
edit- McNab, Chris (2009). The SS: 1923–1945. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-90662-649-5.
- Yerger, Mark C. (1997). Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-0145-4.
Further reading
edit- Höhne, Heinz (2001) [1969]. The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14139-012-3.