SS-Hauptamt

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File:Uniform of a member of the SS-Hauptamt with cuffband.jpg
Uniform of a member of the SS-HA with cuffband

The SS-Hauptamt (English:; SS-HA) was the central command office of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) in Germany until 1940. Many of the members of the Hauptamt were foreign volunteers.

History

File:Dr. med. Franz Riedweg of the „Germanische Leitstelle“ (GL) of the SS-Hauptamt.jpg
Dr. med. Franz Riedweg (1907−2005) of the "Germanische Leitstelle" (GL) of the SS-Hauptamt; Riedweg (de) was from Switzerland (Germanische SS Schweiz), his last rank was "SS-Obersturmbannführer der Waffen-SS".

The office can trace its origins to 1931 when the SS created the SS-Amt to serve as an SS Headquarters staff overseeing the various units of the Allgemeine-SS. In 1933, after the NSDAP came to power, the SS-Amt was renamed the SS-Oberführerbereichen. This agency then became the SS-Hauptamt (SS-HA) on 30 January 1935.

The organization oversaw the Allgemeine-SS, concentration camps (), the SS-Verfügungstruppe (English:), and the Grenzschutz (English:). During the late 1930s, the power of the SS-HA continued to grow becoming the largest and most powerful office of the SS, managing nearly all aspects of the paramilitary organization. In 1940 the SS-Hauptamt remained responsible for SS administrative in matters such as manpower allocation, supplies, personnel transfers, and promotions.

Groups and departments

The SS-HA had 4 department groups (Amtsgruppe A to D), 11 departments () and various sub-departments:

Subordination

The SS-HA was technically subordinate to the Persönlicher Stab Reichsführer-SS (English:), but in reality it maintained autonomy.

World War II

Shortly after the outbreak of WWII, the SS-Verfügungstruppe expanded rapidly becoming the Waffen SS in 1940. By this time, the office of the SS-Hauptamt could no longer administer the entire SS organization. As a result, the SS-HA was downsized losing much of its pre-war power to the SS-Führungshauptamt (SS-FHA; English:) and the main offices of the Allgemeine-SS.

SS-FHA

The SS Leadership Main Office or SS-Führungshauptamt (SS-FHA) was the actual operational staff office (headquarters) of the Waffen-SS from August 1940. It was created through a spin-off from the SS Main Office and was initially run by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler personally, and from 1943 onwards by SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Jüttner. The SS Leadership Main Office headquarters directed and managed supplies and provision, wage payments and equipment. The command offices of the Allgemeine-SS, the Waffen-SS and the SS guard units (SS-Wachverbände) were also subordinate to the SS-FHA. These command offices were created in 1935 and were considered the control centers of the armed SS units. An independent “Command Office of the General/Germanic SS” was later introduced for the volunteer associations of Germanic origin within the Waffen-SS. The training facilities, troop inspections and medical services of the Waffen-SS were also subordinated to the SS-FHA. In 1944, the SS Leadership Main Office had 450 employees.

Leadership (Cheff SS-Hauptamt)

  • SS-Gruppenführer Curt Wittje (1894–1947): 12 February 1934 to 14 May 1935 (1 year, 91 days)
  • SS-Obergruppenführer August Heißmeyer (1897–1979): 14 May 1935 to 9 November 1939 (4 years, 179 days)
  • SS-Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger (1896–1975): 1 December 1939 (other sources claim officially since 1 April 1940) to 8 May 1945 (5 years, 180 days)

References

  1. ↑ During World War II, Germanische Leitstelle was a department of the SS-Hauptamt under the command of Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger. It oversaw the recruitment and propaganda offices for the Waffen SS in Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels and The Hague.
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