SS-Totenkopfverbände
NS-History Lesson
Introduction
The SS-Totenkopfverbände was responsible for guarding the concentration camps (KZ) and in this function was a central executive institution of the NSDAP for the suppression and elimination of political opponents and the internment of prisoners of war during the National Socialist era.
Initially, the Dachau concentration camp played an important role as a training center under commandant Theodor Eicke. The SS personnel were housed in an SS barracks located on the premises of the Dachau training camp. On December 10, 1934, the Concentration Camp Inspectorate (ICL) was formed; As an agency of the Gestapo, it became a state institution that became the headquarters of all concentration camp associations. Eicke developed the "Dachau Model" in a short time. The early concentration camps were very different from region to region, characterized by a great deal of improvisation, and the public was informed about the conditions in the camps through press reports. In October 1933, Eicke issued the “Disciplinary and Penal Code for the Prison Camp” and a service regulation for guards.
Between 1935 and 1937, Eicke reorganized the concentration camps under the control of the ICL on behalf of Reichsführer-SS Himmler. All existing smaller camps were closed. The only exception was the Dachau concentration camp, which was expanded considerably in the summer of 1937. Instead of the disbanded camps housed in existing buildings, two large new buildings were built, to which the barracks of the SS guards were attached. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Oranienburg was opened in the summer of 1936. The Buchenwald concentration camp was established near Weimar in the summer of 1937. With Dachau, Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald there were three large camps for a total of 15,000 to 20,000 prisoners at the end of 1937.
From 1937 Eicke concentrated on his function as leader of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, Richard Glücks gradually took over his duties in the ICL. The SS-Totenkopfverbände were reorganized into Totenkopf-Wachsturmbanne and SS-Totenkopfstandarten. The Totenkopf Standards VI - XVI (including their reserve units) were officially called „Verstärkte SS-Totenkopfstandarten (Polizeireserve)“ (Reinforced SS Totenkopf Standards (Police Reserve). In 1940 the existing SS Totenkopf standards were dissolved and transferred as regular SS standards to the Waffen-SS, where they were equipped as front-line units with the SS insignia customary in the Waffen-SS. The collar tab with the skull was reserved exclusively for the associations of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, which was formed from the Totenkopfverbände, as well as the Totenkopf guards used in the concentration camps.
Early history
The later Totenkopfverbände emerged from the “SS Sonderkommandos” and were merged there into so-called "SS-Wachverbänden" (SS guard units) and later into “SS-Totenkopfwachsturmbannen”. As barracked units, they were armed from the start and were subordinate to the then SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Eicke. The first official SS guard, the Sturmbann "Dachau", was set up on March 17, 1933 in the Dachau concentration camp by the then SS-Sturmbannführer Hilmar Wäckerle, who ran this camp until his transfer on June 26, 1933. Wäckerle had joined the SS storm "Dachau" as an SS candidate in 1929, which was disbanded in 1933/34 and converted with parts of the 1st and 34th SS standards to "SS-Sonderkommando 1" of the SS brigade "Süd". The leader of this SS-Sonderkommando was Theodor Eicke, who was promoted to SS-Brigadführer on January 30, 1934 and at the same time transferred to the position of "SS-Brigadführer Süd". As such, all SS units of the regional SS sections were subordinate to him.
On June 30, 1934, the Sturmbann "Dachau" participated in the execution of the traitorous SA leadership around Ernst Röhm. Immediately after the so-called “Röhm Putsch”, Eicke was appointed “Inspector of the Concentration Camps”. He was only subordinated to Reichsführer-SS Himmler. Since August 1934, the Dachau Wachverband has shared the “honor guard” at the Munich Feldherrnhalle with the SA standard “Feldherrnhalle”.
On November 29, 1934, the Sturmbann "Dachau" was officially renamed the SS-Wachverband „Oberbayern“ and was subject to the exclusive disposal of
Reichsführer-SS Himmler. The Dachau concentration camp was thus withdrawn from the area of responsibility of the SS-Oberabschnittführer “Süd”. The external guarding of the camp was now taken over by a Reiterstandarte der Allgemeinen-SS (equestrian standard of the Allgemeine-SS). The 15th standard of the Reiter-SS under Hermann Fegelein was now responsible for the external guarding of the camp and wore the uniform of the SS guards.
In 1935, general conscription was reintroduced in the Reich. Because of its military nature, service in the SS-Verfügungstruppe was recognized by the Wehrmacht leadership as completing military service, but service in the SS guard units, which had a police-like character, was not. The guards were now subordinate to the newly created „Kommandoamt der SS-Wachverbände“ in Berlin on the one hand and the „Inspektion Konzentrationslager und der Verstärkten Totenkopf-Standarten“ in Oranienburg on the other.
Within a few months, Eicke streamlined the organization of the large number of concentration camps that had previously been set up by the SA and SS. He concentrated them on seven larger camps and restructured the guard units into five storm bans, which were organized parallel to the camps: I. „Oberbayern“, II. „Elbe“, III. „Sachsen“, IV. „Ostfriesland“ and V. „Thüringen“.
Further development
On June 1, 1936, all SS guard units of the Third Reich were reorganized into the "SS-Totenkopfverbände", which since autumn of the same year had a skull symbol on their right collar tabs. This made them appear outwardly as a special unit of the SS.
On July 1, 1937, Eicke combined the five Totenkopfsturmbanne of the concentration camps into three separate SS-Totenkopf standards ("Oberbayern", "Brandenburg" and "Thüringen"), which are now also three main camps, Dachau, Sachsenhausen and Buchenwald were assigned. After the Anschluss of Austria (March 1938) a fourth SS-Totenkopf standard was set up in Mauthausen, which was named "Ostmark".
With the Führer's Decree of August 17, 1938, the Totenkopfverbänden, which had previously covered their personnel needs from reservists of the Wehrmacht, were allowed to recruit volunteers before they were discharged from the Wehrmacht. Their service time in the army was counted towards their total service time in the Totenkopfverbände.
The Totenkopfverbände now took over the military training of active members of the Allgemeine-SS. The reserve standards and base units of the Allgemeine-SS (older, no longer active members of the SS over 45 years of age) were also trained militarily. The training took place in one of the SS training camps attached to the Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen concentration camps and was directed by former officers of the imperial army.
Activities during the war
In November 1939, the Totenkopfverbände comprised four foot standards and one equestrian standard. The foot standards comprised about 9,000 men. They were mainly used for the concentration camp guard service and occasionally also in the road service. A decree of May 18, 1939 stipulated that in the event of mobilization the Totenkopfverbände had to provide compensation for in the SS troops. This not only made the available troops, but also Totenkopfverbände, a military instrument of the SS beyond their police duties. At the beginning of the war, an expansion phase began, during which the armed SS staffing levels had tripled by the end of 1939 compared to the previous year. Because the OKW's (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) recruitment quota for the plans of the Reichsführung SS to expand the Waffen-SS was too low, the Totenkopfverbände, which were beyond the control of the army, were first brought to maximum strength. At the end of 1940 there were already 15 Totenkopf standards, including 2 equestrian standards, a total of 34,325 men.
In October 1939, the units of the SS-Verfügungstruppe were used to set up the VT division. At the same time, Eicke grouped Totenkopf standards to form the SS Totenkopf Division. A special feature of the SS “Totenkopf” division was that Eicke viewed the concentration camp guards as reserve personnel. SS leaders and crews were regularly removed from active concentration camp service and sent to the fighting units, such as Richard Baer, who was sent to the front and wounded in the Demyansk pocket. Baer, like most of the others, returned to the concentration camp service after recovery and was assigned to a higher post there. As a rule, for members of the concentration camp guards, a return to active and administrative concentration camp service also meant a promotion. Others decided to return to the front lines after their recovery.
On April 22, 1940, order No. 1481 was issued by the SS-Führungshauptamt (Leadership Main Office) to all departments of the available troops: “By order of the RfSS, all SS units under arms are united in the Waffen-SS. (…) The designations 'SS-Verfügungstruppe' and 'SS-Totenkopfverbände' are no longer to be used.” With this order, the Totenkopfverbände were incorporated into the Waffen-SS.
On February 25, 1941, all of the Totenkopfstandarte of the Totenkopfverbände were organizationally assigned to the Waffen SS. Within this, the former Totenkopf standards formed SS infantry regiments. At the same time, the Totenkopf equestrian standard became an SS cavalry regiment. As such, they wore the usual SS runes instead of the skull on the right collar tab of their field uniform. Only the three regiments of the 3rd SS Panzer Division were allowed to continue the term SS-Totenkopfstandarte as a "traditional term", as these were derived from the first three Totenkopf standards "Oberbayern", "Brandenburg" and "Thuringen". The members of the SS-Totenkopf-Division received pay books and current uniforms of the Waffen-SS. Only they, the SS “Totenkopf” division and the guards from the concentration camps, were still allowed to use the collar tab with the skull as a “traditional badge”. The only difference between the uniforms of the soldiers of the division and members of the guard units was the cuff title with the word “Totenkopf”, as this was reserved for members of the SS panzerdivision.
The regular staff of the Totenkopfverbände provided numerous cadres of later Waffen SS units: The 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" and 8th SS Cavalry Division "Florian Geyer" are examples. The latter emerged from the SS equestrian standard "Totenkopf".
