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
Alpenland	Salzburg	June 1, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Brigadeführer Hermann Harm	One of two major Oberabschnitt in Austria
Böhmen-Mähren	Prague	April 1, 1944 – May 8, 1945	SS-Oberführer Emanuel Sladek	Primary Oberabschnitt in Czechoslovakia
Donau	Vienna	May 30, 1938 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Walter Schimana	Formed from Oberabschnitt Österreich in 1938
Elbe	Dresden	April 4, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Ludolf von Alvensleben	Formed from Oberabschnitt Mitte in 1936
Fulda-Werra	Arolsen	January 1, 1937 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck-Pyrmont
Lothringen-Saarpfalz	Saarbrücken	October 1, 1940 – October 15, 1941	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Renamed Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1941
Main	Nuremberg	April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Brigadeführer Benno Martin
Mitte	Braunschweig	April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Rudolf Querner	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nordwest in 1936
Nord	Hamburg	October 1, 1932 – April 20, 1940	SS-Gruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann	Divided into Oberabschnitts Nordsee and Ostsee in 1940
Nordost	Königsberg	December 15, 1933 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hellwig
Nordsee	Altona	April 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Georg von Bassewitz-Behr	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
Nordwest	Oslo	April 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Wilhelm Rediess	Primary Oberabschnitt in Norway.
Ost(1)	Berlin	November 16, 1933 – November 14, 1939	SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich	One 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)	Krakau	September 15, 1942 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Koppe	Primary Oberabschnitt in Poland. Named from former Oberabschnitt Ost located in Germany
Ostland	Riga	December 12, 1941 – March 3, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Jeckeln	Primary Oberabschnitt in Latvia
Österreich	Vienna	February 15, 1934 – May 30, 1938	SS-Oberführer Ernst Kaltenbrunner	Renamed as Oberabschnitt Donau in 1938
Ostsee	Stettin	February 1, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Emil Mazuw	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
Rhein	Koblenz	January 1, 1934 – September 11, 1943	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Merged with Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1943 to form Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark
Rhein-Westmark	Wiesbaden	September 11, 1943 – March 24, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop	Formed from Oberabschnitts Rhein and Westmark in 1943
Spree	Berlin	November 14, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Max Schneller (permanent deputy)	Known as Oberabschnitt Ost until 1939. Previous name then assigned to a new Oberabschnitt formed in Poland
Süd	Munich	April 4, 1936 – April 20, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Eberstein	Longest Oberabschnitt in continuous existence, known originally as SS-Gruppe Süd
Südost	Brieg and Breslau	March 15, 1932 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt
Südwest	Stuttgart	November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hofmann
Ukraina	Kiev	December 1, 1941 – September 2, 1944	SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann	Primary Oberabschnitt in the Ukraine
Warthe	Posen	October 26, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Willy Schmelcher
Weichsel	Danzig	November 9, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Katzmann
West	Düsseldorf	November 18, 1929 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Karl Gutenberger	Known originally as SS-Gruppe West
Westmark	Neustadt & Metz	October 15, 1941 – September 11, 1943	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Merged 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
1st	I	Munich	1930 – 1945	SS-Brigadeführer Franz Jaegy
2nd	II
3rd	III
4th	IV
5th	V
6th	VI
7th	VII
8th	VIII
9th	IX
10th	X
11th	XI
12th	XII
13th	XIII
14th	XIV
15th	XV
16th	XVI
17th	XVII
18th	XVIII
19th	XIX
20th	XX
21st	XXI
22nd	XXII
23rd	XXIII
24th	XXIV
25th	XXV
26th	XXVI
27th	XXVII
28th	XXVIII
29th	XXIX
30th	XXX
31st	XXXI
32nd	XXXII
33rd	XXXIII
34th	XXXIV
35th	XXXV
36th	XXXVI
37th	XXXVII	Reichenberg	1938 – 1945	Dr. Karl Feitenhansl
38th	XXXVIII
39th	XXXIX
40th	XXXX
41st	XXXXI
42nd	XXXXII
43rd	XXXXIII
44th	XXXXIV
45th	XXXXV

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

• Reiterabschnitt I
• Reiterabschnitt II
• Reiterabschnitt V
• Reiterabschnitt VI
• Reiterabschnitt VII
• Reiterabschnitt VIII
• Reiterabschnitt IX

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.

• 1st SS-Standarte (Julius Schreck)
• 2nd SS-Standarte (Hessen)
• 3rd SS-Standarte
• 4th SS-Standarte (Schleswig-Holstein)
• 5th SS-Standarte (Mosel)
• 6th SS-Standarte (Eduard Felsen & Charlottenburg)
• 7th SS-Standarte (Fritz Schlegel)
• 8th SS-Standarte (Niederschlesien)
• 9th SS-Standarte (Pommern)
• 10th SS-Standarte (Pfalz)
• 11th SS-Standarte (Planetta & Burgenland)
• 12th SS-Standarte (Niedersachsen)
• 13th SS-Standarte (Württemberg)
• 14th SS-Standarte (Gothaland & Thüringen)
• 15th SS-Standarte (Brandenburg)
• 16th SS-Standarte (Unterelbe)
• 17th SS-Standarte
• 18th SS-Standarte (Ostpreußen)
• 19th SS-Standarte (Westfalen-Nord)
• 20th SS-Standarte (Fritz Weitzel)
• 21st SS-Standarte
• 22nd SS-Standarte (von der Schulenburg & Mecklenburg)
• 23rd SS-Standarte (Oberschlesien)
• 24th SS-Standarte (Ostfriesland)
• 25th SS-Standarte (Ruhr)
• 26th SS-Standarte (Paul Berck)
• 27th SS-Standarte (Ostmark)
• 28th SS-Standarte
• 29th SS-Standarte (Schwaben)
• 30th SS-Standarte (Adolf Höh & Westfalen-Süd)
• 31st SS-Standarte (Niederbayern)
• 32nd SS-Standarte (Baden)
• 33rd SS-Standarte (Rhein-Hessen)
• 34th SS-Standarte (Oberbayern)
• 35th SS-Standarte
• 36th SS-Standarte
• 37th SS-Standarte (Ob der Enns)
• 38th SS-Standarte
• 39th SS-Standarte (Ostpommern)
• 40th SS-Standarte
• 41st SS-Standarte (Oberfranken)
• 42nd SS-Standarte (Fritz von Scholz)
• 43rd SS-Standarte
• 44th SS-Standarte (Uckermark)
• 45th SS-Standarte (Neisse)
• 46th SS-Standarte
• 47th SS-Standarte
• 48th SS-Standarte
• 49th SS-Standarte (Braunschweig)
• 50th SS-Standarte (Nordschleswig)
• 51st SS-Standarte (Harz)
• 52nd SS-Standarte (Unter-Enns)
• 53rd SS-Standarte (Dithmarschen)
• 54th SS-Standarte (Seidel-Dittmarsh)
• 55th SS-Standarte (Weser)
• 56th SS-Standarte (Franken)
• 57th SS-Standarte (Thüringer Wald)
• 58th SS-Standarte
• 59th SS-Standarte (Loeper)
• 60th SS-Standarte
• 61st SS-Standarte (Masuren)
• 62nd SS-Standarte
• 63rd SS-Standarte (Württemberg Süd)
• 64th SS-Standarte (Marienburg)
• 65th SS-Standarte (Schwarzwald)
• 66th SS-Standarte (Friedland)
• 67th SS-Standarte (Wartburg)
• 68th SS-Standarte (Oberpfalz)
• 69th SS-Standarte (Sauerland)
• 70th SS-Standarte
• 71st SS-Standarte (Weichsel)
• 72nd. SS-Standarte (Lippe)
• 73rd SS-Standarte (Mittelfranken)
• 74th SS-Standarte (Ostsee)
• 75th SS-Standarte (Widukind & Tempelhof)
• 76th SS-Standarte
• 77th SS-Standarte
• 78th SS-Standarte
• 79th SS-Standarte
• 80th SS-Standarte (Groß-Beeren)
• 81st SS-Standarte
• 82nd SS-Standarte
• 83rd SS-Standarte (Oberhessen)
• 84th SS-Standarte (Saale)
• 85th SS-Standarte
• 86th SS-Standarte (Hanauer Land)
• 87th SS-Standarte (Tirol)
• 88th SS-Standarte (Stedingen)
• 89th SS-Standarte (Holzweber)
• 90th SS-Standarte (Franz Kutschera & Kärnten)
• 91st SS-Standarte
• 92nd SS-Standarte (Alt-Bayern)
• 93rd SS-Standarte
• 94th SS-Standarte (Obersteiermark)
• 95th SS-Standarte
• 96th SS-Standarte
• 97th SS-Standarte
• 98th SS-Standarte
• 99th SS-Standarte
• 100th SS-Standarte
• 101st SS-Standarte
• 102nd SS-Standarte
• 103rd SS-Standarte
• 104th SS-Standarte
• 105th SS-Standarte
• 106th SS-Standarte
• 107th SS-Standarte
• 108th SS-Standarte
• 109th SS-Standarte
• 110th SS-Standarte
• 111th SS-Standarte
• 112th SS-Standarte
• 113th SS-Standarte
• 114th SS-Standarte
• 115th SS-Standarte
• 116th SS-Standarte
• 117th SS-Standarte
• 118th SS-Standarte
• 119th SS-Standarte
• 120th SS-Standarte
• 121st SS-Standarte
• 122nd SS-Standarte
• 123rd SS-Standarte
• 124th SS-Standarte
• 125th SS-Standarte
• 126th SS-Standarte
• 127th SS-Standarte

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:

• SS-Reiterstandarte 1
• SS-Reiterstandarte 2
• SS-Reiterstandarte 3
• SS-Reiterstandarte 4
• SS-Reiterstandarte 5
• SS-Reiterstandarte 6
• SS-Reiterstandarte 7
• SS-Reiterstandarte 8
• SS-Reiterstandarte 9
• SS-Reiterstandarte 10
• SS-Reiterstandarte 11
• SS-Reiterstandarte 12
• SS-Reiterstandarte 13
• SS-Reiterstandarte 14
• SS-Reiterstandarte 15
• SS-Reiterstandarte 16
• SS-Reiterstandarte 17
• SS-Reiterstandarte 18
• SS-Reiterstandarte 19
• SS-Reiterstandarte 20
• SS-Reiterstandarte 21
• SS-Reiterstandarte 22
• SS-Reiterstandarte 23
• SS-Reiterstandarte 24

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:

• 1st KfS (München & Augsburg)
• 2nd KfS (Erfurt)
• 3rd KfS (Berlin & Senftenberg)
• 4th KfS (Hamburg, Kiel & Bremen)
• 5th KfS (Düsseldorf, Buer, & Dortmund)
• 6th KfS (Dresden & Chemnitz)
• 7th KfS (Königsberg)
• 8th KfS (Linz & Wien)
• 9th KfS (Breslau)
• 10th KfS (Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, & Freiburg)
• 11th KfS (Magdeburg & Hannover)
• 12th KfS (Bamberg, Schweinfurt, & Nürnberg)
• 13th KfS (Schwerin & Stettin)
• 14th KfS (Frankfurt-am-Main, Wiesbaden, & Pirmasens)
• 15th KfS (Graz & Innsbruck)
• 16th KfS (Danzig & Elbing)
• 17th KfS (Posen & Litzmannstadt)
• 18th KfS (Never formed)
• 19th Kfs (Asch, Reichenberg, & Brünn)

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.

• 1st NrS (München)
• 2nd NrS (Stuttgart)
• 3rd NrS (Arolsen)
• 4th NrS (Düsseldorf)
• 5th NrS (Braunschweig)
• 6th NrS (Hamburg)
• 7th NrS (Königsberg)
• 8th NrS (Berlin)
• 9th NrS (Dresden)
• 10th NrS (Breslau)
• 11th NrS (Nürnberg)
• 12th NrS (Stettin)
• 13th NrS (Wiesbaden)
• 14th NrS (Wien)
• 15th NrS (Never formed)
• 16th NrS (Danzig)
• 17th NrS (Posen)
• 18th NrS (Never formed)
• 19th NrS (Prague)

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

• 1st PsB (München)
• 2nd PsB (Stuttgart)
• 3rd PsB (Arolsen)
• 4th PsB (Köln)
• 5th PsB (Harburg-Wilhelmsburg)
• 6th PsB (Stettin)
• 7th PsB (Königsberg)
• 8th PsB (Berlin)
• 9th PsB (Dresden)
• 10th PsB (Breslau)
• 11th PsB (Never formed)
• 12th PsB (Magdeburg)
• 13th PsB (Frankfurt-am-Main)
• 14th PsB (Wien)
• 15th PsB (Salzburg)
• 16th PsB (Danzig)

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

• Yerger, Mark C. Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS, Schiffer Publishing (1997). ISBN 0-7643-0145-4