Orders from the Supreme SA Leader

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The Fuhrer Orders of the Supreme SA Leader , usually briefly referred to as Fuehrer Orders, were a series of written orders that Adolf Hitler, in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the Sturmabteilung (so-called Supreme SA Leader), issued between 1933 and 1944 by the Supreme SA leadership ( OSAF) ​​as the organization entrusted by him with the practical implementation of his command over the SA. The Führer orders are not to be confused with the ordinance sheet of the Supreme SA leadership .

Appearance, content and design of the Führer orders of the Supreme SA Leader

Between 1931 and 1944, a total of eighty-five numbered Führer orders issued by the Supreme SA Leader and a series of differently numbered special orders (such as the Führerbefehle [Roman] I to IV in 1932 and the Führerbefehl 23a in March 1934) were issued as Bound newsletters were sent by the Supreme SA leadership to a large number of SA, SS and Party agencies. The length of the Fuehrer's orders ranged from one to twenty-six pages.

The first page of a Fuehrer's order usually had the word Fuehrerbefehl in large letters. Below or in the top right corner was the date of the issue of the relevant order. Under the word Führerbefehl the opening "Der Oberste SA-Führer" followed, which in turn was a list of orders, in the last instance, legitimized by Hitler regarding the organizational structure of the SA operations, especially the staffing of offices, sorted according to the service structures of the SA. followed.

In detail, personnel changes in high-ranking or significant SA departments were indicated in the Führer Orders: They included the appointment of SA members to important posts, promotions to the higher SA ranks - or in the case of the OSAF itself, too of low batches that were used in the area of ​​OSAF itself - as well as transfers of SA members to other offices, dismissals, exclusions and expulsions from the SA and SS as well as various other personnel decisions. First of all, the personnel changes in the area of ​​the Supreme SA leadership were communicated, followed by changes in the area of ​​the Reich leadership SS, the SA upper groups, the SA groups, the SA medical services and the SA reserve. Equal classifications were arranged according to fixed numbering (SA-Obergruppe I, SA-Obergruppe II) or alphabetically ( SA-Gruppe Berlin-Brandenburg , SA-Gruppe Mitte, SA-Gruppe Sachsen etc.). Within the individual structures, the listing of personnel changes was hierarchical, i.e. H. starting with the highest-ranking person whose status changed and from this person to the next lower-ranking person. If two people of the same rank experienced changes in status, these were named in alphabetical order.

The Fuehrer's orders were pro forma at the end of each order - and thus collectively applicable to all the individual orders listed in them relating to promotions, transfers, dismissals, etc. - typewritten (with some early orders also handwritten) with the name Adolf Hitler and were therefore officially personal Orders from Hitler. Some early orders are also signed on behalf of the Chief of Staff or the Chief of the Personnel Department of the Supreme SA leadership. In practice, however, the Führer orders were of course not drawn up by Hitler himself, but by the clerks of the Supreme SA leadership - in particular the personnel department - (partly in coordination with the leadership of the senior groups and groups) and then theoretically submitted to Hitler for approval, whereby is ultimately not evident from them

  1. how often this actually happened, that is, whether the orders were often not simply published in his name without having been read by Hitler, and
  2. how exactly he looked through these, if they were presented to him, before approving them or whether he approved them more or less unseen (i.e. blank). While in some early prints the reference appears that some orders are issued “subject to the later approval of the Führer”, which suggests a personal inspection, such a reference is missing in the later (tending to become more and more extensive) commands. Especially with the relatively subordinate posts (e.g. leaders and staff leaders of Standarten in the province), it is also doubtful that Hitler personally or even just the name of the persons designated by the Supreme SA leadership for appointment, promotion, transfer, etc. after knew, so that it was hardly possible for him to register reservations about promotions, transfers, etc.

Collections of the Führer's commands can now be found in various libraries such as the German National Library or the Bavarian State Library .

In historical research, the Führer Orders are often used as a source to clarify questions regarding the structural or organizational structure of the SA and SS (e.g. how many main groups, groups, etc. the overall organization was composed of at a certain point in time, how many subdivisions, how For example, brigades comprised a certain group at a certain period, at what point in time a structure was reorganized in what way, e.g. conversion of subgroups into brigades etc.) and - in biographical research - to reconstruct the careers of SA and SS functionaries are used because they can be used to determine, for example, at what point in time they were transferred to or dismissed from certain posts, or at what point in time they were given a certain rank.

An overview of the orders from the Supreme SA Leader

  • Fuehrer order No. 2 of July 31, 1931
  • Fuehrer order No. 3 of September 10, 1931
  • Fuehrer order No. 4 of October 14, 1931
  • Führer order No. 5 of November 3, 1931
  • Fuehrer order No. 6 of December 18, 1931
  • Fuehrer order No. 7 of February 10, 1932
  • Fuehrer order No. 8 of February 15, 1932
  • Fuehrer order No. 9 of April 15, 1932
  • Führer order No. 1 (I) of July 1, 1932 (reorganization of the SA and SS)
  • Fuehrer order No. II of September 9, 1932
  • Führer order No. III of November 29, 1932
  • Fuehrer order No. IV of December 15, 1932
  • Fuehrer order No. 10 of December 15, 1932
  • Fuehrer order No. 11 of January 25, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. V of March 12, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 12 of March 15, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 13 of April 20, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 14 of June 1, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 15 of July 1, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 16 of August 1, 1933
  • Führer order No. 17 of September 1, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 18 of October 1, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 19 of November 9, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 20 of December 1, 1933
  • Fuehrer order No. 21 of January 1, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 22 of February 1, 1934
  • Fuehrer's order No. 23 of March 27, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 23a of April 20, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 24 of May 2, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 25 of June 1, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 26 of October 31, 1934
  • Fuehrer order No. 27 of November 8, 1934
  • Führer's order No. 28 of November 9, 1934
  • Führer order No. 29 of April 1, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 30 of April 15, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 31 of April 20, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 32 of September 1, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 33 of September 15, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 34 of November 1, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 35 of November 9, 1935
  • Fuehrer order No. 36 of March 15, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 37 of April 1, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 38 of April 20, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 39 of June 25, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 40 of July 4, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 41 of August 1, 1936
  • Führer order No. 42 of September 1, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 43 of October 1, 1936
  • Führer order No. 44 of November 1, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 45 of November 9, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 46 of December 1, 1936
  • Fuehrer order No. 47 of January 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 48 of January 30, 1937
  • Führer's order No. 49 of March 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 50 of April 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 51 of May 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 52 of May 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 53 of June 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 54 of July 1, 1937
  • Führer order No. 55 of September 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 56 of November 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 57 of November 9, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 58 of December 1, 1937
  • Fuehrer order No. 59 of January 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 60 of January 30, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 61 of March 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 62 of April 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 63 of June 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 64 of May 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 65 of July 1, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 66 of October 1, 1938
  • Führer order No. 67 of November 1, 1938
  • Führer order No. 68 of November 9, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 69 of November 15, 1938
  • Fuehrer order No. 70 of January 1, 1939
  • Fuehrer order No. 71 of January 30, 1939
  • Fuehrer order No. 72 of March 1, 1939
  • Fuehrer order No. 73 of July 1, 1939
  • Fuehrer order No. 74 of January 1, 1940
  • Fuehrer order No. 75 of October 14, 1940
  • Fuehrer order No. 76 of April 15, 1941
  • Fuehrer order No. 77 of January 30, 1941
  • Fuehrer order No. 78 of January 10, 1942
  • Fuehrer order No. 79 of January 30, 1942
  • Führer order No. 79 of July 23, 1942 (addendum)
  • Fuehrer order No. 80 of November 9, 1942
  • Fuehrer order No. 81 of April 20, 1943
  • Fuehrer order no.82 of May 20, 1943
  • Führer order No. 83 of November 9, 1943
  • Fuehrer order No. 84 of December 15, 1943
  • Fuehrer order No. 85 of April 20, 1944
  • Fuehrer decree of November 9, 1944 (announced December 6, 1944)