Supreme SA leadership

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The Supreme SA Leadership (OSAF) ​​was a National Socialist organization that was responsible for the central management and coordination of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the party army of the NSDAP . In practice, their role within the SA as a general organization corresponded to the general staff of an army. The abbreviation OSAF was also used for the highest commander of the SA, who was officially referred to as the Supreme SA Leader .

Organization of the Supreme SA leadership

After its establishment on November 1, 1926, the Supreme SA leadership was initially subordinated to the so-called Supreme SA Leader as the commander of the SA. In the first years of its existence, this was Franz Pfeffer von Salomon , who in turn was responsible for Adolf Hitler as the chairman of the NSDAP.

After Pfeffer's dismissal and the fundamental reform of the SA in 1930, Hitler himself nominally assumed the office and title of Supreme SA Leader and thus the command of the SA. Since he was practically unable, due to his numerous other tasks and functions, to carry out the business of the head of the Supreme SA Leadership in their daily routine, the duties of the Supreme SA Leader at the end of 1930 were in fact transferred to the owner of the SA- Reform newly created office of the Chief of Staff of the SA: from 1930 to 1934 this was Ernst Röhm , then from 1934 to 1943 Viktor Lutze and finally Wilhelm Schepmann .

There was a common misunderstanding among the general public that the offices of Chief of Staff and Supreme SA Leader were identical. As late as June 1934, SA Obergruppenführer Edmund Heines had to explain to General von Kleist that Hitler and not Röhm was the supreme SA leader.

The headquarters of the Supreme SA leadership was Munich , where they used premises at Barerstrasse 7-11. The SA chief of staff had an office in the Brown House since 1931 at the latest .

In July 1934, the SA leadership was transferred from Munich to Berlin . Among other things, rooms in the Palais Borsig were made available there.

Organizations of the OSAF

From December 1931 a structure of the management staff of the OSAF has been handed down:

  • Department I : von Hörauf (supervision of sections Ia-M)
    • Presentation Ia : Otto Quirin Lancelle
    • Unit Ib : Hans Zöberlein
    • Section K : Adolf Hühnlein
    • Department FL : Ziegler
    • Unit L : Seydel
    • Presentation M : Kurt Kühme
      • Responsible for: Classification and structure, deployment of the SA marches, strength statistics, training, maps, stamps, communications media, use of motor storms, aviation and aviators, air protection, service regulations, music trains, sport, standard symbols, clothing regulations for military associations
      • Subordinated to: Reich Music Inspector
    • Unit Ic (intelligence and espionage): Karl Leon Du Moulin-Eckart (reports directly to the Chief of Staff)
      • responsible for intelligence and counterintelligence
    • Section IIa (personnel matters): Wilhelm Schmid (reports directly to the Chief of Staff)
    • Section IVa (monetary affairs, administrative matters, budgets): Karl Schreyer ( reports directly to the chief of staff)
    • Unit Pr (OSAF press service): Seydel (reports directly to the Chief of Staff)
  • Department Qu : Johann Baptist Fuchs (Supervision of Divisions III, IVb and F)
    • Section III : Ludwig Fischer
    • Section IVb : Long
    • Presentation F : Brückner
    • Department responsible for: advertising service, political regulations, legal matters, SA homes and kitchens, Nazi self-defense, Nazi wounded and prisoner aid, equipment status, transports, ordinance sheet
  • Department ST (headquarters): Rolf Reiner
    • subject to: Brey, Eberl, Hedenaber, Kugler, Müller, Pfaller, Julius Uhl , Vogel, Wild
  • Adjutancy
  • Directorate
  • Intelligence service

The following SA offices were also subordinate to OSAF:

  • Main Office of Education
  • Judicial and legal office
  • Ministerial office
  • Personnel Office
  • Political office of the SA
  • Press office: Head of group leader Wilhelm Weiß
  • Administrative office
    • Referat Adolf Hitler donation

Organizations subordinate to the Supreme SA leadership

  • General SA
  • Hitler Youth (HJ), subordinated to OSAF until May 1932
  • SA medical service
  • Schutzstaffel (SS), in fact until about 1930/1931, nominally subordinated to OSAF until summer 1934
  • Stahlhelm Kampfbund , as a German Front Fighter Association since 1st / 2nd July 1933 subordinated to OSAF

OSAF deputy

Up until 1933, several SA regional commanders held the title of OSAF deputy:

SA leadership meetings

  • May 17, 1924: Führer conference in Salzburg (decision to introduce the brown shirt for the SA)
  • November 30, 1930: Führer meeting in Munich (announcement of the appointment of Ernst Röhm as Chief of Staff of the SA)
  • June 27, 1932: leaders' conference in Berchtesgaden
  • December 1932: leaders' conference in Ansbach
  • 1st to 3rd July 1933: leaders' conference in Bad Reichenhall (subordinate steel helmets to OSAF)
  • 21./22. January 1934: Führer conference in Friedrichroda in Thuringia
  • May 2, 1934: Führer meeting in Munich
  • June 30, 1934: leaders' conference in Bad Wiessee (did not take place)

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