SS honorary and rank leader for special use

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SS honorary and rank leaders for special use were ranks that were introduced by Heinrich Himmler on June 23, 1933 and to which persons could be promoted on an honorary basis. The titles were awarded “for special services to the interests of the SS and public life”. The rank corresponded roughly to the position à la suite of the imperial era. The first SS honorary leaders came from the Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS when Heinrich Himmler raised 15 of the 32 non-SS members to the rank of honorary leaders.

In the mid-1930s the rank and honor leaders were abolished for special use. SS members admitted as honorary members were now obliged to submit a certificate of acceptance and commitment within seven days and to take an oath on Hitler, which ultimately made them regular members of the SS leadership corps. But unlike the other SS members, they were not racially patterned.

The NSDAP's organization book, published in 1937, also listed the former rank and honor leaders as members of the regular SS leader corps:

"The designations of honorary and rank leader for special use are omitted, as the honorary title 'SS man' is used by every fully authorized member of the Schutzstaffel from SS man to Reichsführer SS."

- “The Führer Corps of the Schutzstaffel” in: Der Reichsorganisationsleiter der NSDAP: “Organization book of the NSDAP”, 3rd edition 1937, p. 428.

history

Honorary leaders had been in the Sturmabteilung since 1931 . The first SA honorary leader in the rank of standard leader was August Wilhelm von Prussia , who was accepted into the SA on an honorary basis in November 1931. From 1933, influential public figures and generous supporters of the NSDAP were rewarded without having to join the party or one of its numerous branches. They were also awarded to deserving party members. For example, Hermann Göring , regular SA rank "SA-Obergruppenführer", was also "Ehrenstandartenführer" of the SA standard "Feldherrnhalle" .

On January 23, 1936, the system of honorary leaders with the previous collar tabs and sleeve stripes in all Nazi organizations that had previously marked the honorary and rank leaders fell away: Honorary leaders of the SS were now given the regular rank mirror and regular SS numbers by 1938 at the latest . Only the NSFK introduced a separate collar tab for its honorary leaders from 1940, since it was not considered a party organization, but an association affiliated with the NSDAP.

SS honorary and rank leaders were also officially included in the first two editions of the SS seniority lists . In addition, there was also the separate "Directory of Honorary and Rank Leaders of the SS", which appeared in April 1934, for this group of people.

As the last SS honorary leader, Himmler suggested Albert Speer (December 1944), Hermann Göring and Hans-Adolf Prützmann (both April 1945). These three were to be placed in the position of SS-Oberstgruppenführer on an honorary basis. Speer declined this dubious honor. Göring, who liked to collect titles, fell out of favor with Adolf Hitler a little later and with Prützmann, General Inspector for Special Defense, there was no appointment because the war ended.

SS honorary leader

The special rank of "SS honorary leader" was first awarded to Max Amann on March 15, 1932 , when he was appointed honorary SS group leader. Other titleholders did not need to be registered members of the SS or even the NSDAP. In addition, SS honorary leaders were exempt from " SS service " , but had no authority over other SS members . The wearer's only obligation was to wear the SS uniform on special occasions and to continue to support the SS financially through the " Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS ".

People in the rank group from SS-Standartenführer and SS-Obergruppenführer were appointed SS honorary leaders . This honorary title was also awarded to so-called " old fighters ". SS honorary leaders were mostly employed in higher administrative service and initially assigned to an SS upper section , an SS section or an SS standard .

After the "Ehren- und Rangführererschaft" (honorary and rank leadership) was discontinued (January 23, 1936), SS honorary leaders were officially accepted into the General SS , where they usually appear as members of a group of people employed in the RFSS staff . Some of them were also assigned to a regular department.

With the cessation of honorary and rank leadership, a special uniform law was introduced in the SS, which entitled people like Leo von Jena to use the rank badges and titles of their position in the General SS, for example in the Waffen SS, even though they did usually had not yet reached this rank there. New honorary leaders of the SS were obliged to submit a “certificate of acceptance and obligation” within a week after their “honorary service”, which - with the subsequent assignment of an SS number - made them official members of the SS. In contrast to regular SS candidates, such SS honorary leaders were not “racially” “ patterned ”.

The historian Bastian Hein states that there must have been a large number of SS honorary leaders in the uppermost SS leader corps, as it more than doubled within a very short time, while the growth rate of the SS was only 16 percent. As proof of this, he quotes August Heissmeyer's statement of November 1937:

"[...] that over 50% of the SS leaders are not used in the Schutzstaffeldienst, but are only included in the Schutzstaffel because of their activities in the party, in the movement and in the state."

- August Heißmeyer in a letter to the SS personnel office under Walter Schmitt; quoted from: Bastian Hein: Elite for people and leaders? , P. 173.

SS rank leader

The honorary title “SS-Rangführer” was introduced at the same time as that of the “SS-Ehrenführer” and was valid for all SS-Ehrenführer from the rank group SS-Untersturmführer to SS-Obersturmbannführer . Right from the start they were assigned an SS number and belonged to the middle and lower SS leadership corps. They were held either in an SS main division or in an SS Sturmbann . The "Rangführererschaft" was discontinued in October 1935 at the latest after the last SS Rangführer had been appointed in January of the same year.

Uniforms and badges

The different sleeve stripes of the SS

SS honorary leader

SS honorary leaders wore the current black uniforms of the General SS . In the SS between June 23, 1933 and January 23, 1936, the standard collar tabs for SA honorary leaders, which consisted of the rank tab of a standard leader, were used. This rank was represented on both sides by a single oak leaf. In addition to this, three brass-colored stars were added and a 7 mm metal number was also displayed on the right collar tab under the oak leaf. This corresponded to the standard number that the honorary leader was assigned. However, the background of this mirror was typically SS black and the cord edging was silver: In the other Nazi organizations, the SA version was used for honorary leaders: Here the background of the collar tab was light blue and the cord edging was gold. Separate sleeve stripes were worn on the left cuff of the black uniform: the term "Ehrenführer", sometimes with additional information, was embroidered in gold on an ivory-colored background .

SS rank leader

SS rank leaders wore the regular black uniforms of the SS . They already wore the standard collar tabs of the units they were assigned to. In addition, there was also a separate sleeve strip on which "Rangführer" was attached on an ivory-colored background in gold embroidery, also here partly with additional information.

Table of SS honorary leaders (1934)

serial no. Surname NSDAP number SS number until 1934 SS number after 1934 Honorary leadership allocated last rank achieved Date of carriage Function / department Remarks
1 Rudolf Hess 16 Squad leader Obergruppenführer January 1, 1933 "Authorization to wear the uniform of an SS-Obergruppenführer by order of the Führer."
2 Max Amann 3 53,143 Squad leader Upper section south Obergruppenführer January 30, 1936 Rod RFSS
3 Philipp Bouhler 12 54,932 Squad leader Upper section south Obergruppenführer January 30, 1936 Rod RFSS
4th Otto Dietrich 126,727 101,349 Squad leader Upper section south Obergruppenführer April 20, 1941 Rod RFSS
5 Albert Forster 1.924 158 Squad leader SS standard 36 Obergruppenführer December 31, 1941 Rod RFSS
6th Wilhelm Kube 71,682 114,771 Squad leader SS standard 27 Squad leader January 27, 1934 Resigned from the SS on March 11, 1936.
7th Wilhelm Grimm 10.134 199,823 Squad leader Upper section south Squad leader January 27, 1934 Rod RFSS
8th Konrad Henlein 6,600,001 310,307 Squad leader Rod RFSS Obergruppenführer June 21, 1943 Rod RFSS
9 Karl Kaufmann 32,667 (95) 119,459 Squad leader SS standard 28 Obergruppenführer January 30, 1942 Rod RFSS
10 Friedrich Hildebrandt 3,653 128,802 Squad leader SS standard 22 Obergruppenführer January 30, 1942 Rod RFSS
11 Karl Fiehler 37 91,724 Squad leader Upper section south Obergruppenführer January 30, 1942 Rod RFSS
12 Wilhelm Loeper 6,980 142,592 Squad leader SS standard 21 Squad leader January 22, 1934
13 Karl Wahl 9,803 228.017 Squad leader Upper section south Squad leader November 9, 1934 Rod RFSS
14th Wilhelm Murr 128.073 147,545 Squad leader Upper section southwest Squad leader November 9, 1934
15th Fritz Sauckel 1,395 254,890 Squad leader Upper section middle Obergruppenführer January 30, 1942 Rod RFSS
16 Kurt Schmitt 2,651,252 101,346 Oberführer Upper section east Brigade leader September 15, 1935 at the RFSS staff
17th Wilhelm Dreher 12,905 11,715 Oberführer Section X Brigade leader September 15, 1936 Reich Security Main Office
18th Hans Egon Engell 457.918 251.075 Oberführer Section XV Oberführer April 20, 1934 Leave of absence from SS service since 1938.
19th Christian Weber 15th 265.902 Oberführer Upper section south Brigade leader July 26, 1936 Inspector SS riding schools Responsible for the Reiter-SS and their horse breeding businesses.
20th Joachim von Ribbentrop 1,199,927 63,083 Standartenführer Upper section east Squad leader September 13, 1936 Rod RFSS
21st Friedrich Weber 1,310,670 145.113 Standartenführer SS standard 34 Squad leader November 9, 1944
22nd Rudolf Diels 3,955,308 187.116 Standartenführer Upper section east Oberführer April 20, 1939 at Section IV
23 Wilhelm Roeder 469.137 119,493 Standartenführer Upper section south Brigade leader March 17, 1940 at the RFSS staff
24 Johann Engel 72,201 186,488 Standartenführer Upper section east Brigade leader January 30, 1942 at the Spree section

Table of SS rank leaders (1934)

serial no. Surname NSDAP number SS number until 1934 SS number after 1934 Leadership allocated last rank achieved Date of carriage Function / department Remarks
1 Hans Saupert 25,045 119.494 Lieutenant Colonel II. Sturmbann of the SS standard 1 Brigade leader April 20, 1938 at the RFSS staff
2 Wilhelm Tengelmann 332.112 53.091 Sturmbannführer 2. Storm of the SS standard 42 Lieutenant Colonel January 30, 1935 for staff section V
3 Theodor Pakheiser 357.240 6,601 Sturmbannführer I. Sturmbann of the SS standard 62 Sturmbannführer January 24, 1934
4th Karl Schaeffer 4,494 Sturmbannführer III. Sturmbann of the SS standard 75 Sturmbannführer April 20, 1934
5 Richard Kolb 659.290 60,827 Sturmhauptführer III. Sturmbann of the SS standard 1 Sturmhauptführer May 20, 1933
6th Georg W. Schmidt 33,560 Sturmhauptführer I. Sturmbann of the SS standard 2 Sturmhauptführer February 1, 1934
7th Hermann Muhs 152.594 54,402 Sturmhauptführer SS standard 51 Oberführer November 8, 1938 at the RFSS staff Dismissed from the SS in 1941.
8th Ludwig Ruckdeschel 29,308 234.190 Sturmhauptführer SS standard 41 Brigade leader November 9, 1941 at the RFSS staff
9 Franz Schwarz 680.364 54,933 Sturmhauptführer 3. Storm of the SS standard 42 Oberführer January 30, 1942 with the staff of the Main Economic and Administrative Office
10 Richard year 515.165 106,481 Obersturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 58 Hauptsturmführer September 12, 1937 SS standard 58 Year was listed in the 1934 seniority list with the NSDAP number 75.165. In the later editions it will appear with the one listed here.
11 Karl Peucer 1,117,308 123,520 Obersturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 1 Oberführer January 30, 1938 at the RFSS staff
12 Arthur Neumann 20,109 295 Obersturmführer 5. Storm of the SS standard 7 Obersturmführer January 22, 1934 Master Department 48
13 Willy Meerwald 1,552,922 113,656 Obersturmführer 3. Storm of the SS standard 6 Lieutenant Colonel April 20, 1938 at the SS main office
14th Engelbert Pappenberger 14,174 650 Obersturmführer SS standard 34 Obersturmführer August 13, 1934 Main department 1
15th Willy Sachs 2,547,272 87,064 Obersturmführer 6. Storm of the SS standard 56 Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1943 at the RFSS staff
16 Edmund von Thermann 1,508,059 100,320 Obersturmführer Upper section north Oberführer January 30, 1939 at the North Sea section
17th Max Moosbauer 14,818 1,462 Sturmführer I. Sturmbann of the SS standard 31 Sturmbannführer November 9, 1938 at the staff section XXVIII
18th Erich Gritzbach 3,473,289 80.174 Sturmführer II. Sturmbann of the SS standard 6 Lieutenant Colonel April 20, 1938 at the RFSS staff
19th Heinz Franke 103.408 114,867 Sturmführer 5. Storm of the SS standard 15 Hauptsturmführer January 30, 1938 Rod RFSS
20th Emil Heinrich Meyer 2,590,797 115.983 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 42 Sturmbannführer April 20, 1938 at Section III
21st Gustav Seifert 3,388 Sturmführer SS standard 12 Sturmführer December 12, 1933
22nd Karl Dempel 1,810 3,677 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 13 Sturmbannführer September 12, 1937 at the head section southwest
23 Paul Goebel 14.302 717 Sturmführer 10. Storm of the SS standard 31 Hauptsturmführer January 30, 1937 at Section III
24 Philipp Kreppner 6.240 398 Sturmführer 7. Storm of the SS standard 3 Hauptsturmführer January 30, 1937 Main department 3
25th Franz Hayler 754.133 64,697 Sturmführer 4. Storming of the SS standard 1 Squad leader December 1, 1943 Reich Security Main Office
26th Fritz Madel 36,213 199,824 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 12 Lieutenant Colonel January 30, 1939 Main department 12
27 Max Schneider 192.932 10,209 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 56 Sturmbannführer April 20, 1939 at Section IX
28 Ernst Hagemeier 122.171 Sturmführer Upper section south Sturmführer May 26, 1934
29 Friedrich Bischoff 126,568 Sturmführer Upper section south Sturmführer May 26, 1934
30th Josef Kitzinger Sturmführer Motorsturmbann I of the SS standard 1 Sturmführer May 26, 1934
31 Helmut Sündermann 257,492 16,296 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 6 Sturmbannführer April 20, 1939 at the SS main office
32 Karl Schlumprecht 375.774 47,325 Sturmführer 1. Storm of the SS standard 41 Standartenführer April 20, 1939 at the head section south
33 Franz Dehler 1,369,536 74,732 Sturmführer 4. Storming of the SS standard 41 Standartenführer April 20, 1941 Reich Security Main Office
34 Albert Reinke 971.095 Sturmführer I. Sturmbann of the SS standard 75 Sturmführer June 25, 1934
35 Fritz Grauer 271.624 28,053 Sturmführer Upper section east Hauptsturmführer April 20, 1937 SS standard 55
36 Heinrich Götz 8,896 221,344 Sturmführer 2. Storm of the SS standard 41 Hauptsturmführer November 9, 1937 SS standard 3

Table of the planned SS honorary leaders 1944–1945

serial no. Surname NSDAP number SS number until 1934 SS number after 1934 planned honorary leadership allocated last rank achieved Date of carriage Function / department Remarks
1 Albert Speer 474.481 Colonel Squad Leader Proposed December 1944; Appointment rejected by Speer
2 Hermann Goering Colonel Squad Leader Proposed April 1945.
3 Hans-Adolf Prützmann 142,290 3,002 Colonel Squad Leader Obergruppenführer November 7, 1941 General Inspector for Special Defense Proposed April 1945

See also

References and comments

  1. ^ SS personal order No. 8 of June 23, 1933
  2. ↑ a b Heinz Höhne: The order under the skull. The history of the SS , Weltbild Verlag 1992, ISBN 3-89350-549-0 , p. 132.
  3. ↑ Note: It is unclear today whether the wife of the Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano , Edda Mussolini (daughter of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini ), received the rank of SS honorary leader . Höhne only writes that Edda refers to her "honorary membership" in a letter to Himmler : Letter from EC to Himmler, September 2, 1943, in: Akten des RFSS, Filmrolle 33, bei Höhne, p. 129, note 21 on page 549
  4. ↑ a b c Bastian Hein: Elite for people and leaders? The General SS and its Members 1925–1945 , p. 172.
  5. ↑ Heinz Höhne: The order under the skull. The history of the SS , Weltbild Verlag 1992, ISBN 3-89350-549-0 , p. 129.
  6. ↑ Bastian Hein: Elite for people and leaders? The General SS and its Members 1925–1945 , p. 173.

swell

  • Personnel Office of the SS: List of seniority of the NSDAP Schutzstaffel, status: October 1, 1934 .
  • Personnel office of the SS: List of seniority of the Waffen SS, status: July 1, 1944 .
  • Heinz Höhne : The order under the skull. The history of the SS , Weltbild Verlag 1992, ISBN 3-89350-549-0 .

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