SS honorary and rank leader for special use
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."
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."
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
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
- ^ SS personal order No. 8 of June 23, 1933
- ↑ a b Heinz Höhne: The order under the skull. The history of the SS , Weltbild Verlag 1992, ISBN 3-89350-549-0 , p. 132.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ a b c Bastian Hein: Elite for people and leaders? The General SS and its Members 1925–1945 , p. 172.
- ↑ Heinz Höhne: The order under the skull. The history of the SS , Weltbild Verlag 1992, ISBN 3-89350-549-0 , p. 129.
- ↑ 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 .
Web links
- Seniority list of the NSDAP Schutzstaffel from 1934 ( Memento from February 27, 2010 on WebCite )