Military Wiki
Germanic-SS
Schutzstaffel Abzeichen
The Germanic-SS were foreign agencies of the Allgemeine-SS.
Schalburgerblegdamsvej
Headquarters of the Schalburg Corps in Copenhagen, Denmark, c.1943.
Agency overview
Formed September, 1939
Dissolved May 8, 1945
Jurisdiction Germany Germany
Occupied Europe
Headquarters SS-Hauptamt, Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, Berlin
Employees ~35,000 c.1943
Minister responsible
Parent agency Flag Schutzstaffel Schutzstaffel

The Germanic SS (German language: Germanische-SS) was the collective name given to SS groups which arose in Occupied Europe between 1939 and 1945. The units were modeled on the Allgemeine-SS in Nazi Germany. The Germanic-SS were not raised as military units like the Waffen-SS, although many Germanic SS members did join the foreign combat divisions in the Second World War.

Duties[]

The purpose of the Germanic SS was to enforce Nazi racial doctrine and Anti-Semitic ideals. They typically served as local security police augmenting units of the Gestapo, Sicherheitsdienst, and other main departments of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA. One of the most notorious groups was in the Netherlands where the Germanic-SS was employed to carry out Jewish round-ups. Those arrested were deported to Nazi concentration camps and death camps. Of the 140,000 Jews that had lived in the Netherlands prior to 1940, only 30,000 survived the war.

Germanic-SS Organizations[]

Standaard Nederlandsche SS

The flag of the Dutch SS.

The following countries raised active Germanic-SS detachments:

  • Netherlands: Germaansche SS in Nederland (before 1942: Nederlandsche SS)
  • Flanders (Belgium): Germaansche SS in Vlaanderen (before 1942: Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen)
  • Norway: Germanske SS Norge (before 1942: Norges SS) [1]
  • Denmark: Schalburg Corps

An underground Nazi organization also existed in Switzerland, known as the Germanische SS Schweiz. It had very few members and was considered merely a splinter Nazi group by Swiss authorities. France did not maintain a Germanic-SS group but its national police force (particularly the Carlingue and Brigades Spéciales), and the paramilitary Milice of the Vichy Government assisted local SS police and RSHA security services such as the Gestapo or the Geheime Feldpolizei. The British Free Corps (German language: Britisches Freikorps), which was classed as a division of the Waffen-SS Foreign Legions, was not a Germanic-SS group. The BFC never saw action; it was used mainly for propaganda purposes by the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Post war[]

After World War II, many Germanic SS members were tried by their respective countries as traitors. Independent war crimes trials (outside the jurisdiction of the Nuremberg Trials) were conducted in several European countries, such as the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark.

Germanic-SS ranks[]

The Germanic SS maintained an insignia system based on the ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel. The various names of the ranks were slightly modified depending upon the particular country in which they were used. The following is a comparison of regular SS and Germanic-SS rank titles.

Equivalent SS Rank Netherlands Norway Denmark SS Insignia
SS-Obergruppenführer SS-Oppergroepsleider ---- ---- SS-Obergruppenführer Collar Rank
SS-Gruppenführer SS-Groepsleider Stabsleder ---- SS-Gruppenführer Collar Rank
SS-Brigadeführer SS-Brigadeleider SS-brigadefører ---- SS-Brigadeführer Collar Rank
SS-Oberführer SS-Opperleider SS-nestbrigadefører ---- SS-Oberführer Collar Rank
SS-Standartenführer SS-Standaardleider SS-standartfører Oberst SS-Standartenführer Collar Rank
SS-Obersturmbannführer SS-Opperstormbanleider SS-neststandartfører Oberstløjtnant SS-Obersturmbannführer Collar Rank
SS-Sturmbannführer SS-Stormbanleider SS-stormbannfører Major SS-Sturmbannführer Collar Rank
SS-Hauptsturmführer SS-Hoofdstormleider SS-høvedsmann Kaptajn SS-Hauptsturmführer Collar Rank
SS-Obersturmführer SS-Opperstormleider SS-stormfører Overløjtnant SS-Obersturmführer Collar Rank
SS-Untersturmführer SS-Onderstormleider SS-neststormfører Løjtnant SS-Untersturmführer Collar Rank
SS-Sturmscharführer ---- ---- Fændrik SS-Sturmscharführer Collar Rank
SS-Hauptscharführer SS-Hoofdschaarleider SS-troppfører Stabsvagtmester SS-Hauptscharführer Collar Rank
SS-Oberscharführer SS-Opperschaarleider SS-nesttroppfører Obervagtmester SS-Oberscharführer Collar Rank
SS-Scharführer SS-Schaarleider SS-lagfører Vagtmester SS-Scharführer Collar Rank
SS-Unterscharführer SS-Onderschaarleider SS-nestlagfører Obertropsfører SS-Unterscharführer Collar Rank
SS-Rottenführer SS-Rottenleider SS-rodefører ---- SS-Rottenführer Collar Rank
SS-Sturmmann SS-Stormman SS-stormmann Tropsfører SS-Sturmmann Collar Rank
SS-Mann SS-Man SS-mann Schalburgmand SS-Oberschütze Collar Rank
SS-Anwärter SS-Maat No Insignia

See also[]

References[]

  1. "History of the Norwegian political SS". Historical Research Unit (H.R.U.), London. H.R.U.. http://www.nuav.net/norwSS.html. Retrieved 2012-02-29. 
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