gottgläubig and the SS...

[Timo]

Hallo all,

How important was it in the SS (or Nazi Germany) to be gottgläubig instead of being a member of the protestant or the catholic church? I know for (a more than coincidental) example that Stubaf. Gustav Knittel came (like almost every southern boy) from a very relious catholic family, yet officially for the state (and the SS-Personalhauptamt) he was gottgläubig, as all citizens of the Third Reich. How free would one be to be officially just gottgläubig but to practise catholisism (or other religions)?

Thanks in advance,
Timo

[Dan]

Wasn't Heinrici denied advancement because of his religion?

[Dmitbear]

Hello,

A couple of questions concerning Gustav Knittel. From what part of southern Germany was he from and when was he born? Was his highest rank SS-Ostubaf? and if so, when did he obtain this rank? What is SS-Personalhauptamt?

Thanks so much,

Darin

[Timo]

A couple of questions concerning Gustav Knittel. From what part of southern Germany was he from and when was he born?

...He was born in Neu-Ulm (Württemberg) on 27.11.1914.

Was his highest rank SS-Ostubaf? and if so, when did he obtain this rank?

...His highest rank was Sturmbannführer, obtained on 24.04.1943.

What is SS-Personalhauptamt?

...Can somebody provide the correct English word?

[Max Williams]

SS-Personalhauptamt is SS Personnel Main Office or in today's world of political correctness SS Central Office for Human Resources!
Max

[Svennie]

Timo,

declaring yourself gottglaubig was pretty important. Himmler really pressed his officers to retreat from their church ("Kirchenaustritt"), certainly in the period of the "Kirchenkampf" 1935-1937.
Cases are known of officers who had a real tough time attending church while the rest of the unit declared themselves non-adherent to any church. Charles Sydnor writes about this phenomenon in Soldiers of Destruction, although the Totenkopf division may have presented an extreme example for obvious reasons.

See also the remarks made by Wegner in Hitlers politische Soldaten.

Sven

[Germania]

I think SS and gottgläubig you must take an different look it is not meant as catholic or protestant it is an seperate form of believe in god I think. I asked myself this question after reading books like "Kamerad Hein" or something like that but I always have books like "arische Gottzertrümmerung" an really heavy theme!

[Timo]

Everybody,

Thanks for the input, but as you can see this a thread from March 2004 and by now I have solved the problem.

[Timo]

BTW, Darin. Why do you need info about Knittel? Just curious.