The SS During the War-Year 1939/40 (1941)

[David Thompson]

This period Nazi tract was taken from "Document 2163-PS: National Socialist Yearbook 1941 [Nationalsozialistisches Jahrbuch 1941], [partial translation]" in Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression. Volume IV: US Government Printing Office, District of Columbia: 1947. pp. 762-768.

NATIONAL SOCIALIST YEARBOOK 1941
[Nationalsozialistisches Jahrbuch 1941]

Editor: Party Director for Organization of the NSDAP Dr. Robert Ley

The SS During the War-Year 1939/40.

In the foreground of the work and the battle of the SS during the war year 1939/40 stands the fight of the Waffen-SS in the Poland-Campaign and in the West, the matter-of-fact-employment of the leaders and men of the General-SS in all sections of the Armed Forces and the enormous performances of SS-Leaders and SS-men in the course of the work, which the Fuehrer imposed on the Reichsfuehrer-SS in his capacity as "Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationality" by order of 10/7/1939.

As the Reichsfuehrer-SS said:

"Everyone of us knows that he is a representative of the Black Corps and has to do honor to this community by the best possible performance of his station, whether he is employed on the field of battle in the divisions of the Armed-SS, or whether he fights as an officer or soldier of the Army, whether he has been detailed as unit or part of the police, and serves the inner order of the Reich, or whether he fights against the enemies of the State as a member of the Security Service, or whether he labors in the framework of the historic mission, which has been carried over to the Reichsfuehrer as Reich-Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationality, or whether he is professionally with the home-front. The revolutionary spirit of fighting and sacrifice of this National-Socialist formation, its daily employment and hereby the best and most severe selection have determined its direction and its constant unique way.

"The firm believing tie to the great blood stream of the people, the knowledge of the fulfillment of the deepest German longing by service to the people, this welding for a firm inner unity of solidarity which the SS could accomplish in the course of hard and fully filled years were the suppositions for the now following, largely increased missions of the Black Corps." [Gunter d'Alquen].

The Armed-SS-divisions, a garrisoned organization, which have been constructed in accordance with the experiences of the SS and with the National-Socialist principles of selection, education, and formation of the will and leadership have been fully materialized during the winter 1938/39. They are at the exclusive disposal of the Fuehrer.

Already in 3/1939 the SS-Emergency Force was required in this new form for the pacification of the Protectorate Bohemia-Moravia.

By decree of the Fuehrer they were committed in the frame Parts of the SS-Emergency Force crossed the German-Czech border together with units of the Army Groups 3 and 5, in the early hours of 3/15/1939. During the preceding night Army-units and the Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" had occupied Maehrisch-Ostrau and Wirkowitz. The German population in these localities was seriously threatened by Chauvinist Czechs. In the early morning of the same day 3 trucks with SS-leaders arrived at the Police Head Office in Prague and contacted the local security-officials.

The commitment of the SS-Emergency-Force in restoring order within collapsing Czechoslovakia, was their trial of efficiency in the new motorized form. After their return from this action a new order of the Fuehrer requested the immediate enlargement of the present SS-Emergency-Force into a motorized division. At once, new units were formed. As speedily as possible the SS-Artillery Regiments, the SS-Anti-Tank Battalions, the SS-AntiAircraft Machinegun Battalion and the SS-Reconnaissance Squadrons were formed.

The training of future leaders was undertaken by the Junker schools at Tolz and Braunschweig in which the selected SS men were trained for a soldierly and politically perfect Fuehrer Corps under the harshest conditions.

The aim of the summer training 1939 was the training of the new groups to make a troop which had grown to cope with any situation.

On 3/22/1939 the Memel-land returned to the Reich, on the basis of an agreement with Lithuania. Also the SS had taken part in the liberation of the old German province, especially the Eastern-Prussian SS.

In the liberation of Danzig in 8/1939 the SS-Home-Guard especially excelled.

When in 8/1939 the Polish despotism grew and acts of violence increased day by day, the quickly formed SS-Home-Guard entered the scene.

The SS-Home-Guard formed for the first time in Danzig on 8/18/1939, at which time they received their colors from District Leader [Gauleiter] Forester. The commitment of the SS-Home-Guard made Danzig ready for defense and it became possible to proclaim the District-Leader of Danzig to become Head of the State of the Free City of Danzig in opposition to the Polish threats. This was done in accordance with the "Law for the Lifting of Distress from the People and State" to be effective as of 8/23/1939. The political department of the Danzig President of the Police was at the same time placed under the Senate under the title "Secret State Police Danzig", as an independent department. A further ordinance created the authority to appoint State-Commissioners for essential concerns.

When the Fuehrer gave the order that on 1st September the German sword should be wielded against Polish despotism, in order to break force by force, the SS-Home-Guard was employed in this battle.

They have proved their courage especially in the fighting for Dirschau and Gdynia and in defeating the Polish Army of the Corridor.

During the Polish Campaign, formations of the SS-Emergency-Force attached to the Army often fought shoulder to shoulder with units of the Army at decisive places. The report which the High Command of the
Wehrmacht made public on 9/23/1939 regarding the Polish Campaign pays special tribute to this fact.

How much courage and daring commitment the leaders and men have shown during the Polish Campaign, is proven by the great number of Iron Crosses awarded to officers and men of the Waffen-SS in the Polish Campaign for gallantry in action.

Iron Crosses First Class were awarded to 26 officers and 1 noncommissioned officer, the Iron Cross Second Class to 241 officers, 227 non-coms, and 203 men.

Numerous reports contain the heroic actions of the Waffen-SS in the war against the Allied Western Powers. especially the most daring advance of the SS-Regiment "Der Fuehrer". Reports about the actions of the Waffen-SS in this war shall be rendered when final victory has been won.

By decree of 8/1/1939 (RGBl. I. p. 1335) the Fuehrer amplified the provisions of the Law concerning the Care and Welfare of former Members of the Armed Forces, dated 8/26/1938, making them applicable to former members of the SS-Junker schools, the SS-Death-Head-Units and the strengthening of the SS-Death-Head-Units and their bereaved.

The provisions of the Law concerning the Care and Welfare of Members of the Armed Forces are, therefore applicable to all armed units of the SS.

The Reich-Minister for the Interior issued, in agreement with the Reich-Finance-Minister and the Chief of the High Command Armed Forces, an executionary decree to the decree of the Fuehrer, dated 8/3/1939 (RGBl. I. p. 1342). By this decree the Care and Welfare Office of the SS, created originally for the SS-Emergency-Force, w as commissioned to carry out the care and welfare of all remaining armed units of the SS. A further Care-and Welfare-Office-SS was created, which is subordinate to the Main-Welfare-Office-SS.

On the basis of an agreement between the Reichs-Fuehrer-SS and Chief of the German Police and the Chief of the High Command of the Wehrmacht -- the Reich-Finance-Minister consenting -- the whole care and welfare of former members of the Sudeten-German Free Corps and their bereaved has been designated to the Care and Welfare authorities of the SS to become effective immediately.

On 10/7/1939 the Reichsfuehrer-SS and Chief of the German Police was, by decree of the Fuehrer, appointed "Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationality" with the duty to evacuate the persons of German race from the Baltic countries and from the former Polish territories of the Western Ukraine and White Russia. This is to be done in accordance with the National-Socialist ideology stating that common blood and race should have a common home as living space. It was to be his further duty to begin the racial consolidation and resettlement of the reclaimed German Eastern territories.

The SS takes a decisive part in this historic task and its solution.

The persons of German race from Galizia, Wolhynia, and the Narew area have been settled-without loss or friction in full agreement with the Russian authorities.

For some time now the Reichsfuehrer-SS has had at his disposal an office under the management of SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Lorenz, the "National German Central Office" [Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle-VM]. This office has the task of dealing with National German questions and the raising of required support.

In addition to the VM the Immigration Center Offices [Einwanderungszentralen, EWZ.] with the Chief of the Security Police and the Security Service of the SS (under the management of SS-Obersturmbannfuehrer Dr. Sandberger) and the Settlement Staff of the Reich-Commissioner were created, which, in cooperation with the NSV [National Socialist Welfare Organization] and the Reich-Railroad Agency, took charge of the Migration of National Germans.

Numerous SS-leaders and SS-men helped with untiring effort in bringing about this systematic migration of peoples, which has no parallel in history.

There were many authoritative and administrative difficulties which, however, were immediately overcome due to the unbureaucratic working procedure. This was especially guaranteed above all by the employment of SS leaders.

The procedure called "Durchschluesung" [literally passing through the lock] takes 3 to 4 hours as a rule. The resettler is being passed through 8 to 9 offices, following each other in organic order: registration office, card-index office, certificate and photo office, property office, and biological hereditary and sanitary test office. The latter was entrusted to doctors and medical personnel of the SS and of the Armed Forces. The SS-Corps Areas [Oberabschnitte] Alpenland, North-West, Baltic Sea, Fulda-Werra, South and South-East, the SS-Main Office [SS-Hauptamt], the NPEA [National Political Education Institution] Vienna, and the SS-Cavalry-School in Hamburg provided most of the SS-Officer and SS-Non-Coms who worked at this job of resettlement.

Up to 4/30/1940, the Immigration Center dealt with 149513 persons. Of these 56777 were Germans from the Baltic countries, 92736 Germans from Galizia, Wolhynia and the Narew-provinces.

While the resettlement of the Germans from Galizia and Wolhynia is now in full swing, the resettlement of the Germans from Esthonia and Latvia has nearly been finished. Of these resettling Baltic Germans, 37134 persons have been resettled in the Warthe district, a small number in the district Danzig-Western Prussia, and in the Reich proper.

The statistics office of the Immigration Center dealt with 107882 migrators from Galizia, Wolhynia and the Narew-area up to 3/23/1940.

The settlement, establishment and care of the newly-won peasantry in the liberated Eastern territory will be one of the most cherished tasks of the SS in the whole future.

The Security Service [SD] of the SS is a thorough political intelligence service, created in accordance with the principles of racial and ideological selection as required by the SS; it became the real security service for the SS, the Party and the Reich. It has proved its significance during the war year of 1939/40.

The Security Service is organized in Corps Areas and division areas in close similarity to the General-SS; its Chief is SS-Gruppenfuehrer Heydrich, who is at the same time Chief of the Security Police. Part of the duties of the Security Service is to watch for any changes in the manner of working and the tactics of the enemy and to protect the people against any kind of sedition. Leaders and men of the Security Service work in close cooperation with the German Security Police, whose members have the duty also to investigate and to fight against any nationally hostile intentions in the provinces of the Protectorate and the newly won Eastern territory, to evaluate and to gather the results of the uprisings.

The Fuehrer also assigned missions of police nature during the war year to the SS aside from those on military matters. Because of its ideological and political education the spirit of the SS is alive in the German Police.

Thus a front has been created in which the State and the Party, the official and the soldier not only cooperate in the defense against political and criminal enemies of the Nation, but also as protectors of the people. The Police, whose new members are recruited out of the ranks of the SS, has become friend and helper of the community of the people.

The Chief of the SS-Main Office SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Heissmeyer, was appointed Inspector of the National-Political Education Office. Thereby it has been ensured that the selected men of the SS-NPEA (National Political Education Office) are being educated exactly in the spirit of the SS. The educators and teachers of the NPEA are exclusively SS officers and non-coms.

The SS takes its share in the work in every sphere of racial life, according to the motto given to us by the Fuehrer as our obligation: "Our Honor means Faithfulness".

Our work and fight continues in the spirit of the proclamation of the Reichsfuehrer SS:

"Thus we have fallen in and are marching forward, in accordance with unchangeable laws, as a National Socialist soldierly order of men of Nordic designation and as a sworn community of their tribes, towards a far future. We wish and believe that we are not only the grand-children fighting better to the end, but that we shall be, further, the ancestors of yet unborn generations, which are necessary for the eternal life of the German and Germanic People."