Waffen-SS Officers in the SS-WVHA

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:39

Here is a list of Waffen-SS officers of the rank of SS-Hauptsturmfuehrer and above, serving in the SS-WVHA (SS Economic and Administrative Main Office) as of 1 Jul 1944, taken from the Dienstaltersliste der Waffen-SS of 1 Jul 1944:

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:40

Part 2:

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:41

Part 3:

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:43

Part 4:

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:44

Part 5:

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 27 May 2003 21:45

Part 6 (Final):

John W · Post by **John W** » 27 May 2003 22:22

Thanks David

This may seem like a silly question but what I'm wondering is this:

1. The list shows some officers of the Waffen SS as having been posted(?) to the WVHA. What I'd like to know is, based on this list, can one assume that this was/were the permanent posts of said officers?

2. Erm, how important is said list? Could it be something like a roll-call?

As this is so obviously tied in with a hotly debated Waffenm SS warcrimes thread, I was wondering if based on this factual information, could it be interpreted as to if these Officers (I wouldn't dare say a mere 15 or 20) were always tied in with the WVHA or were they there because of their connections (to avoid fronline duty for example), or were they recovering post-front-line duty?

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 28 May 2003 01:27

Sturm -- Your question isn't silly. It's interesting. Looking over the list of the Waffen-SS officers serving in the SS-WVHA, it appears to me that these are permanent posts for many of the officers holding the rank of Major (SS-Sturmbannfuehrer) and above.

The reason for my conclusion is that they hold positions as department and office chiefs or administrators in the main office (Hauptamt) or in occupied territories. The positions of department and office chiefs are important in an organization, which requires a certain managerial stability to function well. Others are commanders of training facilities, and the DAL format allows you to see yet others who came from combat units.

I'm not sure about the lower-ranking officers, because the DAL doesn't say what their assignment is and because most of the names aren't familiar to me (a fair number of the higher-ranking officers had familiar names because they were tried for war crimes). I hope this helps some with your question.

harry palmer · Post by **harry palmer** » 28 May 2003 12:57

(a fair number of the higher-ranking officers had familiar names because they were tried for war crimes).

See Amon Goeth at 3430?

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 28 May 2003 14:49

Harry -- Yeah, I saw Amon Goeth on that list. The rank and SS-Nr. match, but the birthdate given by French MacLean in the Camp Men doesn't match that of the DAL, so I'm still checking that reference:

Goeth (Göth), Amon Leopold (11.12.1908-13.9.1946) [SS-Hauptsturmfűhrer] – b. Wien (Vienna, Austria); NSDAP-Nr. 510764 (joined Hitlerjugend 1925; joined NSDAP 1930); SS-Nr.: 43673; staff, SS and Police Commander (SS- und Polizeiführer - SSPF) "Lublin" (under SS-Brigf. Globocnik); service, Operation Reinhard (Lublin) 1942; transferred to Cracow 1942; directed liquidation of the Cracow (Feb-Mar 1943), Tarnow (1943) and Bochnia Ghettos; commandant, work camp (Arbeitslager), later concentration camp [Konzentrationslager - KL]) Plaszow, near Cracow Feb 1943-Sept 1944 {arrested by SS for corruption and embezzlement Sept 1944; developed diabetes in prison and released; war ended before he could be tried by an SS court; arrested by American troops at the SS sanatorium in Bad Tölz, Bavaria; extradited to Poland; put on trial by the Polish People's Court at Cracow for war crimes; convicted and sentenced to death by hanging 5 Sept 1946; executed 13 Sept 1946 at Cracow (ABR-SS; Camp Men p. 87; Death Dealer p. 181n; Trial of Amon Leopold Goeth, United Nations War Crimes Commission: 1948, http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/WCC/goeth.htm; Dienstaltersliste der Waffen-SS [1 Jul 1944]).}

Here's another fellow from the lower-ranking officer part of the SS-WVHA list that I noticed -- 3172 Richard Baer:

Baer, Richard (9.9.1911-17.6.1963) [SS-Obersturmbannführer]-- SS-Nr.: 44225; service, concentration camp (Konzentrationslager - KL) Dachau 1933-1939; service, KL Columbia Haus 1934; service, 3rd SS Division "Totenkopf" 1940-1942; service, KL Neuengamme 1942-1943; commandant, KL Auschwitz May 1944-Jan 1945; commandant, KL Mittelbau-Dora 1945 {changed name to "Karl Neumann" and worked as a woodcutter in Schleswig-Holstein after the war; arrested c. 20 Dec 1960 near Hamburg after a reward was posted for his capture (NYT 21 Dec 1960:5:4; NYT 19 Feb 1961:2:4; NYT 20 Dec 1961:10:2); indicted by a West German court at Frankfurt-am-Main 3 May 1963 (NYT 4 May 1963:12:3; NYT 12 May 1963:9:3); died of circulatory ailment in West German custody awaiting trial for war crimes 17 Jun 1963 (NYT 19 Jun 1963:22:2; Hilberg 704; Auschwitz Chronicles p. 808; Camp Men p. 33; Dienstaltersliste der Waffen-SS [1 Jul 1944]).}

WojtekK · Post by **WojtekK** » 25 Aug 2003 06:01

David !!

Do you have scanned pages with RF-SS to SS-Brif. ??

Regards

Wojtek

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 25 Aug 2003 06:28

WojtekK -- No, because at the time I scanned it I was only interested in the WVHA guys. (Some posters thought that the Waffen-SS had no connection whatsover to concentration camps).

However, if you're interested I'd be happy to scan the Waffen-SS general officer pages. I'm going on a brief vacation tomorrow, but I'll do it when I get back and post it over in the ABR section of the forum. If you don't see it after 10 days-2 weeks, please send me a PM as a reminder.

WojtekK · Post by **WojtekK** » 25 Aug 2003 12:13

Ok I will wait

Regards

Wojtek

David Thompson · Post by **David Thompson** » 25 Aug 2003 17:44

WojtekK -- I scanned the DAL's general officer section for you and posted it in the ABR section of the forum.