:''See "

Waffen-SS divisions All ''Waffen-SS'' divisions were ordered in a single series of numbers as formed, regardless of type. Those with ethnic groups listed were at least nominally recruited from those groups. Many of the higher-numbered units were divisions in name on ...

" for the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

order of battle'' The Allgemeine-SS regional commands were titled ''SS-Oberabschnitte'' (SS Main Districts) and first were established on November 16, 1933. They replaced the earlier command structure composed of five ''SS-Gruppen'' and comprised the regional component of the '' Allgemeine-SS'' command structure. They reported to the SS-''Amt'' (SS Office), in 1935 renamed the '' SS-Hauptamt'' (SS Main Office). Their commanders carried the title of ''SS-Oberabschnitte Führer'' and usually held the rank of SS-''

Gruppenführer __NOTOC__ ''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire d ...

'' or SS-''

Obergruppenführer (, ) was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned SS rank after ...

''. Beginning in November 1937, when the

Higher SS and Police Leader The title of SS and Police Leader (') designated a senior Nazi Party official who commanded various components of the SS and the German uniformed police ('' Ordnungspolizei''), before and during World War II in the German Reich proper and in the ...

s were established, the ''SS-Oberabschnitte'' were subordinated to them. However, in nearly every instance, the ''SS-Oberabschnitt Führer'' held both positions simultaneously. The ''Oberabschnitt Führer's'' staff was headed by a ''Stabschef'' (Chief of Staff) who oversaw departments encompassing administration, training, personnel, medical affairs, as well as specialty units such as signals and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

battalions. NS administrative Gliederung 1944

These regional commands originally existed only in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and generally conformed to the existing ''

Wehrkreis The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military dist ...

'' (Military Districts) of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

''. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, additional ''Oberabschnitte'' were established for six conquered areas (

Baltic States The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

& Byelorussia, Bohemia and Moravia,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). Other occupied territories, however, did not have ''Oberabschnitte'' established, and SS personnel there were directly under the jurisdiction of the Higher SS and Police Leader for that area. By 1944, there were a total of 23 active ''Oberabschnitte''.

''Oberabschnitte'' Commands

The following table lists, by date of formation, the existing ''Oberabschnitte'' commands that were established from November 1933 through April 1944.

Notes

References

Sources

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''Oberabschnitte'' Commands

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading