The First SS-Abschnitt () was a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

formation of the Allgemeine-SS and the first such unit ever established in the SS. The First Abschnitt was originally known as the SS-Brigaden 1 and was founded due to an expansion of the SS between 1929 and 1930, causing the need for SS-regiments (known as ''Standarten'') to be grouped into higher brigade sized formations. The SS-Brigades were modeled after the same type of unit used by the

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...

. The 1st SS-Brigade was headquartered in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, and its original leadership staff consisted of former members of the 1st SS-Standarte, of which the 1st Brigade acted as the commanding formation; the first appointed brigade commander was Josef Dietrich. Dietrich was technically the commander of the Abschnitt until 1932, although after a few short months, Dietrich began to become more and more involved in Hitler's personal protection corps (later to become the nucleus of the Leibstandarte-SS) and left the day-to-day running of the 1st Brigade to subordinates. During these years, Dietrich was also listed as the commander of the SS-Group South, which was the superior command to the 1st SS-Brigade. By 1933, the name of the command had been changed to SS-Abschnitt I, or the 1st SS-District. As the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

came to power and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

along with Dietrich's ''Leibstandarte'', the association of the Abschnitt's role with Hitler's presence in Munich gradually diminished and the command became more involved with ceremonial functions surrounding the Munich Brown House. Through the 1930s, the Abschnitt was seen as one of the more important units within the SS as Munich was still viewed as a highly important city due to Munich's status as the birthplace of the Nazi Party. The Abschnitt continued to operate in full force until the start of World War II when many of the Abschnitt staff were either conscripted into 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 ...

or joined 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 ...

. By 1943, the daily operations of the Abschnitt had been overshadowed by the Office of the

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 o ...

although the First Abschnitt continued to be listed as an active command until the end of the war. The Abschnitt was disbanded in May 1945, upon the collapse of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

Chain of Command

* Superior Command:

SS-Oberabschnitt Süd Units and commands of the ''Schutzstaffel'' were organizational titles used by the SS to describe the many groups, forces, and formations that existed within the SS from its inception in 1923 to the eventual fall of Nazi Germany in 1945. The S ...

* Subordinate Commands: 1st SS-Standarte, 31st SS-Standarte, 34th SS-Standarte

Commanders

* 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 ...

'' Josef Dietrich (July 11, 1930 – August 11, 1932) * SS-''

Oberführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically an NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geograph ...

Johann-Erasmus Freiherr von Malsen-Ponickau Johann-Erasmus Georg Adalbert Freiherr von Malsen-Ponickau (5 June 1895 – 12 June 1956) was a German Nazi SS-'' Brigadeführer'' and Police President in several German cities. During the Second World War, he served as the SS and Police Leader ...

(August 11, 1932 – May 2, 1933) * SS-'' Standartenführer'' Wilhelm Starck (May 2, 1933 – April 17, 1934) * SS-''Oberführer'' Heinz Roch (April 17, 1934 – March 15, 1936) * SS-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

'' Christoph Diehm (March 15, 1936 – March 1, 1939) * SS-''Oberführer'' Hans Döring (March 1, 1939 – October 1, 1942) * Post Vacant (Deputy Commanders Only) (October 1, 1942 – April 1, 1943) * SS-''Brigadeführer'' Franz Jaegy (April 1, 1943 – May 8, 1945)

References

* Yerger, Mark C. ''Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS'', Schiffer Publishing (1997). {{Allgemeine-SS Allgemeine SS