Allgemeine-SS regional commands

See "Waffen-SS divisions" for the Waffen-SS order of battle

The Allgemeine-SS regional commands comprised the regional Allgemeine-SS units (SS-Oberabschnitt) that were part of the units and commands of the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the Nazi era. The regional commands covered Austria and Germany.

Commands

Many of the commanders of the regional units also served as SS and Police Leaders. By 1942, the existing Oberabschnitt commands were as follows:

Designation	Headquarters	Years of Operation	Last commander	Notes
Alpenland	Salzburg	June 1, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Brigadeführer Hermann Harm	One of two major Oberabschnitt in Austria
Böhmen-Mähren	Prague	April 1, 1944 – May 8, 1945	SS-Oberführer Emanuel Sladek	Primary Oberabschnitt in Czechoslovakia
Donau	Vienna	May 30, 1938 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Walter Schimana	Formed from Oberabschnitt Österreich in 1938
Elbe	Dresden	April 4, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Ludolf von Alvensleben	Formed from Oberabschnitt Mitte in 1936
Fulda-Werra	Arolsen	January 1, 1937 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck-Pyrmont
Lothringen-Saarpfalz	Saarbrücken	October 1, 1940 – October 15, 1941	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Renamed Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1941
Main	Nuremberg	April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Brigadeführer Benno Martin
Mitte	Braunschweig	April 1, 1936 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Rudolf Querner	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nordwest in 1936
Nord	Hamburg	October 1, 1932 – April 20, 1940	SS-Gruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann	Divided into Oberabschnitts Nordsee and Ostsee in 1940
Nordost	Königsberg	December 15, 1933 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hellwig
Nordsee	Altona	April 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Georg von Bassewitz-Behr	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
Nordwest	Oslo	April 20, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Wilhelm Rediess	Primary Oberabschnitt in Norway.
Ost(1)	Berlin	November 16, 1933 – November 14, 1939	SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich	One of the original SS-Gruppen formed in 1929. Known as SS-Gruppe Ost until 1934, renamed Oberabschnitt Spree in 1939 no titular after Sepp Dietrich
Ost(2)	Krakau	September 15, 1942 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Koppe	Primary Oberabschnitt in Poland. Named from former Oberabschnitt Ost located in Germany
Ostland	Riga	December 12, 1941 – March 3, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Jeckeln	Primary Oberabschnitt in Latvia
Österreich	Vienna	February 15, 1934 – May 30, 1938	SS-Oberführer Ernst Kaltenbrunner	Renamed as Oberabschnitt Donau in 1938
Ostsee	Stettin	February 1, 1940 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Emil Mazuw	Formed from Oberabschnitt Nord in 1940
Rhein	Koblenz	January 1, 1934 – September 11, 1943	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Merged with Oberabschnitt Westmark in 1943 to form Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark
Rhein-Westmark	Wiesbaden	September 11, 1943 – March 24, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop	Formed from Oberabschnitts Rhein and Westmark in 1943
Spree	Berlin	November 14, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Max Schneller (permanent deputy)	Known as Oberabschnitt Ost until 1939. Previous name then assigned to a new Oberabschnitt formed in Poland
Süd	Munich	April 4, 1936 – April 20, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Eberstein	Longest Oberabschnitt in continuous existence, known originally as SS-Gruppe Süd
Südost	Brieg and Breslau	March 15, 1932 – May 8, 1945	SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt
Südwest	Stuttgart	November 16, 1933 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Otto Hofmann
Ukraina	Kiev	December 1, 1941 – September 2, 1944	SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann	Primary Oberabschnitt in the Ukraine
Warthe	Posen	October 26, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Willy Schmelcher
Weichsel	Danzig	November 9, 1939 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Fritz Katzmann
West	Düsseldorf	November 18, 1929 – May 8, 1945	SS-Gruppenführer Karl Gutenberger	Known originally as SS-Gruppe West
Westmark	Neustadt & Metz	October 15, 1941 – September 11, 1943	SS-Gruppenführer Theodor Berkelmann	Merged with Oberabschnitt Rhein in 1943 to become Oberabschnitt Rhein-Westmark

References

• Yerger, Mark C. Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS, Schiffer Publishing (1997). ISBN 0-7643-0145-4