The SS in 2134

This is some notes put together by Ken Richardson in his research for the game.  This specifically deals with the SS.  

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The Shutzstaffel (or SS)

The Shutzstaffel (or SS) is more than simply a fanatic police force for the Party. In addition to their control of the civilian police , Kripo, Gestapo, Geheimdienst, and SD, they also maintain crack military forces , operate labor camps, and control a wide range of civilian enterprises. They are the elite of the Party , the Nation,
and the Aryan “race”. At different times they inspire fear, awe, respect, and contempt from the regular police and military as well as the average citizen.

The SS are known as the lebensborn (or “fountain of life ” ) from which the superior Aryans are bred. Among loyal Party members it is considered to be the highest honor to have had an SS father, and as you could expect, membership does have its privileges. Whether it is the allocation of equipment, resources, accommodations, or medical treatment , they always receive the very best. As a benefit of their superior breeding, they are also allowed to have more than one child.

As one might imagine becoming an SS-man is no simple matter. First of all an applicant must be able to show proof of his pure Aryan heritage as far back as 1936. It is also preferable if he is the tall, blonde, blue-eyed Nordic type. There are very precise security checks, and the applicant must also have been a loyal
Party member in good standing for five years. Prior police or military service is only required for certain branches, but attendance from childhood in Party; SS schools and the Hitler Youth is mandatory (as it is for all children of SS marriages).

The training of the typical SS-mann begins in childhood, where the young teutonic knight is taught discipline and brainwashed on the more fanatical aspects of NSDAP doctrine. His primary sources of education are Hitler ‘ s Nein Kampf and Rosenberg’s Nythus des XX. Jahrunderts. From ages 10-14, he is a member of the Jungfolk. After that he becomes active in the Hitlerjungen (Hitler Youth) until age 18, when he is eligible to JOln the Streifendienst (Patrol Service). While in the Streifendienst, he receives final SS indoctrination including the mystical teachings and pagan rituals. Fanatical adherence to SS and NSDAP beliefs is the mark of the true SS-mann. His creed (taken from the Italian MVSN) is “Believe! Obey! Fight!” and his motto , emblazoned on his belt buckle, reads “Our
Honor is Named Loyalty”.

COMMAND OF THE SS

REICHSFUHRUNG-SS – Commanded by Reichsführer-SS Jurgen Vogler, this is the High Command of the entire SS, located in the Heinrich Himmler Building in Berlin. Its offices consist of the Reichsführer-SS, his personal staff, the SS Inspector for Statistics, and all of the Hauptämter (main offices).

The Hauptämter are :

• Hauptamt SS (Main Office) – Brigadeführer Max Krumm leads this office, which is the Central Office for the Allgemeine-SS responsible for the education, recruitment, training and welfare.
• Führungshauptamt (Management Office) – The responsibility of Oberstgruppenführer Waldemar Reich, this is the operational HQ for the Waffen-SS. It controls all aspects of recruitment, training and organization.
• Hauptamt SS-Gericht – Hauptsturmführer Dr. Nils Larssen leads the legal department for the SS.  This is the SS Court Head Office.
• Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) Oberstgruppenführer Reinhold Stroop commands the Central Security Office for the Third Reich.
• Reichskommissariat für die Festigung des Deutschen Volkstums (RKFDV)  – Lead by Sturmbannflihrer Robert Luck, it is translated as the Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood was an office in Nazi Germany which was held by Himmler first.  It carries out the following duties: (1) Overseeing of the final return to the Reich of the Volksdeutsche and Auslandsdeutsche (Reichsdeutsche who live abroad). (2) Prevention of “harmful influence” of populations alien to the German Volkstum. (3) Creation of new populated areas settled by Germans, mostly by the returning ones.
• Wirtschafts und Verwaltunqshauptamt (WVHA)  – Gruppenführer Julius Schiffer commands the SS Economic and Administrative Office.

For a complete explanation of the SS chains of command see diagrams on pp ??

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Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA)

Executive Direktor Oberstgruppenführer Reinhold Stroop

The Reichs Central Security Office. This office is a vast organ responsible for all of the Third Reich’s agencies dealing with Foreign Intelligence, Military Intelligence , Counter-Intelligence, secret police, internal affairs, and National crimes. It also controls the Einsatzgruppen, and Jagdverbände. The organization
itself is divided into individual departments or “Amter” for each sphere of control. These Amter and their current Direktors are as follows:

Amt I: PERSONNEL

Obergruppenführer Arnold Bengal

The Personnel Amt is responsible for the complete record keeping, and payroll of all SS personnel, inside and outside of the RSHA (except for the SD and Geheimdienst, whose agents remain secret from all but the highest officials). It is also responsible for the hiring and firing of the general RSHA staff (barring personal involvement by Reinhold Stroop).

Amt II: ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION, AND LEGAL

Dr. Eduard Lanz

This amt is the record section for all RSHA reports and documents. All dated files are removed from the current intelligence sections of the other amter after 6 months and transferred here. This amt also conducts all court cases and severe disciplinary actions directed at SS personnel. As with the military and the NSDAP, SS personnel can only be tried in an SS court.

Amt III: SICHERHEITSDIENST (SD)

Obergruppenführer Adolf Falkenhausen

Security Service for the Third Reich. The SD is a sort of internal affairs department ferreting out spies, traitors, and criminals within the government, military and SS. (The Gestapo, Kripo, and other agencies handle civilian arrests). They are also responsible for the gathering of military intelligence, having wrestled this
duty away from the defunct Abwehr in the 1940’s. In addition to their role as chiefs of security on military bases, and large naval vessels, the SD also keeps an eye on power hungry bureaucrats and officers. It is an uneasy feeling for those in high places to be informed that an SD officer is being assigned to “oversee security” in their jurisdiction. High ranking officers and politicians are also often kept wondering (or afraid) that someone on their own staff may be working for the SD.

Unless undercover , SD officers wear a green polizei-style uniform , with SS sig-runes on the collar and an SD badge on the left cuff sleeve. On full dress occasions, they will wear the black SS dress uniforms.

Amt IV: GEHEIME STAATS POLIZEIAMT (GESTAPA)

Obergruppenführer Viktor Grimm

Head office for the Secret State Pol ice, commonly known as the Gestapo, or simply “Amt 4”. This counter-intelligence department deals with crimes of a political or racial nature, and crimes of espionage or other subversive acts committed by civilians or foreign agents. It often works closely with the local polizei, RFA,
RuSHA, and other government agencies (often much to the grievance of the other party).  Amt IV also controls the Einsatzgruppen (SS paramilitary death squads).

Amt V: REICHS KRIMINAL POLIZEIAMT (RKPA)

Generaloberst der Polizei Ferdinand Godin

Head office for the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo). This is the criminal investigations division for the Third Reich. It is responsible for crimes in the civilian sector covering: interterritorial homicide, drug trafficking, counterfeit, fraud, and major theft. This is the only department within the RSHA that is NOT SS, although it comes under SS control via the RSHA “umbrella”. Officially, it is a department of the Ministry of the Interior. Kripo officers wear no uniforms (with the exception of the General Staff, who are SS).

Amt VI: GEHEIMDIENST

Obergruppenflihrer Xavier Tolz

The Secret Service, responsible for the gathering of intelligence in Imperial, Republican, and (unoccupied) Alien territories. This organization evolved from the old Ausland-SD and officially replaced the non-SS Abwehr (military intelligence) in 1943 to become the sole foreign intelligence agency in the Reich.

These spies have no jurisdiction within the Reich, and only wear uniforms during official functions at horne. In foreign territories they often adapt the role of embassy personnel, and businessmen. The Geheirndienst also controls the Special Forces units of the Jagdverbande.

Amt VII: SPEZIAL FORSCHUNG UND ENTWICKLUNG

Special Research and Development. This department’s three most important abteilung (subsections) are as follows:

• Amt VII-a-3, Gruppenfuhrer Heinrich Hoth – Secret weapons research and development. This office works closely with the Armaments Ministry, military, as well as the major armament and related corporations in the Reich.
• Amt VII-a-5, Dr. Ludwig Tix – Psychological subversion section. This office is always tying to find and refine new methods of mind control, and psychological manipulation of Reichs citizens as well as those of other nations. It is a very important office during war, and works closely with the military and the Ministry of Propaganda and Enlightenment.
• Arnt VII-a-12, Dr. Manfred Voss – Psychic research section. This office conducts testing and development of psychic abilities for government or military applications. Any citizens (or slaves) found to have psychic potential are secretly tested by field agents, and then brought in for more testing and final verification. Those who test positive are immediately “drafted” by the SS, tattooed, and put to work on various projects including: interrogation of prisoners; tracking of spies and criminals; long range gathering of intelligence; filtering out applicants for high profile placements; ultraspace research; and applications in psychic warfare.

Amt VIII: POLIZEIGRUPPE

This is simply a police attache office that administers and delivers SS orders from RSHA branches to polizei departments.

EINSATZGRUPPE

The Einsatzgruppen (“Special Task Forces”) are a field division of the Sipo (Sicherheitspolizei, or Security Police. A general term for the combined work of the Gestapo and Kripo). Officially their tasks are to follow the military into occupied territories and provide police, counter-espionage, and anti-partisan services.
Unofficially, they are mobile murder squads, executing “undesirable” civilians as well as retreating or deserting soldiers from the Reich. In the field they are under orders of the army they are attached to for movement, rations and accommodations.

Disciplinary and higher technical orders come direct from the RSHA. They are authorized to take “necessary measures affecting the civilian populations” on their own responsibility. Einsatzgruppen wear the grey and black SS-VT uniforms with an SD diamond on the left cuff sleeve. The personnel are drawn from elements of the Waffen-SS, Gestapo, Kripo, and SD as we 11 as impressed native civilians.

JAGDVERBANDE (“Hunter Units”, Special Forces)

The Jagdverbande have a long and glorious history dating back to Otto Skorzeny’s original teams. During the War of Unification they rescued Mussolini from Italian rebels, wreaked havoc behind enemy lines while dressed as American soldiers and have helped to overthrow many governments over the decades. In the 1960’s they were re-organized into four permanent units of approximately 500 men each. These are: the Fenrir (the Doomsday wolf of Nordic mythology); the Fallengels (“Fallen Angels”), ??, and the ??.   Jagdverbande teams all wear camouflage uniforms with SS sigrunes on the collar and black berets.

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STRUCTURE OF THE SS

The SS is organized into seven main branches: the Allgemeine-SS, Waffen-SS, Leibstandarte-SS (SS-LS), SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV), the RSHA, RKFDV, and WVHA. These are described and detailed as follows:

Allgemeine-SS

The Allgemeine, or “general” SS, is made up of all inactive, retired, or honorary SS personnel. The regular civilian Polizei (Orpo) are also required to join (thus allowing the SS to take  command away from the Interior Ministry in the event of a National emergency). With the exception of the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo), they seldom if ever wear uniforms, but may be called into active service under the orders of the ReichsfUhrer-SS in the event of a National emergency. These individuals are mostly a fraternal body concerned with the welfare and furtherance of SS interests.

Waffen-SS

This is the military arm of the SS. In addition to its regular military personnel, it also controls the Military Police (SSPolizei) and the SS reserves ( SS-Verfügungstruppe, or SS-VT). Uniforms consist of gray or camouflage duty uniforms, and the standard black dress uniform.

Liebstandarte-SS (SS-LS)

The liebstandarte (“bodyguard regiment”) is, as the name implies, the protective services branch of the SS. They are the uniformed bodyguards for the Führer (and his family), Deputy Führer, Reichsführer-SS, Weltleiters, Reichsleiters, Reichsleiter-SS, Party Chancellor, Reichs Ambassadors and Consulars, the Reichsmarschal, and other high ranking military personnel and foreign dignitaries as directed by der FUhrer. They are a 1 so the honor guards who protect major government offices, embassies, and certain National monuments (such as Rimmler’s body, and Valhalla). The SS-LS is easily distinguished from the Waffen-SS by their berets, and white belts, straps, aiguillettes, holsters, and gloves. Although an SS branch (and technically answerable to the Reichsführer-SS), in actuality their orders come directly from der Führer. Their Berlin headquarters is located at Lichterfelde Barracks.

SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV)

The “Death’s Head” SS make up the guards for all Reichs labor, concentration, and extermination camps. They wear the SS-Polizei gray and black uniform, with the renowned skull and crossbones “death’s head” insignia.

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Reichskommissariat für die Festigung des Deutschen Volkstums (RKFDV)

Exekutive Direktor Sturmbannftihrer Robert Luck.

The Reichs Commission for the Consolidation of German Nationhood, popularly known by its initials RKFDV. It is subdivided into two sections: the RuSHA and the VOMI.

1.  Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt (RuSHA), Sturmbannftihrer Georg Luft.   The Central Office for Race and Resettlement is the SS limb regulating: emigration to Reichs colonies, expropriation and displacement of colonial natives and consignment of undesirable races to labor or extermination camps. It also acts as an SS marriage bureau authenticating the Aryan ancestry of any would-be SS brides.   Also included is the Lebensborn Homes, directed  Dr. Erik Walkenbach.  They are a chain of orphanages, maternity homes, hospitals and welfare staff for those of good racial and genetic value (i.e. Nordic Aryans). It is the gene pool for the future SS. During the War of Unification, children in occupied countries who possessed desired Nordic characteristics are kidnapped and placed in these homes to be Germanized.
2.  Volkdeutsche Mittelstelle (VOMI), directed by Ehrenftihrer Erwin Linderholm is the German Racial Assistance Office responsible for the welfare of
   Reichs citizens settled in the colonies.

Wirtschafts und Verwaltungshauptamt (WVHA)

Executive Direktor Gruppenftihrer Julius Schiffer

SS Economic and Administrative Department. Its two most important offices are:

• Amtsgruppe C: Haushalt und Bauten (Construction and Budget Dept.), Obersturmfuhrer Rudolf Grubb.  Consisting mostly of slave labor, this office is responsible for the construction of all SS construction from offices to labor camps.
• Amtsgruppe D: Labor and Re-Education Office, Gruppenführer Emil Kossens.  This office controls the allocation} and administration of criminals in labor} concentration and extermination camps.
• Amtsgruppe W: Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe (DWB), Ehrerführer Rutger Langbeihn. All SS owned or controlled businesses and industries are operated
  under the authority of this central holding company. In effect it almost qualifies as a megacorporation. Among the companies it controls are: DAW, DAG, DEST, DVEV, GTLV,and Ost-Industries. All of these companies utilize slave labor and most are headquartered in the former Slavic countries.