:''See " Waffen-SS divisions" for the Waffen-SS 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 A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Mili ...

. They reported to the SS-''Amt'' (SS Office), in 1935 renamed the ''

SS-Hauptamt The SS Main Office (german: SS-Hauptamt; SS-HA) was the central command office of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in Nazi Germany until 1940. Formation The office traces its origins to 1931 when the SS created the SS-Amt to serve as an SS Headquarters ...

'' (SS Main Offfice). 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 de ...

'' or SS-'' Obergruppenführer''. Beginning in November 1937, when the Higher SS and Police Leaders 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 battalions. NS administrative Gliederung 1944

These regional commands originally existed only in Germany and Austria and generally conformed to the existing '' Wehrkreis'' (Military Districts) of the '' Wehrmacht''. During the Second World War, additional ''Oberabschnitte'' were established for six conquered areas (

Baltic States The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

& Byelorussia, Bohemia and Moravia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Ukraine). 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.

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''Oberabschnitte'' Commands

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Further reading