The First SS-Abschnitt () was a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical 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 a division. B ...

formation of the

Allgemeine-SS The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autumn ...

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 1st SS-Brigade was headquartered in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, 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 (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

came to power and

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

went to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

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 ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

or joined the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

. By 1943, the daily operations of the Abschnitt had been overshadowed by the Office of the SS and Police Leader 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 (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Chain of Command

* Superior Command: SS-Oberabschnitt Süd * Subordinate Commands: 1st SS-Standarte, 31st SS-Standarte, 34th SS-Standarte

Commanders

* SS-'' Gruppenführer'' 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 a NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographic ...

'' Johann-Erasmus Freiherr von Malsen-Ponickau (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 the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''Untergruppenf ...

'' 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