SS-Oberabschnitt Donau
Encyclopedia
SS-Oberabschnitt Donau was the primary division command of the Allgemeine-SS in the country of Austria
. The Oberabschnitt was formed in 1934 under Alfred Rodenbücher as an early attempt to influence the Anschluss
with Nazi Germany
. Originally known as Oberabschnitt Österreich, the SS command oversaw all underground Austrian SS activities until 1938 when Germany incorporated Austria into the Third Reich.
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
took over leadership of the Oberabschnitt in 1937 and the command was renamed as Oberabschnitt Donau in May of 1938; the headquarters was located in Vienna
. In 1939, the northern area of the Oberabschnitt was reformed into the SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland
.
In addition to overseeing the regular mustering formations of the Allgemeine-SS in Austria, Oberabschnitt Donau personnel helped establish anti-Jewish measures in Austria and also assisted the SS-Totenkopfverbände
with the establishment of Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
. Ernst Kaltenbrunner was the primary driving force behind these efforts until 1943 when he was promoted to assume duties as head of the RSHA. The command then passed through two more leaders until Austria was occupied in 1945 following the defeat of the Nazis in World War II
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The Oberabschnitt was formed in 1934 under Alfred Rodenbücher as an early attempt to influence the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Originally known as Oberabschnitt Österreich, the SS command oversaw all underground Austrian SS activities until 1938 when Germany incorporated Austria into the Third Reich.
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian-born senior official of Nazi Germany during World War II. Between January 1943 and May 1945, he held the offices of Chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , President of Interpol and, as a Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS, he was the...
took over leadership of the Oberabschnitt in 1937 and the command was renamed as Oberabschnitt Donau in May of 1938; the headquarters was located in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1939, the northern area of the Oberabschnitt was reformed into the SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland
SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland
SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland was one of two main division strength commands of the Allgemeine-SS in the country of Austria. The Alpenland Oberabschnitt was formed in 1939, a year after Germany incorporated Austria through the Anschluss...
.
In addition to overseeing the regular mustering formations of the Allgemeine-SS in Austria, Oberabschnitt Donau personnel helped establish anti-Jewish measures in Austria and also assisted the SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
with the establishment of Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
. Ernst Kaltenbrunner was the primary driving force behind these efforts until 1943 when he was promoted to assume duties as head of the RSHA. The command then passed through two more leaders until Austria was occupied in 1945 following the defeat of the Nazis in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Oberabschnitt Commanders
- SS-BrigadeführerBrigadeführerSS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
Alfred Rodenbücher (February 15, 1934 - September 9, 1934) - SS-ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
Karl Taus (February 18, 1934 - January 20, 1937) - SS-OberführerOberführerOberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
Ernst Kaltenbrunner (January 20, 1937 - January 31, 1943) - SS-GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Rudolf QuernerRudolf QuernerRudolf Querner was an SS-Obergruppenführer as well as a General in the Waffen-SS and the police.-Early life:...
(February 1, 1943 - October 5, 1944) - SS-Gruppenführer Walter SchimanaWalter SchimanaWalter Schimana was a German Nazi Party and SS member, who rose to General rank during World War II, and was HSSPF in occupied Greece from October 1943.- Early life :Schimana was born in Troppau, then part of Austria-Hungary, the son of a newspaper editor...
(October 5, 1944 - May 8, 1945)
Reference
- Yerger, Mark C. Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS, Schiffer Publishing (1997). ISBN 0-7643-0145-4