SS Units in Danzig, 1933 – 1939.

[tigre]

Hello to all ; another little story for sharing......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

The Versailles Treaty in its Articles 100 to 108 established Danzig as a free city at the mouth of the Vistula, under the protection of the Society of Nations. This league was represented in Danzig by a High Commissioner. By the treaty the German citizens were deprived of that nationality, but by Article 106 they could adopt it later.

The Article 104 of the treaty established the privileges that Poland would had in the free City, particularly the use of the port, transit rights, Polish rights in customs duties, control of railroads, telephone, telegraph, school system, right to protect the Polish citizens, military facilities at Westerplatte. To ensure that it was a Polish General-Commissioner of the Polish Republic in the city; besides, Poland represented the Danzig flag abroad.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

Although the population of ethnic Germans in Pomerania under Polish sovereignty was reduced from 175,000 inhabitants in 1921 to 112,000 inhabitants in 1937, the strength of this minority not only in Pomerania but also in Danzig, was not due to their number but in that they had under its control of the 40% of industrial enterprises and the 26% of the land in that province. Besides this minority kept their political groups and was based on a very good school system, although it had been reduced, was extremely well organized in elemental and high schools and supplemented by private education, often illegally.

While in the Free City of Danzig, which later would play a special role in preparing for the invasion of Poland, already in October of 1930 Adolf Hitler sent by Forster. At the time he was a young and energetic member of the Nazi Party in Danzig. Forster was named interim head of the Nazi Party in the Free City of Danzig and later Gauleiter.

Therefore the political mobilization of the German minority in Poland sustained by the Third Reich had to lead to a conflict because there were incompatible with the interests of the Polish government and the Polish society.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

On his arrival at Danzig (Forster), the Nazi Party had 1310 members, of which the SA, along with the SS had little more than 100 combatants available. Already in November of 1930 reached a political success: In that elections, the NSDAP won 11 seats. In 1931, the Danzig Nazi Party already had almost 12 000 members and won 38 seats in the Volkstagswahlen. Thus became the strongest party in the Free City of Danzig. This was truly a great success.

After the elections of 1933, the Nazis began to control the main areas of development: social, economic and cultural . This was made possible by the grace of successive High Commissioners of the League (of Nations). The main objective of the activity of the Nazi Party in Danzig was the return of the Free City of Danzig to the Reich. As the ruling party, the Nazi Party systematically expanded its ranks and in 1936 already had a membership of about 30 000 supporters.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

[Opa]

I'm not sure what your query is. But I note that you seem to imply that Germans were a minority in Danzig as well, when they were not, "the strength of this minority not only in Pomerania but also in Danzig," including my great-uncles.

[tigre]

Hello to all ; thanks for your comment Opa, I took note of it. Now, more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

In the free city also were organized local SS units, being the first of it the 36 SS Standarte (Regiment) organized from the General SS (Allgemeine SS) at the beginning of 1933. Having a strenght of 600 men it was stationed in Danzig and Zoppot; the Unit was in charge of Doctor Alexander Reiner, one of the founders of the local SS formations. In turn, this Standarte was subordinated to the commander of the SS-Oberabschnitts Nord-Ost, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewsky. Later with the city already incorporated into the Reich, to December 1939, it was transformed into a larger unit, the XXVI SS Abschnitt deployed at Zoppot. Its leader still was Doctor Alexander Reiner now promoted to SS Oberführer.

Within this organization were created elements of cavalry, motorized and communications. On August 3, 1934, the SS Oberführer Reiner issued a secret directive stating his subordinates should assist the Security Police in Danzig (Danziger Schutzpolizei).

Between 1935 and 1938 the SS and SA became the largest paramilitaries organizations within the free city, fully equipped and dressed in uniforms.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!.

[Ostküste]

Hi all,
does anyone have or know if there is a list of SS-Heimwehr Danzig members?
I am looking to find the surname/family name of one of its former members first name Emil.
Emil survived the war and was a real ladies man!
Regards
Ost

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

Between 1934 and 1936 the members of the SS and SA carried out several terrorist acts against members of opposition parties, despite the objections of the High Commissioner Sean Lester. On May 26, 1934 was dissolved the Communist Party in Danzig and on October 14, 1936 was the turn for the German Socialist Party (SPD), accused of organizing armed uprisings in the country.

An important role in the remilitarization of Danzig had the SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, who secretly visited the city in mid-1939 and after meeting with the Gauleiter Forster decided to strengthen the weak SS forces in the territory.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!.

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

Thus it was organized the SS-Heimwehr Danzig under the command of SS-Obersturmbahnnführer Friedeman Götze, who at that time was Commanding Officer of the III. / 4 SS-Totenkopf-Standarte "Ostmark" in Berlin. That unit was transferred in June of 1939 to Königsberg and then to Elbing, from where went to Danzig, being reinforced there by about 500 local SS men.

The training was completed in July 1939 and had about 1,500 men, being organized as a motorized infantry with seven companies, of which four were companies of infantry plus antitank weapons, heavy weapons and other support.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Año Nuevo - Happy New Year - feliz Ano Novo - gluckliches Neues Jahr - Bonne Année - Felice Anno Nuovo!!!

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

In the area of ​​the Free City of Danzig and northern Pomerania, the Operation Tannenberg established the arrest of about 1500 people, including Poles, Jews and German opponents. In Danzig the Operation Tannenberg would be led by Dr. Rudolf Troeger, head of the SIPO and SD. But the police forces alone would be unable to fulfill the task, therefore it was decided to create, from the XXVI SS Abschnitt of SS-Brigadeführer Johannes Schäfer, the SS-Wachsturmbann under command of SS-Obersturmbannführer Kurt Eimann (formerly Commander of 36 SS Standarte).

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Año Nuevo - Happy New Year - feliz Ano Novo - gluckliches Neues Jahr - Bonne Année - Felice Anno Nuovo!!!

[tigre]

Hello to all ; last part......................

The SS Units in Danzig, 1933 - 1939.

Finally in August 1939 the new formation grew to about 500 men organized into three Hundertschaften (companies) and one Kraftfahrstaffel (transport company). As part of the unit was the former Commander of the SS Standarte 71, SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Max Pauly (future head of the Stutthof concentration camp).

Later the SS-Wachsturmbann was divided and two companies under the command of SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Max Pauly would be responsible for the custody of the persons detained at the Victoria School and Stutthof Camp, while other companies would be responsible for performing the arrests.

Sources: http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/kapitelI.htm
http://ofiaromwojny.republika.pl/teksty ... utthof.pdf
Die SS Heimwehr Danzig Im Polenfeldzug. Rolf Michaelis
Private Sales List-SS-HEIMWEHR DANZIG + TOTENKOPF
http://www.forum.eksploracja.pl/viewtop ... f=7&t=1103

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .