• last update: 29-08-2023

German Police, SS and SA

After the 1939 war campaign lost by Poland, the territory of the 2nd Republic of Poland was partitioned among four states: the USSR, the Third Reich and, to a small extent, Lithuania and Slovakia.

The territories of the northern and western Poland were incorporated into the Reich and integrated with the already existing German provinces or became quite new administrative division units – Reich Districts (Reichsgauen). Provinces and Reich Districts were divided into the smaller districts (Regierunsbezirke).

On October 26, 1939, along with the establishment of new permanent civil administration structures, new military, police and SS administrative division units were also formed.  

The subject of the research is the formation, development and functioning of the structures of the German police and SS system in the Reich Districts of Danzig-West Prussia (Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen) and the Land of Warta (Reichsgau Wartheland) as well as in the district of Katowice (Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz) and Ciechanów (Regierungsbezirk Zichenau).

Areas of research:

  • Structures of the particular units which belonged to the Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei, SiPo) and the Order Enforcement Police (Ordnungspolizei, OrPo) – location of outposts, organization, areas of operations, number etc.

SiPo: Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, Geheime Staatspolizei, Kriminalpolizei

OrPo: Schutzpolizei (des Reiches and der Gemeinden), Gendarmerie, Jagdkommandos, Polizeibataillone, Feuerschutzpolizei and Feuerwehren, Wasserschutzpolizei, Luftschutzpolizei, Technische Nothilfe, Bahnschutz, Werkschutz, Bergschutz, Forstschutzpolizei, Landwacht and Stadtwacht etc.

  • Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz, operational groups of police and SD (Einsatzgruppen)
  • Structures of the General SS / Allgemeine-SS (SS-Oberabschnitte: Weichsel, Warthe, Nordost and Südost)
  • SS organization related to the population policy of the German occupant: EWZ, UWZ, VoMi, SS-Bodenämter, SS-Ansiedlungsstäbe
  • SS administration related to the operations of structures of the General SS and Waffen-SS (special courts of law of SS and police, training centres and camps, SS-Ergänzungsämter)
  • Staffing of managerial positions in police and SS units
  • Operations of the German police system of repression
  • Relationships between NSDAP, Wehrmacht and the units of the German police and SS