Germany Section 2D: German Military Government Over Europe the Ss & Police Inoccupied Europe

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ARMY SERVICE FORCES MANUAL O~fl

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Dissemination of restricted matter. - The information con- a ne Wn restricted documents and the essentia l characteristics of restricted material may be given to any person known to be in the service of the United States and to persons of undoubted loyalty and discretion who are cooperating in Government work, but will not be communicate d to the public or to the press except by authorized military public relations agencies. (See also par. 18b, AR 380-5, 28 Sep 1942.) I -_ - -- I ----- II I I I- - - - I---

HEADQUARTERS, ARMY SERVICE FORCES, 8 APRIL 19.44 ARMY SERVICE FORCES MM M356-2D Civil Affairs

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CIViL AFFAIRS HANDBOOK GERMANY SECTION 2D GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT OVER EUROPE

THE SS & POLICE INOCCUPIED EUROPE

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HEADQUARTERS, ARMY SERVICE FORCES, 8 APRIL 1944

h. . Dissemination of restricted matter. - The information con- tained in restricted documents and the-essential characteristics of restricted material may be given to any person known to be in the service of the United States and to persons of undoubted loyalty and discretion who are cooperating in Government work, but will net be communicated to the public or to the -press except by authorized military publi s agencies. (See also par. 18b, AR 380-5, 28 Sep 1942.) NUMBERING SYSTEM OF

ARMY SERVICE FORCES MANUALS

The main subject matter of each Army Service Forces Manual is indicated by consecutive numbering within the following. categories:

Mi - M99 Basic and Advanced Training M100 - M199 Army Specialized Training Program and Pre- Induction Training M200 - M299 Personnel and Morale M300 - M399 Civil Affairs M400 - M499 Supply and Transportation M500 - M599 Fiscal M600 - M699 Procurement and Production 700 - M799 Administration M800 - M899 Miscellan e ous M900 up Equipment, Materiel, Housing and Construction

HEADQUARTERS, ARMY SERVICE FORCES Washington 25, D. C. 8 April 1944

Army Service Forces Manual M 356-2D, German Military Government over

Europe - The SS and Police in Occupied Europe, has been prepared under

the supervision of the Provost Marshal General and is published for the

information and guidance of all concerned.

UPX 461 (21 Sep 43)7

By command of Lieutenant General SOMERVELL:

W. D. STYER, Major General, General Staff Corps, Chief of Staff.

OFFICIAL: ''Oak J. A. ULIO, Major General, Adjutant General. - iii -

This study on German Military Government over Europe - The SS and Police in Occupied Europe was prepared for the

MILITARY GOVERNMENT DIVISION, OFFICE OF THE PROVOST MARSHAL GENERAL

by the

RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS BRANCH, OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES

OFICERS USING THIS MATERIAL ARE REQUESTED TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS AND

CRITICISMS INDICATING THE REVISIONS OR ADDITIONS WHICH WOULD MAKE THIS

MATERIAL MORE USEFUL TOR THEIR PURPOSES. THISE CRITICISMS SHOULD BE

SENT TO THE CHIEF OF THE LIAISON AND STUDIES BRANCH, MILITARY GOVERNMENT

DIVISION, PMGO, 2807 MUNITIONS BUILDING, WASHINGTON 25, D. C. - iv -

INTRODUCTION

Purposes of the Civil Affairs Handbook.

The basic purposes of civil affairs officers are (1) to assist the

Commanding General by quickly establishing those orderly conditions which will contribute most effectively to the conduct of military operations,

(2) to reduce to a minimum the human suffering and the material damage

resulting from disorder and (3) to create the conditions which will make

it possible for civilian agencies to function effectively.

The preparation of Civil Affairs Handbooks is a part of the effort

to carry out these responsibilities as efficiently and humanely as possible.

The Handbooks do not deal with plans or policies (which will depend upon changing and unpredictable developments). It should be clearly understood

that they do not imply any given official program of action. They are rather ready reference source books containing the basic factual information needed for planning and policy making. SI VIL APF AI RS HANDBOOKS

TOPICAL OUTLIN

1. Geographical and Social Background

2. Government and Administration - 2D - German Military Government over Europe - The SS and Police in Occupied Europe

3. Legal Affairs

4, Government Finance

5. Money and Banking

6. Natural Resources

7. Agriculture

8. Industry and Commerce

9. Labor

10. Public Works and Utilities

11. Transportation Systems

12. Communications

13. Public Health and Sanitation

14. Public Safety

15. Education

16. Public Welfare

17. Cultural Institutions

This study on Government and Administration - German Military Govern- ment over Europe - The SS and Police in Occupied Europe- was prepared for the MILITARY GOVERNMENT DIVISION, OFFICE OF THE PROVOST MARSHAL GENERAL by the RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS BRANCH OF THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC S3RVICES. - vi -

GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT OVER EUROPE

A. Principles of Nazi Occupation M 356 - 2B

B. German Controls in Occupied Europe

1. The German Army in Occupied Europe M 356 - 20C

2. The SS and Pelice in Occupied Europe M-356 - 2D .

5. Military and Police Tribunals in Occupied Europe 356 2E

4. The Nazi Party in Occupied Europe 356 2F

5. Technical and Economic Troops in Occupied Europe 356 2G

6. Economic Controls in Occupied EuropB 356 2H

7. Labor Controls in Occupied Europe 356 2J

8. Propaganda in Occupied Europe 356 2K

9. The Protectorate of Bohemia - Moravia 356 2L

C. The Nazi Occupation of Individual Regions

1. German Military Government - Belgium 361 2A

2. German Military Government - Czechoslovakia 363 2A

3. German Military Government - France 352 2A

4. German Military Government - Greece 351 2A

5. German Military Government - Netherlands 357 2A

6. German Military Government - Norway 350 2A

7. German Military Government - Poland 364 2A

The study of German Military Government over Europe 1939-43 is a descriptive analysis of the controls which the Nazis have established for the subjdgation and exploitation of conquered countries. The study emphasizes the agencies and institutions which the Nazis have been using. The results which were produced by the Nazis in the various countries are included only insofar as they illustrate the practices of Nazi administration. - vii -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pam4

I. Introduction 1

II. The German Police and the Security Service of the Reich Leader SS 2

A. Basic Reforms 2

B. Police Organization 5

1. The Order Police, the Security Police, and the Security Service 5 2. The Higher SS and Police Leaders 5

C. The Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) 6

1. The Protective Police (Schutzpolizei) 6 2. The Rural Police (Gendarmerie) 7 3. The Administrative Police (Verwaltungspolizei) 7 4. The Fire Protection Police (Feuerschutzpolizei) 6 5. The Harbor and River Protection Police (Wasserschutzpolizei) 8

D. The Security Police 8

1. The Criminal Police (Kriminalpolizei) 8 2. The Secret State Police (Geheime Staatspolizei) 9 35. The Security Service of the Reich Leader SS (Sicherheitsdienst) 9

III. The Organization and Functioning of the Police and Security Service in Occupied Europe 9

A. General 9

B. Denmark, Belgium, France and Greece 11

1. Employment of the German Police and Security Service 11 2. Reorganization of Native Police Institutions 12 - viii -

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

C. Norway, the Netherlands, the General Government, the Protectorate, Serbia, the Ostland, and the Ukraine

1. The Higher SS and Police Leaders 2. The Lower Echelons 5. Personnel, Pay, and Supply 4. The Order Police 5. The Security Police 6. The Reorganization of Native Police Forces and the Establishment of German Control 7. The Special Native Police of the New Order

D. The Police and SS as Terror Organizations

IV. The Waffen*SS

A. General

B. History

Early Development Pre-War Mission Development since 1959

C. Recruitment, Training, and Employment of Personnel 27

1. "Racial Germans" (Volksdeutsche) 27 2. Foreign Waffen-SS Personnel 29 - ix -

SUMMARY

The army police and SS are the chief instruments employed by Nazi

Germany in the control of occupied Europe. The police are in a position to contribute to the system of control because they are militarized, thoroughly dependable from the political point of view, and trained to follow uniform procedures.- Every element of the police has been active

in occupation work. The Gestapo and the Security Service of the Reich

Leader SS play a predominant role in guarding German interests. The

Administrative Police have been responsible for the interior administration

of the police abroad and have accomplished much in the reorganization

of the native police in countries under German control. The regular uniformed branches of the police have provided leadership for native police

units and have been formed into shock troop units for action against

guerrillas or revolutionaries. The organization of the police abroad has

been adapted to the requirements of each country. In some areas, native

police institutions have been left intact; in others, the Germans have

had to provide a complete system of control. In every part of Europe, the

local commander of the German police remains under the direction of the

Chief of Police in Berlin for matters pertaining to security and to the

interior administration of the police,

An important aspect of German control is the development of native

organizations which cooperate with the police. The SS has contributed

to this work by providing mil ng and front-line experience to

pro-German personnel in the ranks of the Waffen-SS. In some areas IRS

faffen-SS recruitment is highly selective and the troops are carefully trained as friends of greater Germany. In other areas, the need for manpower has taken precedence over the Pan-German ideal and recruitment has been pushed forward on a mass basis. -1-

I aRODUCTION

Germany has successfully established a system of controls over the populations of occupied Europe. National laws and law-enforcing agencies form the basis of this system.1 The ultimate guarantors of

Nazi domination, however, are the army, the police, and the SS. Although the role of the police and the SS varies from country to country, their basic problem remains everywhere the same: the subjugation of foreign populations without undue wastage of German manpower. This has not been easy. The continuance of the war and the threat of German defeat have resulted in three factors disturbing to Germany's purpose: (1) increasing hostility to the invaders: (2) an-ieconomic situation which calls for tighter controls and more complete supervision; (3) confusion and dis- organization as a consequence of Allied bombing raids.

The police and the SS have followed two general lines of action in meeting this problem. First, they have supplemented, reinforced, dominated and, in some instances, reorganized existing police forces. Second, they have sought to cultivate and train pro-German elements to be used as regular police, police.auxiliaries, para-military forces, guards-, ax 8 men. In this work they have cooperated closely. Generally, however,

it may be said that the police have been responsible for the more technical

aspects of establishing civilian controls, while the SS has concentrated

upon the cultivation of reliable pro-German groups.

I,/ Reference is made to tie various area studies for detailed treatment of national institutions in the occupied countries and the changes made by the Germans. -2-

The elite, para-military SS is the most fanatical of all Party organizations. As such, its position in the scheme of Nazi domination is clearly defined. It operates abroad through the Waffen-SS and the native units of the General(Allgemeine) SS which have been established in some countries. The Security Service of the Reich Leader SS may be considered as part of the Security Police, since it operates in closest cooperation with the Secret State Police.

The police are traditional agents of the state. The extent to which they have come under Party control must be examined at the outset in order to realize their positior more clearly. Furthermore, they are a specialized group, every branch of which is employed in occupied Europe.

For this reason, a somewhat detailed review of the organization and functioning of the police is desirable.

II. THE GERMAN POLICE AND THE SECURITY SERVICE OF THE REICH LEADI SS

A. Basic Reforms

The German police were placed under the command of the Reich Leader

SS, Heinrich Himmler, on 17 June 1936.1 Although the sovereign right to exercise police power had previously been transferred from the German states to the Reich,2 the appointment of Himmler as Chief of Police of the entire country was the first practical step leading towards a unified system. The reforms which he instituted, shortly after his appointment, placed the police in a strong position to indertake their wartime assign- ments.

1. RGBI., I, 487. 2. Law on the Reorganization of the Reich, 30 January 1934. RGBl. , I, 75. - 3 - -3-

These reforms provided, among other things, for the personal and ideological domination of the police by the SS, increased militarization, and uniformity in training and procedures.

The domination of the police by the SS may be said to have been almost completed at the outbreak of the war. Shortly after Hitler came to power, all political suspects were purged from the ranks.1 In 1935, when uriversal military service was instituted, the transfer of police officers and enlisted men to the armed forces was undertaken. Ultimately,

56,000 (54 percent of the total number of police) went into military service.2 They were replaced by men drawn from Party organizatios, and in this process, special attention was given to the prior right of the

SS to fill vacancies.3 The practice of selecting officers among the graduates of the SS Junker Schools was soon established. Changes in the

organization of the police made it possible to place every level of

operations under the supervision of SS Leaders.

The militarization of the police was accomplished in the following

way: (1) by placing all members of the uniformed service in a definite

command relationship; (2) by requiring all recruits to serve in "barracked"

(kasernierte) formations for a period of time; (3) by making field

exercises, drill, and technical military training mandatory in all uni-

formed commands. Furthermore, plans for the mobilization of the police

were worked out in detail. Matters pertaining to pay, supply, ordnance,

and administration of a police regiment, battalion, or company when it

1. Reich Law to Restore the Civil Service, . 7 Avril 1933. 2. Deutsche Verwaltun-, 10 December 1942, p. 465. 3. This right was recognized in law on 26 July 1937. -4-- moves into the field were set forth in the Polizeidienstvorschrift Nr.

33 fiber den Wirtschaftsverwaltungsdienst bei Verwendung der Polizei ausserhalb des Standortes. 1 This document has formed the basis of the administration of units in the field since the time of the invasion of

Austria.

Uniformity of training and procedures, in so far as it was achieved, was based upon a series of directives issued by the Reich Minister of the Interior. In these directives, the police of the States and the independent municipalities were required to conform to the practices established in Prussia or introduced by the Nazis. Police schools and journals aided in the explanation of new material, and the inspectors operating in each corps area maintained a constant check on changes made in lower administrative headquarters.

The reforms outlined above have made it possible for the Nazis to transfer the police to duty in occupied countries without going through a last-minute reorganization. Having been brought under the control of the SS, they are ready to undertake the most extreme measures to assure

German control abroad. They are in a position to establish headquarters in foreign cities with a minimum of confusion, because the command

.relationship developed by the Nazis takes the place of the German civil administration once the police have been moved into the field. Finally, because the police are trained in uniform procedures, it is possible to shift personnel from one command to another, or to form groups drawn from all parts of the Reich, without impairing efficiency.

1. Deutsche Verwaltung, 10 December 1942, p. 465. -5-

B. Police Organization

1. The Order Police the Securit Police and the Security Service of the Reich Leader SS. The wo main branches of the police are the

Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) and the Security Police (Sicherbeitspolizei).

The Order Police include:

(1) the Protective Police (Schutzpolizei);

(2) the Rural Police (Gendarmerie);

(3) the Administrative Police (Verwaltunspolizei)

(4) the Fire Protection Police (Feuerschutzpolizei);

(5) the Harbor and River Protection Police (Wasserschutzpolizei).

The Security Police include:

(1) the Criminal Police (Kriminalpolizei)

(2) the Secret State Police (Geheime Staats-Polizei).

The Security Service of the Reich Leader SS (Sicherheitsdienst der

Reichsfhrers SS), although a Party organization, has for the purpose of operations been placed under the Commander of the Security Police.

Each of the yfi branches of the police is under separate command and each has a main office in Berlin.

2. The Higher SS and Police Leaders (Hohere SS und Polizeifihrer).

In each Corps Area (Wehrkreis) the operations of both branches of the police are coordinated with those of the SS by a Higher SS and Police

1. The Order Police is under the command of Daluege. Its main office is the Haudtamt Ordnun spolizei. The Security Police is under the command of Kaltenbrunner. Its main office is the Reichssicherheitshauptamt.

Nrm i~ Leader. In police matters, this official is assisted by ah Inspector of the Order Police (Ins ekteur der Ordnungspolizei) and an Inspector of the Security Police and Security Service (Inspekteur der Sicherheits- polizei und des SD). The Higher SS and Police Leader stands at the apex of the police and SS "military" hi.iearbhy of the Corps Area. In the event of an emergency, he may assume command of both the police and SS. The inspectors are responsible for military training, technical efficency, and equipment of the respective branches under their control.

C. The Order Police (Ordnungspolizei)

1. The Protective Police (Schutzpolizei). The police who patrol the streets and direct traffic in German towns and cities are called the

Protective Police. They are recruited from the Waffen-SS and the army where, during their period of service, they must have achieved the rank of sergeant. Before being accepted into the police, they are given an aptitude test and carefully checked as to political reliability.

During their first years of service they are required to live in police barracks in one of the larger cities of the Reich. There they are trained in quasi-military operations such as riot control, street fighting, and operations employing mechanized equipment and heavy weapons. For

specialized training, they are sent to one of the police schools. 1

This branch of the police is staffed with officers who, during the past

1. Motor transportation, traffic, sports, riding, skiing, and technical schools are mentioned in Werner Best, Die deutsche Polizei (Darmstadt, 1940), p. 58. -7 -

few years, have been drawn almost exclusively from the W'afffen-SS.

2. The Rural Police (Gendarmerie). The Rural Police are simply the Protection Police of rural areas. They are, however, an older and more responsible group. Eight to ten years' service in the Protection

Police are required before appointment to this branch. Those who are chosen are outdoor men who are prepared to ride their posts in all kinds of weather and to face single-handed any emergency which may develop.

Officers in this service are trained to handle a command which may stretch over many miles of territory. Motorized squads of the Rural Police patrol the highways.

3. The Administrative Police (Verwaltungspolizei). Members of the Administrative Police take care of all matters pertaining to internal administration: supply, pay, personnel records, building maintenance, operation of jails, materiel, etc. They also execute administrative measures and enforce laws which require the coercive intervention of a public agency in civilian affairs and which pertain to matters other than the maintenance of order and the prevention and detection of crime-- such as price control, factory laws, the issuance of identification cards, the registration of personnel, and the enforcement of health regulations. There are no Administrative Police officers. Instead of a hierarchy of ranks and grades, there are three services: the simple, medium, and superior. 1 Members of the simple service include janitors,

1. They are referred to as i des einfachen (simple), mittleren (medium), ehobenen (superior Polizeiverwaltungdienstes. jail guards and office helpers. The medium category includes clerks.

The superior service is made up of highly trained specialists and

policy-making officials.

4. The Fire Protection Police (Feuerschutzpolizei). All paid

members of the Municipal Fire Fighting Service in Germany have been

taken over into the police. In line with the general mobilization of

the German people for war this branch was highly militarized and was

trained to counteract the effects of air raids. Because of their

technical competence in demolition and in dealing with accidents they

are sometimes referred to as the "Engineer Corps" of the police.

5. The Harbor and River Protection Police (Wasserschutsiolizei).

Wherever inland coastal or harbor traffic is sufficiently heavy, patrol

boats of the Harbor and River Protection Police are on hand to exercise

control. This service, like the other uniformed branches, is thoroughly

militarized and is trained to employ light weapons.

D. The Security Police

1. The Criminal Police (Kriminalpolizei) . This branch includes

all criminal investigators and specialists in the Reich. The DirectOrates

Kriminalpolizeileitstellen) and Offices(Kriminalpolizeistellen) - of the

Criminal Police are central collecting points for fingerprints, pseuconym8, phtogr8b1 *tho The activities of the investigators are

controlled from these points. Enployment of scientific methods and

dependence upon methodical paper wdrk are the chief characteristics of

this branch.

y ;tit -9-

2. The Secret State Police (Geheime Staatspolize). Within

Germany, the Secret State Police (known as the "Gestapo") are primarily

concerned with the eradication of all political opposition to the Reich.

They depend upon the Security Service of the Reich Leader SS and the

Order Police for reports on minor offensi. and simple investigations.

Their ovn agents cover trouble spots and make special investigatios.

Like the Criminal Police, they have central directorates and offices

which compile and process the mass of data collected in the field. The

Frontier Police (Grenzpolizei) are controlled by the Gestapo.

3. The Security Service of the Reich Leader SS (Sicherheitsdienst

des Reichsfihers SS). The SD, as this service is comnonly called, is

functionally the intelligence service of the Natonal Socialist Party.

Organizationally it is a branch of the SS. It is built around a cadre

of full-time, paid staffs assisted by honorary collaborators (ehrenamntliche

Mitarbeiter) of the General SS. This service reports on individuals

and is also trained to register changes in the attitude of the public.

III. THE ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONING OF THE POLICE AND SECURITY SERVICE IN OCCUPIED EUROPE

A. General

The occupied areas of Europe may be divided into two groups:

(1) those in which, outwardly, at least, the police and SD play a minor

role; (2) those in which they have assumed a dominant position in the

institutional structure of the country. The first group includes Denmark,

&AMkNUN I - 10-

Belgium, France and Greece. 1 The second group is made up of Norway, the Netherlands, the General Government, the Protectorate, Serbia, the Ostland, and the Ukraine. It will be noted that the countries listed in group one are under military government. The second group is less susceptible to characterization. Serbia is, believed to be under a type of military government. Norway, the Netherlands, the

Ostland, and the Ukraine are ruled by German Reich Commissars. The

General Government and the Protectorate represent two stages of in- corporation of foreign territory into the Reich. Their populations, however, with the exception of Racial Germans, are treated as subject peoples. For this reason, they will be considered here as occupied territories.

It must be emphasised that there is no essential difference between the various areas under German control in the matter of the relationship between the officer or official responsible for police affairs and the headquarters of the German police in Berlin. In each area the powers of the supreme military commander or civilian administrator are limited in police affairs by virtue of the fact that Heinrich Himmler, the Chief of Police, is authorized to issue binding directives to the officer or official responsible for police affairs.2 These directives normally pertain to matters involving the security of German interests, the administration of the political

1. In police affairs, Alsace-Lorraine, Luxemburg, Bialystak, Upper Styria, and Carinthia are treated as part of the Reich. 2. Neue Ord n, 29 August, 5 September 1943. - 11 - police (Gestapo and Security Service), or the interior administration of the police (training, pay, promotion, etc.). In the co-ordination of the police with other branches of the administration and the issuance of directives pertaining to local affairs, the area commander or administrator is'the responsible official.

B. Denmark, Belgium, France and Greece.

1. Employment of the German Police and Security Service. The

German police and Security Service are employed in these areas to supplement the work of native police or that of the native police plus the German army and military police. The branches employed in greatest numbers are:

(1) the Secret State Police;

(2) the SD;

(3) the Coast Guard Service;

(4) -the Organization Todt (OT) Police. 1

Agents of the Gestapo and the SD are to be found in every part

of occupied Europe. They wear either plain clothes, the SS uniform,

or that of the army. Working with, and virtually controlling the

national Secret Police, they watch over subversive and patriotic

movements, protect the security of German civil authorities, and

cooperate with Abwehr (the German Military Security branch). Those

citizens of an occupied country whom they suspect of anti-German

activity or ideas are subject to the same summary arrest and im-

prisonment as German citizens at home.

1. See the section on "The Technical and Economic Troops in Occupied Europe n for a description of the Organization Todt. The administration of the Gestapo and SD is ultimately in the hands of the Chief of the Security Police in Berlin. Their activities in Denmark are directed by a German police official attached to the legation. In France and Greece a Higher SS and Police Leader attached to the staff of the area commander is responsible for their direction. In Belgium a police officer entitled "Deputy of the Reich

Leader SS and Chief of the German Police" is attached to the staff of the Military Commander for police matters.

The Coast Guard Service (Marine-Kusten-Polizei) and the Organ- ization Todt police are independent of the interior police administration. The Coast Guard Service is made up of personnel recruited, in part, from the River and Harbor Protection Police (Wasserschutz- polizei). It operates along the entire coast of occupied Europe; it performs normal harbor police duties, supervises the fishing industry, and cooperates with the Security Police in border control.

The Organization Todt Police, made up of Germans, Frenchmen,

Dutch, Belgian, and Flemish personnel, are semi-militarized guards who assist in the control of the OT working personnel and guard installations under construction. The Police Regiment Todt fought at

Dieppe.

2. Reorganizatioj of Native Police Institutions. The native police of Belgium have to some extent been reorganized along lines which approximate the German model. Although there is no direct evidence, it is assumed that German police experts were employed in the development of police schools, the "Food Police", Rural Guard,

Citizens' Guard, Political Police, and in the reorganization of the Garde Nationale. In France, the existence of a highly centralized police and the vigorous collaborationist policy of Vichy has made

the reorganization of the police system along German lines unnecessary.

In both countries, however, unreliable elements were purged, and

collaborationist auxiliary units have been organized under the super-

vision of the SS, the German army and the native governing groups.

In Denmark the police have been greatly expanded and an independent

anti-sabotage organization called the Schalburg Corps has been instituted

to cooperate with the Gestapo. The Germans have experienced a conrider-

able amount of difficulty with the Danish police in the operation of

this system of divided jurisdiction. In Greece, the Germans have had

to rely on the Gestapo, the SD,and the army for the execution of

punitive measures.

C. Norway, the Netherlands, the General Government, the Protectorate,

Serbia, the Ostland, and the Ukraine

1. The Higher SS and Police Leaders. Although native police

and, to a certain extent, German military police operate extensively

in these areas, it is characteristic of all of them that the German

police exercise control over all police activities. Each area is

patterned in police matters after the German Corps Area (ehrkreis).

A Higher SS and Police Leader stands at the apex. Under him, in the

place of the Inspectors of the Order Police and the Security Police,

are commanders of these branches. The several subdivisions of the

two branches serve directly under their respective commanders. The Higher SS and Police Leaders in the occupied areas have been given much greater responsibilities than those in Germany proper.

Their command over the police is continuous and encompasses administrative matters in addition to training, inspection, and coordination.1

In the Protectorate, General Government, and Holland they occupy posts of ministerial rank. Although they serve under the supreme authorities

of occupation, they continuein some respects, to be the representatiges

of Himmler, Similarly, the commanders of the Order and Security Police are, to some extent, responsible to the commanders of their respective branches in Berlin.

2. The Lower Echelons. In the General Government, the Ostland, and the Ukraine, Police and SS Leaders are in command of the police in the major administrative subdivisions. They are assisted by commanders of the Order Police and the Security Police. In the Ostland and the

Ukraine combined command is carried one step further. There is an SS and Police Garrison commander (Standortenftihrer) on the staff of all

District Commissariats (Gebietskommissariate).

It will be observed that the more backward or "foreign" the area, the more elaborate is the German police administrative structure. In

Norway, Holland, and the Protectorate, native police to a considerable

extent assume the burden of local control. In Serbia, the police, army and native police share the task of maintaining order. In the

General Government, Ostland, and Ukraine, the Germans are forced to supply responsible leadership for all levels of command.

1. In Germany, the police are administered by the Mayors, County Councillors, District Presidents, and similar officials. - 15 -

3. Personnel, Pay, and Supply. German uniformed police units in occupied areas are made up of regular German police reinforced by police reservists.1 The regular police receive pay based upon the schedule obtaining in Germany. Reservists are given, in addition to their maintenance, a small allowance for personal expenses. If they are married, a family allowance is paid under the provisions of the

Emergency Service Ordnance (Notdienstverordnung) . Food, quarters, pay, equipment, and materiel are supplied by Administrativ Poliice officials attached to every unit.

The Native Guard units (Schutzmannschaften) intthe Ostland and the

Ukraine are likewise paid and supplied by the Administrative Police.

Although evidence is incomplete, it is assumed that other native personnel, who are absorbed. into German police organizations or are

organised as auxiliaries under direct German supervision, are treated in the same way. The majority of native policemen, however, are attached to forces which have been maintained by native governments and are paid and' supplied by them.

4. The Order Police

a. The Protective Police (Schutzpolizei) and the Rural Police

(Gendarmerie). Over fifty battalions of Protective Police made up of

500 to 550 officers and men are reported to have been organized and

assigned to duty in Norway, Holland, Poland, the Ostland, and the

Ukraine. Each battalion is composed of four companies and a headquarters.

They wear tha usual soldiers' uniform with special insignia and are

1. Deutsche Verwaltung, 10 December 1942, p. 466. - 16 -

equipped with infantry weapons. Iin Holland and Norway they form a mobile reserve to be employed in the case of riots or incipient revolutionary movements. The vast majority of such police troops are employed in Poland, the Ostland, and the Ukraine. Operating as complete battalions, they are used at the front or in heavy actions against partisans. Artillery support is available to them if this is required. Broken down into small groups, they search for concealed weapons, control refugees, and protect road and rail supply lines against sabotage. One battalion, it is claimed, was assigned to guard a 1,400 Km. stretch of railroad track.1 Under such conditions, the individual policeman must be both resourceful and highly dependable.

German Protective and Rural Police have been used as cadres for native guarding units and, in some instances, entrusted with the administration of police affairs in relatively large areas. One reporter speaks of talking with a rural policeman who controlled the destinies of 35,000 souls.

b. The Administrative Police. In addition to taking care of all matters pertaining to the internal administration of the police (pay, supply, quarters, equipment, etc.), the Administrative Police have beer used in establishing and operating certain civilian controls. Ident- ification cards for the general public, passports, and weapon permits are issued by them in areas where the native police are not considered sufficiently reliable to be entrusted with this work. They have been

1. Deutsche Verwaltun, 10 December 1942, p. 466. - 17 - responsible for price regulations and, to a limited extent, for'

factory laws in occupied areas. The highest Administrative Police

agency in each of the occupied areas is the office of Administration

and Law (Verwaltung und Recht),which is attached to the headquarters

of the'Commander of the Order Police.

During the first stage of occupation, high-ranking Administrative

Police experts were engaged in the reorganization of native police

systems. Traffic specialists, it is stated, have been used in the

drive to make German traffic law standard for the whole of occupied

and satellite Europe.1

c. Fire Protection Police. Two mobile regiments of German Fire

Protection Police were at one time assigned to occupied areas; one

to Holland and the other to the Protectorate.2 It is altogether possible

that they have since been recalled because of the increased threat to

Germany proper and because police experts of this branch have assisted

in the establishment of thoroughly modern fire departments in most of

the cities of occupied Europe.

d. Other Order Police Units. The Coast Guard Service and the

Organization Tqdt Police operate in the areas under 'consideration in

much the same manner described in Section III, B 1.

0. The Security Police

a. The Criminal Police. In the areas under consideration, German

nationals ordinarily cannot be searched, investigated, or arrested by

1. Deutsche Verwaltung, 10 December 1942, p. 466. 2. I.]D. D. - 18 - native police officials. For this reason the German Criminal Police operate abroad with respect to their own countrymen in a manner similar to that which they follow in the Reich. In addition, they completely dominate the native police. In the Protectorate they operate Directo- rates and Offices exactly as ih Germany. Each of these agencies main- tains files of fingerprints, pseudonyms, and crime reports for a given district. lthough there is no evidence of the existence of similar offices elsewhere, it is assumed that the German Criminal Police have established their own control files wherever it has been possible to do so.

b. The Gestapo and the SD. The German Secret Police services have one of the most important functions allotted to aiy agency operating in occupied territory. Their investigations prior to occupation were amazingly thorough. Within a few hours after the army had taken a given area, suspects had been ferreted out and imprisoned. Special teams of Gestapo and SD agents would accompany the advanced troops into an area, proceed to the headquarters of the party, labor, and business organizations, seize the files and begin an immediate roundup of political opponents, engineers, technicians, and other key people.1

In this way sabotage was largely prevented and the restoration of production facilitated.

Once established in an area, the Gestapo and SD create a net of informers, set up ,and operate files similar to those of the Criminal

Police, take control of native secret police organizations and, to the

1. Die deutsche Polizei, 15 May 1942. - 19 -

extent that is necessary, create auxiliary police organizations. The control of identification cards and passes is one of their most important functions.1 For this purpose order patrols and local police are placed under their supervision. In the occupied East, the Germans have introduced a very rigid system of population stabilization. In some areas, the permission of a German Security Agent is necessary before moving from one place to another. This system, v!hich appears both extreme and cumbersome, developed in response to the threat of guerrilla activity. Other Gestapo and SD duties include reporting on available labor, providing for the movement of Racial Germans back to the Reich, and supervising the work of native constables.

There i's some evidence to the effect that the SD has been granted executive police powers in the occupied East and Serbia. This is not surprising since the Gestapo, extended as it is, must depend on what- ever reliable German or collaborationist personnel is available in a given area to make arrests and carry out its orders. Clear evidence regarding the number of such persons in the service of the Gestapo cannot be obtained since German secret agents may wear either the uniform of the SS or that of the Waffen-SS, or go about in plain clothes.

6. The Reorganization of Native Police Forces and the Establish- ment of German Control. In Norway, Holland and the Protectorate, parts

of the Ostland (the Baltic States), and Serbia, the native police

organizations, although radically reorganized, have been retained on

1. Ibid., 15 February 1943. - 20-'

a nation-wide basis. In Norway and Holland, the native police forces had formerly been administered by the separate communities (much as is the case in the United States). After the Nazis came in , a hierar- chical system modeled after that existing in Germany was introduced, and, to a certain extent, branches of police resembling those in

Germany were organized. Control over the police has been assured by placing the head of native police under the Higher SS and Police Leader and by infiltrating German police officials into strategic positions

throughout the system. A similar reorganization was effected in the

Protectorate. There, however, the Czech counterparts of the Order

and Security Police have been placed directly under the German command-

ers of these two branches. In Serbia and the former Baltic states the

state police have been retained but under very rigid control by the

Germans.

No nation-wide police organization as such survived in the General

Government or in the formerly Russian parts of the Ostland or the

Ukraine. In the Geeral Government, the former state Police have

been reorganized on a communal basis with local jurisdiction only.

All "Racial Germans" and members of the SS, SA, and NSKK are subject

to call as police auxiliaries. In the former Russian territory the

Germans, assisted by native auxiliaries, perform most of the police

duties. Local constables are controlled by the German Agricultural

Administrators in rural areas.

In all occupied countries the native police have been subjected - 21 - to a very thorough purging including the dissolution of entire branches.

Subsequently these forces were built up again by the recruitment of pro-German personnel. Former soldiers, "Racial Germans", racial minorities, enegades, and criminal elements have been used for this

purpose. Economic controls have everywhere necessitated the creation

of a special corps of economic, food, or price-control police. Training

of native specialists in these fields has largely been in the hands of

the Administrative Police.

7. The Special Native Police of the New Order. In addition to

the regular native police in the occupied countries, the Germans have

organized auxiliary police, guard units, rural police, and combat

formations. In some cases they are developed by the police, in others,

by the Waffen-SS. Normally they are not given general police functions

since no provision has been made to train thbs elaborately. In their

particular fields, however, they have contributed enormously to the

German system of repression.

The SS has played a predominant role in organizing special units

in Norway and Holland. Waffen-SS guard battalions in Norway and the

Militia (Landwacht) in Holland are both under SS leadership. Native

leaders, to the extent that they can be used, are drawn from the ranks

of the Waffen-SS because, it is believed, they have demonstrated their

dependability by their willingness to fight.

In the General Government and Serbia, "Racial Germans" have been

extensively used as auxiliaries. Their duties include the mounting

of special guards and the Aforcem of economic regulations in rural areas. - 22 -

IT parts 'of the General Government and Serbia and in the Ostland and Ukraine, the chief problem confronting the German police is

security against guerrillas. Highly militarized militia (Schutzmann-

schaften) have been organized in the Ostland and the Ukraine. Made up of former soldiers and, wherever possible, of minority racial groups, these units can be mobilized and placed in the field wherever danger arises. Some, having been placed on a war footing and moved out of the areas of their origin, are engaged in heavy fighting against guerrilla units.

Wherever guerrillas exist on a small scale the Security Police and the SD have the special duty of tracking them down. It has become a common practice for the German Security Services to build up detach- ments of native personnel (sometimes called Einheinmischer Behelfer) for guard duties. and for small actions against guerrillas. Good food and clothing, a position of prestige, and an opportunity to share in the fruits of a German victory are the enticements offered. Training

includes infantry tactics, security measures, and a certain amount of

Nazi ideology. These units are raised on the land and, when their usefulness ends, are summarily disbanded.

D. The Police and SS as Terror Organizations

The sober and methodical steps taken by the Nazis in building up

their system of controls stand in sharp contrast to reports of the sadistic terrorism of the police and the SS. It is difficult to imagine

that the same men who have built this system are those who are respon-

sible for the machine-gunning of civilians packed tightly into a cellar, -23-

the use of gas chambers, the hanging, and the execution of hostages.

The police and the SS are alone responsible for the greatest part of

Nazi terrorism.

It would be an exaggeration to say that all police and SS men are directly responsible for acts of terror. In the West and in the

Protectorate, racial theory and the Nazi dream of a peaceful, satisfied

Europe under their control have combined to dictate a policy of relative moderation. Stern measures are used in these areas, but they are by no means as common or as inhuman as those employed against the unfort- unate population of the East. In the West and the Protectorate, the

Nazis view executions as a serious matter. The hostages are carefully

counted; so many for the killing of a policeman; so,many for the life

of a high official.

In the East, countless thousands go to their death simply because

they re Jews or Slavs. It is to be expected therefore that those agents who have served in the East have been much more deeply involved in the

brutal aspects of terrorism than those serving in the West.

IV. THE WAFFEN-SS

A. General

The Waffen-SS is a voluntary military organization consisting of

an estimated eighteen divisions, several brigades, and some smaller units. 1

Its functionmis twofold. First, it serves at the front, where it is placed

1. -Order of Battle information with respect to these units is published by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department. at the disposal of the Army High Command and fights in conjunction with other elements of the Wehrmacht. As an elite corps, made up of carefully selected personnel and equipped with the best arms that

German industry can produce, it has been able to establish an enviable record in battle. Second, the SS plays an important role in occupied

Europe. There it recruits "Racial Germans," pro-German aliens, and foreigners whose local partisan interests run parallel to those of the

German government. These volunteers are trained and put to use as front soldiers. After service at the front, many of them are returned to their native countries to assist the work of the police or the local SS.

B. Histor

1. Early fDevelopment: VerfZunostruppen and Totenkopfverb nde. The

$8, which traces its history back to 1923 and which came under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler on 6 January 1929, had grown to an organization of 52,000 men at the time of Hitler's assumption of power.

On 17 March 1933, 120 members of the SS were organized into a separate command and placed on full-time military duty. As the "SS Staff-Guard

Adolf Hitler," they appeared on parade in May 1933, equipped with steel helmets and carbines. Shortly thereafter they were organized as Hitler's own regiment (Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler) and placed under the command

of "Sepp" Dietrich with Berlin as their home station. Within the next

few months similar units were organized elsewhere; SS Standarte (Regiment)

Deutschland in Munich, SS Standarte Germania in Hamburg, Arolsen, and

1. Neue Zfricher Zeitung, 20 March 1942. -- 5®

Radolfzell , Pioniersturmbann in Dresden, and the SS Nachrichtens- turmbann in Unna. For the training of leaders the SS-Junkerschulen in Tlz (Bavaria) and Braunschweig were establisied. In March 1938

Hitler ordered the formation of a fourth regiment, Der ihrerwith its home station in Vienna, Graz, and Klagenfurt. These troops were known as the SS VerfTunstruppen.

A similar organization, the SS Deathhead Formations (SS Totenkopf-

verbinde), deserves notice because it constitutes a second branch of

the Waffen-SS This organization was originally made up of volunteers

from the General's who were used to replace the Storm Troopers (SA) in

guarding concentration camps. They still perform this function and

other tasks connected with state security. Their unsavory reputation

for cruelty hardly seems exaggerated.

2. Pre-War Mission. The pre-war mission of the troops was to

provide absolutely reliable protection for the Ffhrer, to guard

concentration camps, and to constitute a mobile striking force for

crushing any internal disorder. For this purpose the. Verf~nastrupen

were placed completely at the disposal of Hitler. They were also

expected to provide leadership for the General SS, the police9 and the

Party Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst) from among the members of

their corps who had completed the four-year enlistment.

3. Development since 1939. The development of the Waffen-SS

out of the Verft Munstruppen regiments and the TotenkopfverbC~nde is

closely related to the events of 1938 and 1939. Units of the SS

took part in the occupation and policing of Austria, Sudetennland,

and the Protectorate, partly in order to demonstrate that they had .,~w lL. - 26 - also participated, and partly to apprehend the "enemies of the Reich" in these territories. At that time it seemed that the SS would provide the military police for all German forces, for it functioned as such during the events of 1938. However, during the march into

Czechoslovakia (March 1939) the army was provided with military police formations of its own. Perhaps in order to get even with the army the SS VerfSlaunstruppen proceeded to equip itself during the early summer of 1939 with artillery.

With the coming of war and the building up of separate SS divisions, the Wafte -S may be said to have come into being. The

Verfkinmstrtppe regiments were built up into divisions, with the aid of cadres from the army for the specialized arms and branches. Some of these units took part in the campaigns of 1940.

During this period "Racial Germans" and "Germanic" foreigners were first introduced into the ranks of the Military 88. In view of

Germany's position at that time, it can hardly be argued that this move was undertaken because of a manpower shortage. The real motives were political and psychological. The SS aimed to foster in every. way the development of a strong, dependable pro-German group in the occupied and satellite countries of Europe. Military and ideological training in the ranks of the Waffen-SS was an obvious means to this end. However, with the failure of the German army to win an easy victory in Russia and the threat of invasion from the west, the ability of the SS to tap sources of manpower beyond the reach of the We rmacht has more recently become an important factor in the German war effort. . 27 -

Evidence of this fact is seen in the reorganization of the uneconomical but showy foreign "legions" into regiments which will be incorporated into hard-hitting SS divisions, in the conscription of Baltic and

Balkan populations, and in .the employment of non-Germanic Ruthenians,

Ukranians, White Russians, and Croatians, including Mohammedans.

C. Recruitment, Training, and Emnloyment of Personnel

There are, at present, three general groups in the Waffen-SS:

(1) German nationals; (2) "Racial Germans" (Volksdeutsche); (3) foreigners. Only the latter two groups will be treated here, because thel alone are pertinent to the problem of German policies and measures in occupied Europe.

1. "Racial Germans" (Volksdeutsche). "Racial Germans" are citizens of occupied or satellite countries who are of German aneestry.

In accordance with the broad program of bringing these people into tie service of the Reich, a special effort has been made to enlist

into the Waffen-SS those of military age who measure up to the special

Waffen-SS physical and political qualifications. To facilitate this program, special arrangements have been made with the satellite countries

to provide for recruiting within their borders and for the transfer

of "Racial Germans" from their armies.

The training of"Racial Germans"follows the usual pattern of SS

political and military education. However, in view of the fact that

these recruits have not had the benefits of a Hitler Youth education,

more emphasis is undoubtedly placed on National Socialist ideology, - 28 -

especially as it pertains to Germany's European mission. Military training may be abbreviated in some instances because of the training which personnel have received in foreign armies. Officers and non- commissioned officers who are graduated from the Junkerschule at T81z

( now used exclusively for the training of "Racial Germans" and alien SS), are thoroughly trained in storm assault, thrust technique, bunker storming, and street fighting.1 They learn the handling of all firearms, including flame throwers and trench mortars. Great emphasis is laid on political training, and the students are imbued with the idea that they fight for Gross Deutchland. They are taught to act and think as the privileged elite of their country.

"Racial German" Waffen-SS personnel are to be found in almost every combat unit. A large number of those from Rumania, the Banat, and Hungary are in the mountain division Prinz Euwen which is stationed in Serbia. It is reported that other Waffen-SS units have been incorporated into the framework of the Rumanian army.2 Since the enlistment of "Racial Germans" was particularly successful during the summer and fall of 1943, it is to be assumed that the formation of new units has been undertaken.

A number of "Racial German" units have been transferred from duty at the front to police duty in occupied areas and in Germany proper. It is alleged that Himmler considers them to be the most

1. Nya Daligt Allehanda, 15 June 1943 and Vblkischer Beobachter, 21 May 1943. 2. BBC Digest 1368, Berlin, 26 May 1943.

;2~: reliable forces at the disposal of the Germans.

2. Foreign Waffen-SS Personnel

a. General. Recruitment of foreigners into the ranks of the

Waffen-SS was undertaken originally for political and psychological reasons. With the reorganization of national legions into regiments during the past six months, and the introduction of a larger element

of compulsion in recruiting, there is evidence that the Germans mean to exploit this source of manpower to the limit. This program is, however, conditioned by the attitude of the local population and the

extent to which the SS intends to foster the growth of the pro-German ruling class. Recruitment, training, and employment of foreigners follow different lines in the various regions of controlled Europe

and will therefore be treated under geographic headings.

b. The West

(1) General. In the West, the population as a whole is

hostile. Consequently, recruiting is voluntary and addresses itself

to the minority pro-German group. As in the case of the Volksdeutsche, military service or training in the SS appears to be a prerequisite

for younger men before the assumption of responsibility in the local

SS, police, or government.

Recruitment and assignment of personnel from the West is in

the hands of the Head Office for Germanic Volunteers of the

Military SS (Germanische Freiwill! enleitstelle der Waffen-SS) in

Berlin. 1 Many tGermanic" volunteers are assigned to the SS training

1. Neue ZJricher Zeitung, 3 June 1943. - 30 - depot at Sennheim in Alsace. There, in numbers up to four thousand, they receive their basic political training and some military drill without arms. Training with arms follows at Klagenfurt and Gras.

Those who held commissions before are sent to the Junkerschulen at Tslz. Others may be sent there after they have distinguished themselves in the field. Their training is similar to that which is given the Volksdeutsche. It should be emphasised, however, that there is no Germanization of alien students. Regional origins are honored. The German language is taught, especially the language of military command. This is necessary because orders are given in German in all Waffen-SS units.

(2) Norway. Recruitment in Norway offers the clearest example of the development of stages in Waffen-SS policy.1 In the period

1940-41, only young men between the ages of 17 and 23 were allowed to apply for admission into the regiment Nordland. They were required to be to be unmarried, of good physique, and "Nordic". In 1941 the upper age limit was lifted to 40. Currently, volunteers for the SS-Panzer-

Grepadier-Regiment Nore may be married or single, 17 or 45 years of age, and 5'5" in height. Candidates who apply for "peaceful

Waffen-SS" guard duties within Norway are assured that their appointment carries with it no political ties. Although these guard units

1. War Office Weekly Intelligence Summary (Brit.) 23 June 1943. - 31 - are subjected to ideological training, one source states that

they are composed of not more than 50 percent National Socialists.

The induction of questionable elements into Waffen-SS guard

units, which places greater responsibility on loyal elements,

combined with evidence that the Germanic SS Norge iin the General

(Allgemeime)SS of Norway is assuming increasing police duties under

the supervision of German police, lends support to the conjecture

that the Waffen-SS has been able to supply a considerable number

of well-trained leaders.

(3) Denmark. Danish Waffen-SS volunteers have gone into the Viking

Division, as well as into the Danish "Free Corps," which was founded in

1941 by Lt. Col. Kryssing of the Danish Army and which served until

the spring of 1943 as part of the Ist SS Infantry Brigade. 1

Recruiting for the Free Corps has been in SS hands. Since that time

the Free Corps is believed to have been withdrawn from the Eastern

front for reorganization as a Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The return

of trained SS men to D enmark is believed to follow the same pattern

as in Norway, although no Danish General SS organization exists

as such.

(4) The Netherlands. A Dutch Waffen-SS division is currently being

formed. An interesting aspect of the SS recruitment methods

employed in the Netherlands is the pressure placed upon the Landwacht

to produce volunteers. The Landwacht, which was originally organized

under the supervision of the German Waffen-SS in May 1943, appears to

be a half-way house between non-participation in the Waffen-SS and

1. Deutsche Allaemeii.e Zeitug,26 July 1942. - 32 - full membership. Its purpose is to "defend the Netherlands against domestic and foreign elements", SS Leader Rauter has been careful to explain, however, that it would not be used in Holland and that the suppression of disturbances early in May 1943 was carried out by German SS units and not by the Landwacht. Membership in it is open to any Netherlander of good reputation. As with the Waffen-SS guard units in Norway, it would appear that the Netherlands Waffen-SS is risking increase in size, but that it is careful. to organize the less reliable units separately. The flow of personnel through the

Landwacht, Waffen-SS, special training schools, and back to Holland as dependable and trained leaders in the police, General SS, and

Landwacht is undoubtedly contemplated in this measure.

5 ) Flemish and Walloon Waffen-SS. Flemish volunteers entered the

Regiment Westland in 1940 and served in this unit as part of -the

Viking Division. Later, volunteers were formed into a legion which formed part of the 2nd SS Infantry Brigade. The legion is currently in the process of reorganization. A Flemish Guards' Brigade, made up of factory guards and attached to the military section of the

German Air Force, serves as a recruiting field for SS troops.

Recruitment among the Walloons began in August 1942. At present a sufficient number has been enlisted to justify the formation of a separate Walloon brigade.1

(6) France. Although French "legions" have been active on the

Eastern Front for some time as part of the Wehrmacht, the formation

1. sBrpaler Zeitung, 24 June 1943.

Psa8i.4- - 33 - of a Waffen-SS regiment composed of Frenchmen was not undertaken until the spring of 1943. At present it is rumored that there exists a French Waffen-SS Division. Recruitment for this unit is known to have been pushed forward both in France and among French workers in the Reich, but is not considered to have met with any real success.

c. The Baltic States. Recruitment of personnel in the Baltic

States is on a mass basis.1 he first non-Germanic" unit to be taken into the Waffen-SS was the Estonian Legion, which was inducted in September 1942. As the manpower requirements of the German army have increased, government pressure has been used to force members of the civil defence corps and ex-soldiers into the Waffen-SS. In

Estonia, the head of the civil administration, Dr. Mae, has ordered that all officers and non-commissioned officers join the legion in conformity with their oath to defend the country. At least four

Latvian regiments have been formed, and conscription of all men of ages 20 to 29 has been announced.2 Resistance to the Waffen-SS

is strongest in Lithuania. The chief aim of the Waffen-SS in this

area seems to be to raise manpower for the front. However, the presence

of a certain number of Estonians at the training school at T81z

suggests that the formation of a strong local SS in that country

may be contemplated.

d. Croatia. The formation of the SS-Division Bosnia, which-

1. War Office Weekly Intelligence Summary (Brit), 23 June 1943. 2. Vlkischer Beobachter, 18 November 1943. S34-

includes one regiment of Roman Catholic Croats and one regiment of Mohammedans for use in combatting Serbian Guerrillas, is an example of the completely opportunistic methods of the SS.

There is no evidence that this unit has an ideological foundation.

It is composed of Polish-Ukrainian personnel with officers from the former Austro-Hungarian and Polish armies. White Russian and Ruthenian personnel have been organized extensively into smaller units.