SS

The Special Purposes Troops (Verfugungstruppen) were the SS field forces that became the Waffen SS. Four motorized regiments (LSSAH, Deutschland, Germania, Der Fuhrer) contain the bulk of these forces, which were supported by SS artillery, engineer, antitank, and AA elements. Most of these troops participated in the Polish campaign, as did Danzig's SS battalion.

The SS was a politically-motivated volunteer force of the Nazi Party. Troops often had great enthusiasm, but SS disdain for the Army meant the SS trained its forces on its own. This training was inferior to that of the Army's in the period 1939-41, as Nazi ideology mattered more than tactics.

For example, the LSSAH "performed with valor" in frontal assaults on Warsaw and Modlin, but its advance in other areas of the front was "reckless."

There was considerable friction between the SS and Army at this time. As mentioned earlier, Panzer Division Kempf was inefficient, partly due to the animosity between its Army and SS elements. LSSAH, the showcase unit of the SS, got along poorly with all Army divisions it was attached to (17th Infantry, 4th Panzer, 29th Motorized) in the campaign.

SS recruitment was organized on a district basis similar to the Army's WK system. Unlike the Luftgaus, the SS district boundaries matched those of the WKs. The major SS training grounds at this time was in Bohemia-Moravia.

After the Polish campaign, the SS reorganized its field forces. An RFSS (Reichsfuhrer SS) Wartheland Battalion was raised, later to become the RFSS Begleit Battalion. The LSSAH regiment later expanded, and the other SS units combined to form a motorized division (Verfugung). Another motorized division (Totenkopf) also began forming, from personnel transferred from the Totenkopf-SS to the Waffen-SS. Most of these formations were not combat ready until 1940 and thus aren't shown in the OB.

The Totenkopf-SS had its own forces, for guarding the concentration camps, separate from the Waffen-SS. At the start of the war, there were five regiments of concentration camp guards.

In October 1939, three regiments transferred to the Waffen-SS to form a division, as explained above. Meanwhile, the Totenkopf-SS started raising seven more regiments and relocated many of its units to newly-built concentration camps in Poland. Most Totenkopf-SS units are not shown in the OB, as they were not combat units. One is-the Totenkopf Cavalry Regiment, which later transferred to the Waffen-SS and expanded to become a division.

In the autumn of 1939, the German "Order Police" (Ordnungspolizei, a branch of the police forces controlled by the SS) began forming an infantry division (Polizei) from various police elements. This division was effectively a Waffen-SS formation and officially transferred to the Waffen-SS in February 1942. It was not combat ready until 1940 and thus isn't shown in the OB.

SA

The SA had been the Nazi Party's storm troopers, used in demonstrations and street fighting before Hitler took power. The SA was greatly diminished in 1934; Hitler sold it out in favor of the Army and SS. However, one unit did survive the purge intact--the Feidherrnhalle.

This SA regiment had been formed as an elite unit guarding the 1890 Bavarian monument for the fallen in the Franco-German War, the Feldherrnhalle (roughly, "Hall of Heroes"). In 1939 it was attached to 7th Flieger Division for possible air landing missions in Poland.

After the campaign, it was absorbed into the Army, forming part of the 271st Infantry Regiment of the 93rd Infantry Division. This regiment had the name Feldherrnhalle associated with it.

When the SA made a comeback in 1943, the regiment began expanding, eventually becoming the Army's Feldherrnhalle Panzer Corps of two divisions.

Inside Europa First to Fight Designer's Notes Part II, Section B Germany [Europa 24]

German Army Divisions and Panzer Troops
Mountain Troops and Infantry
Cavalry, Artillery, and Engineer/Construction Troops
Security Troops
The Replacement Army
Luftwaffe
Kriegsmarine
Brandenburgers
SS and SA
Table 1: 1939 German Tanks
Table 2: 1939 German Divisions: Authorized Organizations
Table 3: German Divisions: Authorized Strengths
Table 4: German Aircraft

Inside Europa First to Fight Designer's Notes Part II, Section A Germany [Europa 23]

Introduction
Army Re-armament and Manpower
Strategic Situation
Germany-Allies Strength Comparison
German High Command and the Government
Volksdeutsch Resettlement 1939-1942
The Wehrkreis System
Frontier Defenses and Border Regt Commands