R & A No. 3113.7 / Principal Nazi Organizations Involved in the ...

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time in their history, SS Totenkop.'lVarbände. had formed part of the SS
Verfügungstrupptm. a large part of which were organized later to become the
Waffen-SS . As to their function, the SS-Totenkopf verbände have come to be
known as the organization charged -vith the guarding of concentration camps.
Probably no other part of the SS has committed a higher percentage of atro­
cities than have the men and women of the SS Votenkopfverbflnde.
ii. ft igjn. The .SS-Totenkopfverbande were drafted in 1933 from
the ranks of volunteers within the Allgemeine SS. These volunteers had to
sign up for 12 y ars, which were coa-sider^d a3 militery ssrvioe. They were
paid acccrding to Jehr-nacht schedule? and received military training; never­
theless, they were not considered as part of the regular Army. The name
was derived fror, the insignia of skull and crossbones worn on the right
collar patch anc on their headg-ar, with the exception of their steel hel­
mets. The firrt 150 Tötenkopf SS rr.en were picked on 17 March 1933. On 13
'•larch 1933 the concentration camp at Dachau was opened.
Originally, the SS-Totenkepf verbände were organized into four Stand­
orten naried after the areac in which they were stationed, namely
Oberbayern, with home station at
Dachau, neir üunlch
Brandenburg, with home station at
Sachs*» nhau sen, near Berlin
Thüringen, with home station at
Buchsr-;?Id, ne*.r 'Veimor
Ostmark; personnel of this; Standarte
was reciuited from Austrian
SS unite.
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