Being there . . . for a cursory introduction to the Allgemeine SS, or “general” SS, the largest
branch of the Schutzstaffel or, simply, the SS, Nazi Germany’s paramilitary forces. It was
managed by the future Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler (1900 – 1945), an agricultural
graduate and poultry rancher prior to joining the very early Nationalist Socialist Party in 1923.
Although certainly competent, it was his quiet adoration of the Fuhrer that endeared him to
Hitler. A solid, steamrolling work ethic quickly led him to promotion after promotion, the most
important being the head of the leader’s bodyguard whose membership soon leaped from 300
to 50,000. By 1936, Himmler controlled and administered all police matters, including the birth
of the dreaded Gestapo. Assigned responsibility for the death camps, which he considered
nothing but a nuisance, bespectacled Heinrich hurried on to become Minister of the Interior by
- Hence, hell on earth, with all its ferocity for killing, was quietly systematically leaked into
the culture by the late 1920s, then unleashed without reservation or qualification by 1942. The
world’s history had never witnessed such numbers of deaths by obedient death-dealers in well-
organized shooting squads, especially in their horrific extermination camps. In short, the Hitler
Allgemeine SS was a mosaic of potential slaughters, including the SS–Totenkopfverbande (SS
Death’s Units, or SS – TV). Incidentally, in 1939, foreign units of the Allgemeine SS were also
raised in occupied countries. By 1939, the vast majority of SS members belonged to the
Allgemeine SS.
“ALLGEMEINE – SS, The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS”, by Mark C. Yerger.
SCHIFFER MILITARY HISTORY, Atglen, PA: copyrighted and published in 1997, republished in
2024; 251 pages, hardcover, 8 ¾” x 11 ¼”, b/w portraits, maps, documents, $49.95. Visit,
www.schifferbooks.com.
Reviewed and highly recommended as a Christmas gift to balance home libraries of the most
ardent WWII enthusiasts and aficionados by Don DeNevi
Like so many of us World War II buffs, author-historian Mark C. Yerger of Pennsylvania has
maintained a fascination for the SS since his teenage years. What psychologically healthy boy
hasn’t been fearfully enthralled with the personifications of evil? Pure, unadulterated, morally
bad, disastrous, sinful wickedness? Should such a frightful, terrifying topic be brought up and
promoted on a holiday, December 25, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ? In this reviewer’s
opinion, “Yes, all the more so, lest we forget how modern man is capable of relishing systematic
murder of his own species. Here, in this coffee-table, oversized hardcover book, we have by all
accounts, plus accurate examination in detail, of an unexplored aspect within the broad theme
of the ruthless Himmler SS. From its inauspicious beginning in the early 1920s to mid-1945, all
aspects of the Allgemeine are placed under Mark Yerger’s magnifying glass to be torn apart,
hopefully demanding that such a repulsive machine is never again given life.
Career biographies are included for more than 200 senior SS commanders, and other facets
of Himmler’s commands. To say that Mark’s efforts are definitive is an understatement! The
biographical data for individuals alone adds vast detail to his writing. Along with more than 120
rare photos of SS senior leaders and seven maps, a detailed index allows the reader referencing
of individual commands. Gruesome, yes. But absolutely necessary lest we’re again forced into
the abyss of wholesale murder.
Incidentally loyal fan, note the extremely rare photo on the cover and, again, on page 17:
Reichsfuhrer-SS Himmler (center) during a diplomatic function in Italy in 1938. On the left with
his hands clasped is Ullrich von Hassell, the German Ambassador to Rome who was executed in
September,
1944, as a participant of the assassination attempt on the Fuhrer’s life on July 20, 1944. On the
far right is Reinhard Heydrich, head of all SS intelligence and security. As Chief of the RSHA and
the Reich’s Protector for Bohemia and Moravia, he was the only officer Himmler feared. Hitler,
himself, was wary, cautious of danger, when around him. Some postwar historians argued
Heydrich eagerly helped mastermind the Holocaust. From his desk in Berlin, he relished signing
the death sentences of countless Jewish communities and groups. Until the British successfully
assassinated Heydrich in Prague in 1942, he was the most feared German in National Socialism.
