They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Though all largely contributed to Hitlers rise to power and his abuse of that power, the three organizations differed slightly in their functions. These were Waffen S. The SS Schutz Staffel were originally Hitler's bodygaurd. [90] Less than two weeks later in early May 1933, the Gestapo moved into their Berlin headquarters at Prinz-Albrecht-Strae 8. Gradually, with time, the SS became one of the most-feared organizations in Germany. There was one other significant difference between the Heer and Waffen- SS: Each member of the latter was required to have his blood type tattooed on the underside of his left upper arm to make it easier for medics to treat him on the battlefield. [39], In 1942, the Gestapo discovered a cache of Polish intelligence documents in Prague and were surprised to see that Polish agents and informants had been gathering detailed military information and smuggling it out to London, via Budapest and Istanbul. Gestapo, abbreviation of Geheime Staatspolizei (German: Secret State Police), the political police of Nazi Germany. "[145] Nonetheless, German authorities ordered the mobilisation of reserve Polish police forces, known as the Blue Police, which strengthened the Nazi police presence and carried out numerous "police" functions; in some cases, its functionaries even identified and rounded up Jews or performed other unsavory duties on behalf of their German masters. [65] If homosexuals showed any signs of sympathy to the Nazis' identified racial enemies, they were considered an even greater danger. "[141] Once the German armies advanced into enemy territory, they were accompanied by Einsatzgruppen staffed by officers from the Gestapo and Kripo, who usually operated in the rear areas to administer and police the occupied land. The SS was given the complete authority of all the concentration camps in Germany as well as the occupied regions after 1934. Some pastors, like the Protestant clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer, paid for their opposition with their lives. Gring outflanked him by removing the Prussian political and intelligence departments from the state interior ministry. [25] The idea was to fully identify and integrate the party agency (SD) with the state agency (SiPo). The Gestapo was established in 1933 by Hermann Gring, with the aim of consolidating Nazi . [113] In Germany proper, many towns and cities had fewer than 50 official Gestapo personnel. What Is The Difference Between The SD And The Gestapo? [94] However, Gestapo leader Heinrich Mller was never tried, as he disappeared at the end of the war. Female youth leaders, lawyers, business administrators with experience in social work, female leaders in the Reichsarbeitsdienst and personnel administrators in the Bund Deutscher Mdel were hired as detectives after a one-year course, if they had several years professional experience. It had the authority of preventive arrest, and its actions were not subject to judicial appeal. The Gestapo were has always done only a dirty job in cooperation with the . [4] Those arrested by the Gestapo were often held without judicial process, and political prisoners throughout Germanyand from 1941, throughout the occupied territories under the Night and Fog Decree (German: Nacht und Nebel)simply disappeared while in Gestapo custody. The local offices of the Gestapo, known as Gestapo Leitstellen and Stellen, answered to a local commander known as the Inspekteur der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD ("Inspector of the Security Police and Security Service") who, in turn, was under the dual command of Referat N of the Gestapo and also his local SS and Police Leader. Answer (1 of 3): There were three secret services/police in the Third Reich. [128], Of the political cases, 61 people were investigated for suspicion of belonging to the KPD, 44 for the SPD and 69 for other political parties. While they may seem very similar, they actually differed in the roles they played. Also known as the Storm Troopers or the Brownshirts (they were called the Brownshirts because of their brown uniforms), it was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, whose violent tactics played a huge role in Hitlers rise to power in Germany. [92], In September 1939, the SiPo and SD were merged into the newly created Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA; Reich Security Main Office). [42] Habsburg loyalist Karl Burian's (who was later executed) plan to blow up the Gestapo headquarters in Vienna represented a unique attempt to act aggressively against the Gestapo. The Schutzstaffel has also been held responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing the Final Solution, in which countless Jews and people of other seemingly undesirable ethnic groups were murdered. In late 1933, the Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick wanted to integrate all the police forces of the German states under his control. Under his leadership, the SS grew to a sizable organization of over 2,50,000 members. The SS also identified and arrested Jews in the German-occupied territories. Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Holocaust Encyclopedia As we continue to explore the differences between abfraction and abrasion, it can be helpful to see these terms used in context. The political section could order prisoners to be murdered, tortured, or released. Heinrich Himmler (2013). [147], In places like Denmark, there were some 550 uniformed Danes in Copenhagen working with the Gestapo, patrolling and terrorising the local population at the behest of their German overseers, many of whom were arrested after the war. Most SiPo members joined the SS and held a rank in both organisations. The right collar patch was black without the sig runes. These men were then given training in racial hatred and were taught to become cold-hearted, violent, sadistic, and to not feel anything at human loss. [151][152] Nineteen of the 22 were convicted, and twelveMartin Bormann (in absentia), Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Hermann Gring, Alfred Jodl, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Wilhelm Keitel, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Alfred Rosenberg, Fritz Sauckel, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Julius Streicherwere given the death penalty. Difference Between SS and Gestapo [149] Whereas in France, the number of members in the Carlingue (French Gestapo) who worked on behalf of the Nazis was upwards of 30,000 to 32,000; they conducted operations nearly indistinguishable from their German equivalents. What was the difference between the SS, SA, SD, Abwehr, Gestapo, and Gestapo members Hermann Gring, Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Arthur Seyss-Inquart were individually convicted. [83], Some Germans were convinced that it was their duty to apply all possible expedients to end the war as quickly as possible. [145] Many of the auxiliary police personnel operating on behalf of German Order Police, the SD, and Gestapo were members of the Schutzmannschaft, which included staffing by Ukrainians, Belorussians, Russians, Estonians, Lithuanians, and Latvians. The SS was also known as the parent organization of the Secret State Police, the Gestapo, and was responsible for organizing mobile killing units that went on a murder rampage in the occupied territories. For the most part they were young professional civil service officers"[105] The Nazis valued police competence more than politics, so in general in 1933, almost all of the men who served in the various state police forces under the Weimar Republic stayed on in their jobs. The Nazi Party was well aware of homosexual preferences of Rhm and some other SA members. 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. It was viewed negatively by Hitler. Indeed quite talented in investigations, interrogation, and torture, but they were mostly violent under educated people, and lacked the culture of the SD agents, whom Heydrich chose very carefully. [25], The Gestapo had the authority to investigate cases of treason, espionage, sabotage and criminal attacks on the Nazi Party and Germany. PDF Right: GESTAPO HEADQUARTERS IN BRUSSELS - DocDroid Founded in 1999. [104][e] Some locals aided the Gestapo, whether as professional police auxiliaries or in other duties. Others were arrested simply on the basis of being "suspected of activities hostile to the State" or that there was reason to "suppose that his dealings might harm society". Himmler's subsequent appointment to Chef der Deutschen Polizei (Chief of German Police) and status as Reichsfhrer-SS made him independent of Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick's nominal control. by Wilfried Abenaschon 13 Aug 2002, 02:31, Post [129] After that year, political investigations declined with only 18 investigations in 1938, 13 in 1939, two in 1941, seven in 1942, four in 1943 and one in 1944. As late as 6 June 1944, Heinrich Mllerconcerned about the leakage of information to the Alliesset up a special unit called Sonderkommando Jerzy that was meant to root out the Polish intelligence network in western and southwestern Europe. The SD and Gestapo did have integration through SS members holding dual positions in each branch. [9], The first commander of the Gestapo was Rudolf Diels, a protg of Gring. [33] In January 1943, Himmler appointed Ernst Kaltenbrunner RSHA chief; almost seven months after Heydrich had been assassinated. [138], As an instrument of Nazi power, terror, and repression, the Gestapo operated throughout occupied Europe. Some historians feel he was killed in the final days of the war, while others believe he escaped to South America and lived the rest of his life unidentified. [158], The Gestapo was a secretive plainclothes agency and agents typically wore civilian suits. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Gestapo - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). However, these tactics were quite useful for the rise of the Nazi movement. [129] The "administrative control" category concerned those who were breaking the law concerning residency in the city. [25] Shortly thereafter, Himmler created the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo; Criminal Police), merging it with the Gestapo into the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo; Security Police), under Heydrich's command. There were strict protocols protecting the identity of Gestapo field personnel. Whereas the Gestapo agents, were mostly of police background. Gestapo | Holocaust Encyclopedia In this article, we will explore the differences between Gestapo and SS, and shed light on their respective histories and legacies. In 1939, the SA was largely used as a training center for the Army when the war started. As the years progressed, the SA began to be overshadowed by the SS and the Gestapo. Meaning Protective Echelon in German, the SS was made up of fervently anti-Semite Germans who possessed deep racial hatred. They were both eventually headed by Himmler, although the Gestapo existed before him. With its dramatic rise to power, the SA began to slowly assume themselves to be somewhat of a replacement to the German Army. [d], The German opposition was in an unenviable position by the late spring and early summer of 1943. [40], Polish agents also gathered detailed information about the morale of German soldiers in the East. Post the successful execution of both the leader as well as several of his followers, the SS was granted independent entity by Hitler as a reward for their services and loyalty to the Nazi Party, and more importantly, to Hitler. Many of the men employed by the Gestapo were former criminals and extremists who were ideal for committing the atrocities the Nazi regime had planned. The Nazi Party: The Abwehr The Jewish Question needed to be solved, and it was the SS who took up the job. Three othersHans Fritzsche, Hjalmar Schacht, and Franz von Papenwere acquitted. [75], Early efforts to resist the Nazis with aid from abroad were hindered when the opposition's peace feelers to the Western Allies did not meet with success. [102], In 1933, there was no purge of the German police forces. Varying degrees of pacification and police enforcement measures were necessary in each place, dependent on how cooperative or resistant the locals were to Nazi mandates and racial policies. Given that all appointments to the Abwehr required vetting and approval by the Gestapo, his efforts in successfully recruiting foes of the regime throughout the years of . The organisation of the security structures in the Nazi Germany was very complicated, often quite illogical, and the limit between different organisations like Gestapo or the SD or the Abwehr, is often difficult to draw. [117] The Gestapoat timeswas overwhelmed with denunciations and most of its time was spent sorting out the credible from the less credible denunciations. The Gestapo had terrible methods of interrogating people who they deemed to be anti-Nazi or suspicious in any way. After Heydrich (who was staunchly anti-Catholic and anti-Christian) was assassinated in Prague, his successor, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, relaxed some of the policies and then disbanded Department IVB (religious opponents) of the Gestapo. The killed SA members were further demeaned by making their homosexuality public. [5] Contrary to popular perception, the Gestapo was actually a relatively small organization with limited surveillance capacity; despite this the Gestapo proved extremely effective due to the willingness of ordinary Germans to snitch on fellow citizens. [113] In Dsseldorf, the local Gestapo office of only 281 men were responsible for the entire Lower Rhine region, which comprised 4 million people. Wilhelm Canaris - Jewish Virtual Library The difference between SS and the Gestapo The Gestapo is an organization of the police that existed only around 1934-1939 while the SS exited longer for about sixteen years between 1929 and 1945, before being abolished. Together, they began convincing Hitler of Rhm being a threat to the Nazi regime, his hunger for more power, and his supposed plans to overthrow Hitler. Those who were arrested were tried, and sent to prison or were executed, depending on their role in the Gestapo. "[101], According to regulations issued by the Reich Security Main Office in 1940, women who had been trained in social work or having a similar education could be hired as female detectives. [80] Known as the 20 July plot, this assassination attempt failed and Hitler was only slightly injured. [120], After 1939, when many Gestapo personnel were called up for war-related work such as service with the Einsatzgruppen, the level of overwork and understaffing at the local offices increased. Gazpacho is a popular cold Spanish soup. The Schutzstaffel, Sturmabteilung, and Geheime Staatspolizei played different and yet equally vital roles in Nazi Germany. Though the Gestapo, the SS, and the SA were all created to serve Hitler and his Nazi regime, they differed somewhat in their functioning and the way they were controlled. What was the difference in function between the Gestapo and the SD The Gestapo had its own system of arrests, judiciary, and execution. [68] During the first five months of 1943, the Gestapo arrested thousands suspected of resistance activities and carried out numerous executions. Arrests, torture, and executions were common. The Gestapo was somewhat of a division of the SS, making SS the parent organization. By 1932, the SA employed about 400,000 people and by the time Hitler had come to power in 1933, it consisted of over 10,00,000 people. [153][f], Leaders, organisers, investigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit the crimes specified were declared responsible for all acts performed by any persons in execution of such plan. [127] As time went by, anonymous denunciations to the Gestapo caused trouble to various NSDAP officials, who often found themselves being investigated by the Gestapo. Under the leadership of Rhm, the number of employees in the SA increased dramatically. Instead of being exclusively a Prussian state agency, the Gestapo became a national one as a sub-office of the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo; Security Police). These officials were helped and supported by a mysterious organization called the ODESSA, which helped provide them identification, passports, and visas to South American countries. [124], An examination of 213 denunciations in Dsseldorf showed that 37% were motivated by personal conflicts, no motive could be established in 39%, and 24% were motivated by support for the Nazi regime.
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