Allgemeine-SS Order of Battle

The Allgemeine-SS order of battle comprised the mustering formations of SS units in Nazi Germany and Austria that existed prior to and during World War II.

The basic mustering formations were made up of part-time SS members, considered the core of the Allgemeine-SS. The primary unit was the regiment sized Standarten and extending upwards to division strength Oberabschnitt commands. Within the Allgemeine-SS Standarten there were in turn subordinate battalions of Sturmbann, themselves divided into company sized Sturme.

The Sturm was further divided into platoon sized Truppen which were in turn divided into squad sized Scharen. For larger Allgemeine-SS commands, the Scharen would be further divided into Rotte which were the Allgemeine-SS equivalent of a fire team.

The two senior-level formations of the Allgemeine-SS were the division sized Oberabschnitt and the brigade sized Abschnitt.

The highest command level of the Allgemeine-SS formations. Many of the SS-Oberabschnitt commanders also served as SS and Police Leaders. The SS-Oberabschnitt was formed in the mid-1930s from older formations known as SS-Gruppen. By 1942, the existing Oberabschnitt commands were as follows:

An intermediate command level existed between the supreme Oberschnitt commands the local Allgemeine-SS regiments. Known as the SS-Abschnitt these commands were formed between 1933 and 1935 from the older SS-Brigaden. SS-Abschnitts were identified by Roman numeral designators, which were also displayed on the cuffbands of the Abschnitt member's SS uniform.

The SS also maintained the following brigade cavalry commands for Allgemeine-SS cavalry units:

The core units of the Allgemeine-SS were the regiment sized Standarten which were divided into "foot regiments" and "cavalry units".

In all, the SS formed a total of one hundred and twenty seven "Fuß Standarten" some of which were accorded honor titles.

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