SS-Führungshauptamt

SS-FHA

SS Führungshauptamt
The SS flag. The SS-FHA was the operations office of the Waffen SS and Allgemeine-SS.
Hans Jüttner, chief of the SS Führungshauptamt from 1943 until 1945.
Agency overview
Formed	1940
Preceding agency	SS-Hauptamt
Dissolved	May 8, 1945
Jurisdiction	Germany Occupied Europe
Headquarters	SS Führungshauptamt, Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, Berlin 52°30′26″N 13°22′57″E / 52.50722°N 13.38250°E / 52.50722; 13.38250
Employees	~4,000 c.1941
Agency executives	Heinrich Himmler (1940–1943) Hans Jüttner (1943–1945)
Parent agency	SS
Child agencies	Allgemeine-SS since c.1940 Waffen-SS Since c. 1940

The SS-Führungshauptamt (English: SS Leadership Main Office) (SS-FHA) was the operational headquarters of the SS.

It was responsible for the administration of Junkerschulen (Junker Schools), Medical services, logistics, and rates of pay. It was also the administrative and operational headquarters for the Waffen-SS that was responsible for its organisation and equipment and Order of battle of SS combat units.

The SS-Führungshauptamt, which was under the command of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, was formed in August 1940 from certain departments of the SS-Hauptamt and the Allgemeine SS. Its main duty was the operational and administrative control of the Waffen-SS, including developing general policy on recruiting and handling special personnel requirements. Hans Jüttner was promoted to the position of chief-of-staff of the SS-FHA and handled the day-to-day operations. By 1942, recruitment by the Allgemeine SS had almost ceased as a result of World War II, meaning local units were responsible for maintaining their own staffing levels.

The SS-FHA had priority over all other branches of the Armed Forces in selection of recruits. Likewise, to meet the casualty rates and expansion of Waffen-SS field divisions, service in the Waffen-SS was made compulsory for all members of the Allgemeine-SS in 1941. The SS-FHA also accepted personnel who requested voluntary transfer to the Waffen-SS after being inducted into any another branch of the military of Nazi Germany; this later included members of the Hitler Youth. When Himmler stepped down as SS-FHA chief in 1943, Jüttner took over as chief of the department till the end of the war.