Many others were beaten and tortured to death. by Walter Schellenberg 12 Aug 2002, 20:05, Post Denunciation was the exception, not the rule, as far as the behaviour of the vast majority of Germans was concerned. [63], Despite male homosexuality being considered a greater danger to "national survival", lesbianism was likewise viewed as unacceptabledeemed gender nonconformityand a number of individual reports on lesbians can be found in Gestapo files. Hitler's rise to power and his rule in Nazi Germany has been attributed to the aid and support of several people, with three organizations playing a vital role - the SS, the SA, and the Gestapo. The Geheime Staatspolizei (German pronunciation: [ham tatspolitsa] (listen); transl. [129] The "conventional criminality" category concerned economic crimes such as money laundering, smuggling and homosexuality. The Abwehr ( German for resistance or defence, but the word usually means counterintelligence in a military context; pronounced [apve]) was the German military-intelligence service for the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht from 1920 to 1945. Confidential office hostile foreigners, Occupied territories France, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Denmark (D4), Department E (Security and counterintelligence), Viktor Harnischfeger (Dsseldorf Gestapo Criminal Commissar). [157], After the war, U.S. Counterintelligence Corps employed the former Lyon Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie for his anti-communist efforts and also helped him escape to Bolivia. At that time, the Gestapo was condemned as a criminal organisation, along with the SS. Arrests, torture, and executions were common. [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. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Deans were to be targeted as the "eyes and ears of the bishops" and a "vast network" established to monitor the activities of ordinary clergy: "The importance of this enemy is such that inspectors of security police and of the security service will make this group of people and the questions discussed by them their special concern". The SS - Definition & Facts [146] While in many countries the Nazis occupied in the East, the local domestic police forces supplemented German operations, noted Holocaust historian, Raul Hilberg, asserts that "those of Poland were least involved in anti-Jewish actions. [25][26], The SiPo was placed under the direct command of Reinhard Heydrich who was already chief of the Nazi Party's intelligence service, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). [131] Beyond that, sleep deprivation and various forms of harassment were used as investigative methods. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The SA, or the Sturmabteilung, were formed in Munich, Germany, in 1921 by Adolf Hitler himself. Thereafter, there was a show trial overseen by Roland Freisler, followed by their execution. SS vs. Gestapo - VS Pages However, these tactics were quite useful for the rise of the Nazi movement. [72], In May 1935, the Gestapo broke up and arrested members of the "Markwitz Circle", a group of former socialists in contact with Otto Strasser, who sought Hitler's downfall. Differences among: KRIPO, SIPO, GESTAPO & SD - Axis History Forum With their trade union flags waving, Hitler gave a rousing speech to the 1.5 million people assembled on Berlin's Tempelhofer Feld that was nationally broadcast, during which he extolled the nation's revival and working class solidarity. After Germany conquered Poland (in the autumn of 1939), Gestapo officials believed that they had neutralised Polish intelligence activities. Members of the three convicted groups, however, were subject to apprehension by Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France. [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. [41], In Austria, there were groups still loyal to the Habsburgs, who unlike most across the Greater German Reich, remained determined to resist the Nazis. The Sipo-SD had initially been forbidden to set up offices in Belgium. [150], Between 14 November 1945 and 3 October 1946, the Allies established an International Military Tribunal (IMT) to try 22 major Nazi war criminals and six groups for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the Axis nations and related topics hosted by the Axis History Factbook in cooperation with Christian Ankerstjernes Panzerworld and Christoph Awender's WW2 day by day. In late 1933, the Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick wanted to integrate all the police forces of the German states under his control. [10] Diels was best known as the primary interrogator of Marinus van der Lubbe after the Reichstag fire. [111] This admixture certainly shaped the Gestapo's public image which they sought to maintain despite their increasing workload; an image which helped them identify and eliminate enemies of the Nazi state. When Rhm refused to commit suicide, he was shot by two SS officers. [109], Whether trained as police originally or not, Gestapo agents themselves were shaped by their socio-political environment. by Schmauser 13 Aug 2002, 13:44, Post Gestapo. [134] As historian Eric Johnson remarked, "The Nazi terror was selective terror", with its focus upon political opponents, ideological dissenters (clergy and religious organisations), career criminals, the Sinti and Roma population, handicapped persons, homosexuals and above all, upon the Jews. [100] It was the Gestapo chief, SS-Brigadierfhrer Heinrich Mller, who kept Hitler abreast of the killing operations in the Soviet Union and who issued orders to the four Einsatzgruppen that their continual work in the east was to be "presented to the Fhrer. [38], The Polish government-in-exile in London during World War II received sensitive military information about Nazi Germany from agents and informants throughout Europe. What is the name of the evil organization within the Third Reich? "[136] The Gestapo's effectiveness remained in the ability to "project" omnipotencethey co-opted the assistance of the German population by using denunciations to their advantage; proving in the end a powerful, ruthless and effective organ of terror under the Nazi regime that was seemingly everywhere. [143] Correspondingly, Gestapo offices were established in a territory once occupied. Hitler's Two Armies - HistoryNet [142] Whenever a region came fully under German military occupational jurisdiction, the Gestapo administered all executive actions under the military commander's authority, albeit operating relatively independent of it. The members of the SA were largely former soldiers, ruffians, and men of violent natures, whose job was to originally protect the Nazi rallies, fight people from the leftist parties, and physically assault political opponents. [115] The District Office in Nuremberg, which had the responsibility for all of northern Bavaria, employed a total of 80100 full-term informers between 1943 and 1945. [129] The "other" category associated with non-conformity included everything from a man who drew a caricature of Hitler to a Catholic teacher suspected of being lukewarm about teaching National Socialism in his classroom. Together with the SS, the Gestapo managed the treatment of inferior races, such as Jews and Roma (Gypsies). The only thing distinguishing them was the black hat with a skull and bones on it. [25] The idea was to fully identify and integrate the party agency (SD) with the state agency (SiPo). (Hitler felt he deserved the chance to kill himself rather than have someone else kill him.) The power of the Gestapo was used to focus upon political opponents, ideological dissenters (clergy and religious organisations), career criminals, the Sinti and Roma population, handicapped persons, homosexuals, and above all, the Jews. Employing biological metaphors, Best emphasised a doctrine which encouraged members of the Gestapo to view themselves as 'doctors' to the 'national body' in the struggle against "pathogens" and "diseases"; among the implied sicknesses were "communists, Freemasons, and the churchesand above and behind all these stood the Jews". As we continue to explore the differences between abfraction and abrasion, it can be helpful to see these terms used in context. by Phil Nix 01 Feb 2004, 12:16. According to the trials that were held after Germanys defeat in the war, the SS was responsible for a majority of the crimes committed in Nazi Germany. It had the authority of preventive arrest, and its actions were not subject to judicial appeal. Under the leadership of Rhm, the number of employees in the SA increased dramatically. In 1938, he made efforts to hinder Hitler from attacking . "[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. Wilhelm Canaris - Jewish Virtual Library [108] Heydrich thought along similar lines and advocated both defensive and offensive measures on the part of the Gestapo, so as to prevent any subversion or destruction of the National Socialist body. Hosted by Andrey. When asked for identification, an operative was required only to present his warrant disc and not a picture identification. Soon only Prussia was left. The SD and Gestapo did have integration through SS members holding dual positions in each branch. Schutzstaffel Agency overview Type Paramilitary Jurisdiction Nazi Germany German-occupied Europe Headquarters Prinz-Albrecht-Strae . [90] Less than two weeks later in early May 1933, the Gestapo moved into their Berlin headquarters at Prinz-Albrecht-Strae 8. [79] Despite the fear of the Gestapo after mass arrests and executions in the spring, the opposition still plotted and planned. The SD was mainly an information-gathering agency, while the Gestapoand to a degree the Criminal Police (Kriminalpolizei or Kripo)was the executive agency of the political police system. Rhms leadership and not-so-secret desire of merging with the Army made many senior Nazi officials feel threatened. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. TL;DR: The Gestapo was the secret police that hunted down enemies of the Reich, while the SS were the brain-child of Himmler, a specially trained division of the military which participated in everything from invasions to crimes against humanity. Additionally, many of its members were handed over to the armed forces. [70], Between 1934 and 1938, opponents of the Nazi regime and their fellow travellers began to emerge. [16], By the spring of 1934, Himmler's SS controlled the SD and the Gestapo, but for him, there was still a problem, as technically the SS (and the Gestapo by proxy) was subordinated to the SA, which was under the command of Ernst Rhm. For the wider use of "Secret Police", see, Suppression of resistance and persecution, General opposition and military conspiracy, Population ratios, methods and effectiveness, Operation Crossbow was one preliminary missions for, Bonhoeffer was an active opponent of Nazism in the German resistance movement. [87] Describing the activities of the organisation, Gring boasted about the utter ruthlessness required for Germany's recovery, the establishment of concentration camps for that purpose, and even went on to claim that excesses were committed in the beginning, recounting how beatings took place here and there. [59] Over 2,700 Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox clergy were imprisoned at Dachau alone. [44][45][a], Early in the regime's existence, harsh measures were meted out to political opponents and those who resisted Nazi doctrine, such as members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD); a role originally performed by the SA until the SD and Gestapo undermined their influence and took control of Reich security. The SS, or the Schutzstaffel, was created in 1925 originally to serve as Hitlers personal bodyguards. [119] Gellately has also suggested that the Gestapo was "a reactive organisationconstructed within German society and whose functioning was structurally dependent on the continuing co-operation of German citizens". This led to corresponding arrests, being sent to concentration camps and execution. [80] Known as the 20 July plot, this assassination attempt failed and Hitler was only slightly injured. Abwehr | Encyclopedia.com 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. Among the first to speak out were religious dissenters but following in their wake were educators, aristocratic businessmen, office workers, teachers, and others from nearly every walk of life. The Gestapo had its own system of arrests, judiciary, and execution. What is the difference between the SD and the Gestapo? [13] Also on that date, Hitler appointed Himmler chief of all German police outside Prussia. Later on, the SS had its own special uniforms that distinguished it from other organizations such as the SA and the Gestapo. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there! [114] "V-men", as undercover Gestapo agents were known, were used to infiltrate Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Communist opposition groups, but this was more the exception than the rule. Later, nurses, kindergarten teachers, and trained female commercial employees with an aptitude for police work were hired as female detectives after a two-year course as Kriminaloberassistentin and could promote to a Kriminalsekretrin. Files, card, indexes, information and administration (C1), Department D (Occupied Territories), administration for regions outside the, Protectorate affairs, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, regions of Yugoslavia, Greece (D1). [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.