SS Transfer to Wehrmacht?

[willie777]

IDK where else to ask this, so I'll do it here. Were members of the SS allowed to transfer into other branches of the Wehrmacht at any time like the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were allowed to transfer in the Heer at the end of the war?

[Fritz]

Yes, it was possible both ways. However, of course not just so, you had to place an official request, then you had to wait for the decision. Could be "yes" or "no".

Cheers

Fritz

[willie777]

Yes, it was possible both ways. However, of course not just so, you had to place an official request, then you had to wait for the decision. Could be "yes" or "no".

Cheers

Fritz

Is there any evidence of this?

[Ian Hulley]

Many members of the Allgemeine-SS were reservists with the Wehrmacht and therefore with the outbreak of war some were recalled to their original branch of service. Transfers FROM the Waffen-SS I know nothing of, but always thought (rightly or wrongly) that it was a 'prime', if somewhat more dangerous, posting (?).

Given Himmler and Berger's ever-efficient efforts to recruit anyone even considered outside the Wehrmacht's grasp it's difficult to see him letting many go once they'd got them.

Ian.

[Fritz]

This document was published in the book "Wenn alle Brüder schweigen".

Cheers

Fritz

[Ian Hulley]

Which of course is (just) pre-war

Ian.

[Fritz]

Which of course is (just) pre-war

Ian.

Yes, it is. But the question was "were members of the SS allowed to transfer into other branches of the Wehrmacht at any time". I think it was. Naturally it will be a challenge to come up with documents that prove transfers on a daily basis.

It was not as often the case as it was with Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine personal that was just not needed anymore in their original units (service units etc.) in 1945. They were then transfered to army and waffen ss combat units in large numbers for the "last efforts".

The text that explains the document in the book suggests that such transfers were even more often the case during the war.

Remember that the minimum service for ss personal in the SS-VT was 4 years, so someone that started his service in 1938 was done in 1942 and then I think he could decide if he wanted to stay in the ss or rather serve in the Army from that point on.

I think that there were also quite a few other reasons beside regular transfer requests that moved personal from the ss to the army. Persons that the ss wanted to get rid of and also those that the army had a need for and was willing to do what it would take to get them out of the ss. I could also imagine that the ss wanted to have some of their men in the army to control certain areas.

In "Kampfgruppen" it was quite common to have a mix of army/waffen-ss personal under command of either the army or the waffen-ss. But these were not real transfers.


Just take Heydrich as another example who was also a Luftwaffe officer and fighter pilot during the early stages of the war.

Cheers

Fritz

[Ian Hulley]

Just take Heydrich as another example who was also a Luftwaffe officer and fighter pilot during the early stages of the war.

Indeed, he couldn't exactly go back to the Kriegsmarine

Ian.

[Fritz]

Indeed, he couldn't exactly go back to the Kriegsmarine

Ian.

Oh, I am sure there would have been a way for him, maybe even two . But it seems he was done with them as they hurted his feelings too much . And being a fighter pilot (although not an "Experte") was probably much more fancy in his mind and also less time consuming than being a Kapitänleutnant on a cruiser.

Cheers

Fritz

[Soldat de Fer]

Hello
If any transfer from the SS to the Heer ever occurred , I would say that they must have been rare , unless someone would have been found unworthy to be part of the elite and kicked out . Transfer from the Heer to the SS , was however common , sometimes willingly , sometimes not !!!
Regards
P-Y