Narendran Sairam

Nazi Germany
October 3rd, 2010
Term One Take Home Test
The SA vs. the SS

Like the parents and children in a family, The Sturmabteilung or the SA and the
Schutzstaffel also known as the SS had plenty of differences and similarities between
each other. While the two were held together by their purpose and some other small
things they had numerous differences that set them apart.
The Sturmabteilung was started by Ernst Rohm in 1921 to provide Hitler with an
army to march behind him, to protect him as he gained power and enemies and to support
his rise to power. The SA was divided in large formations called Gruppen which were
divided into Brigaden and each of the Brigaden were divided into Standarten. There was
at least one standarten stationed in every major city. The entire set up was run in a
military fashion: disciplined and loyal. The headquarters of the SA was located in
Stuttgart and it operated under the name of Oberste SA Fuhrung. This main office, had
numerous branches in every single city that handled the supply of arms and supplies, the
finance and the recruitment. Within a few months the SA had a very strong base and
exercised strong control over Nazi Germany.
The SA, grew strong and powerful under Rohm but, to Hitler’s uneasiness, the SA
remained independent of the Nazi party which meant that it was not completely under
Hitler’s control. After the famous Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, the SA and the Nazi party
itself was banned and both lost power. In 1925, when Hitler, using his influence, brought,
both his party and the SA to power but this time he made sure that the SA was a
subordinate of the party.
The Schutzstaffel was founded specifically to protect the party headquarters and
Hitler. Initially it was a small Gruppe of the SA and had the same purposes. The members
of the SS, originally formed under Julius Schreck in 1923, were selected according to
very stringent conditions. After the Putsch, from about 1925 to 1929, the numbers of the
SS fell dramatically. Following Schreck’s leadership, the SS went through numerous
leaders but none were able to better the small force. On January 6th, 1929, Hitler
appointed close friend, Himmler as the leader of the SS. Within a year, Himmler
increased the membership of the SS from 290 to a 1000 and made the SS fully
independent of the SA. Himmler even insisted on new uniforms: the SS used black shirts
unlike the brown shirts of the SA. This was okay with Hitler because unlike Rohm,
Himmler was completely loyal to Hitler. Similar to the SA, as the SS grew in power and
numbers, it was divided into numerous groups. The entire population of the SS was
divided into five parts: Headquarters Staff, Personal Office, Administration Office, SS
Reserves and SS Medical Corps. These divisions highlight another difference between
the SS and the SA: the SA did not have a medical corps. The SS was run in a strictly
military manner just like the SA and the organization of the ranks of the SS did not
follow that of the German Army (Heer). Instead, the SS and the SA adopted their own
organization similar to that of the post World War I Freikorps (Free Corps). Hitler grew
to favor the SS more because he began losing trust in the SA as the SA was rising rapidly
in numbers and Hitler did not trust the leaders of the SA.
The SA and the SS resemble the parent and child in a family. The SA, the mother
of the SS, was similar to the SS in numerous ways. The SA and the SS both enjoyed
tremendous power and exercised strong control over Nazi Germany. Both organizations
functioned on the principles of the Nazi party and they were formed to assist the party in
its rise to power. The organization of the two was almost identical in that their ranks were
set up similar to that of the post WWI Freikorps. At the same time, the two possessed
differences. Although both groups were divided into offices that managed different jobs,
the SA lacked the Medical Corps. They both had different leaders under whom they
flourished. The SA, on one hand, commanded by Rohm slowly gained power and this
power caused Hitler some discomfort and so Hitler did all he could to make the SA and
integral part of the Nazi Party. The SS, on the other hand, was constantly under the
command of Himmler and even though it was separate from the party, Himmler remained
loyal to the party and to Hitler.