interesting Stammabteilung photos

[jHAM]

Thanks to all for participating in this thread. I actually have a few more Stammabtielung photos that I can share when I get my computer working again. The TKs belong to Mr. Hritz. I have never seen any mention to TK Stammabteilung members but more exprienced people than I have seen more than one of these pale TK collar insignia.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Mr. d'Alquen is the man to tell us, as he has deepened himself most in such SSTV regalia.

[DrCMH]

One more:

[DrCMH]

And this one from the MFF site:



If I were to own a Stammabteilung photo, this would be the one I would like.

[Paul D]

Some excellent photos everyone , many thanks for posting .

[DrCMH]

In my search of the Internet for Stammabteilung related photos I came upon this following reference excerpt from the work by author John Michael Steiner titled "Power Politics and Social Change in National Socialist Germany: A Process of Escalation Into Mass Destruction":


What is germane to our topic here is the significance of the Stammabteilung to the overall organization of the Schutzstaffel and the concept of it being an "order" of, as Patrick Koehl conveys in his works, political soldiers.

(*Note: SS-Stammabteilung is translated as SS-Core Branch)

The political soldiering is further identified within Mollo



From what I have gleaned from the works above comes a clearer understanding that,prior to war, the SS was primarily part-time members working towards securing the ideals of National Socialism as opposed to the 08/15 soldier that is seemingly portrayed by the Waffen-SS and the VT.


I have not read the Steiner work as I have Koehl's, I am curious if others here have and if it is of scholarly merit.

CMH

[Friedrich-Berthold]

You really have to engage the most recent scholarship I have cited, especially the Hein book on the Allgemeine SS. It covers this in complete detail, as does the Austrian one on the Wiener SS.
The Order thing is sort of obsolete as an explanation, as Himmler was remarkably adept at integrating the SS into many structures in society in something quite different than the average person here understands.
There is a ton of new scholarship of great variety in Germany on all of this, and not all of it or really any of it is easily had in English.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

I do not know the Steiner book, but anyone who reads the Dienstalterliste will see that a large chunk of SS officers fit this description, i.e. they were persons of rank who were not in a full time billet, i.e. not in the command structure, and who had an affiliation with the SS somewhat akin to a club. The distinction between Order and all the death cult hocus pocus and the Rotary Club needs greater reflection. Hein brings all of this out. Koehl is still a great book.
There are many, many books now on the Nazis and society of great merit and much interest. This latter topic interests me much more than the ripping yarns about the 08/15 Ivan slayer and tank killer man.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The other thing to keep in mind is the core of all of this violence of various kinds, which is central to the being of the NSDAP, the SA and the SS.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

The Allgemeine SS was mostly part timers, i.e. the persons you see lining the routes of parades and such. However, as you go up the chain of command, there were full time billets, but very few in number. Look in the rank lists.
Again, the Hein and Rothlaender books are all very clear on these things. The Vienna SS book reveals how really violent and semi criminal many of these people were, whereas others, once the Nazis came to power, were late arrivals grounded in the professions and the social elite, eager to make their way with the regime, whereas other old fighters were sidelined after 1933 but remained in the ranks, too. This is the point of Koehl, also, who was a pioneer with all of this social history of the SS and its organizational contradictions.