The 76th SS-Standarte was a significant regimental command of the Allgemeine-SS that was formed in the city of Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 under the authority of the SS-Oberabschnitt Donau

SS-Oberabschnitt Donau

SS-Oberabschnitt Donau was the primary division command of the Allgemeine-SS in the country of Austria. The Oberabschnitt was formed in 1934 under Alfred Rodenbücher as an early attempt to influence the Anschluss with Nazi Germany...

. Along with the 11th SS-Standarte

11th SS-Standarte

The 11th SS-Standarte was a large regimental formation of the Allgemeine-SS and the principal mustering SS unit in Austria. First formed in 1932, the Standarte was headquartered in Vienna and during its first years of existence served as a base for members of the Austrian SS who were attempting to...

 in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, the 76th Standarte was one of the primary units of the Austrian SS

Austrian SS

The Austrian SS was a segment of the SS developed in 1934 as a covert force to influence the Anschluss with Germany which would occur in 1938. The early Austrian SS was led by Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Arthur Seyss-Inquart...

.

The 76th Standarte was first established in April of 1934 during a time period when Austrian Nazis were attempting to influence an Anschluss

Anschluss

The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....

 with Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

. The 76th SS-Standarte coordinated SS and Nazi Party activities in the city of Salzburg before being forced underground in 1936 when the Austrian government declared the SS an illegal organization. During this time frame, with the Austrian-SS a covert force under scrutiny from the Austrian government, the 76th Standarte cycled through numerous commanders and, for two months in 1934, was commanded by SS-non-commissioned officer

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

s in capacity as Acting Deputy to the Standarte commander.

In 1938, when Austria was annexed into the Greater German Reich, members of the 76th Standarte helped secure government buildings in Salzburg and helped establish Nazi government in the city. This included enforcing anti-Jewish

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 measures as well as rounding up suspected enemies of the states for transport to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp

Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp

Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...

. In 1939, the Standarte was transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly established Oberabschnitt Alpenland

SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland

SS-Oberabschnitt Alpenland was one of two main division strength commands of the Allgemeine-SS in the country of Austria. The Alpenland Oberabschnitt was formed in 1939, a year after Germany incorporated Austria through the Anschluss...

 also headquartered in Salzburg.

By 1940, many of the General-SS members in Austria had joined either the Waffen-SS

Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...

, the Sicherheitspolizei

Sicherheitspolizei

The Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1936 and 1939...

 or had been called up to serve in the regular German military for combat service in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. For the remainder of World War II, the 76th Standarte performed only ceremonial functions in Salzburg and had lost of its mustering membership by 1943. From 1944 to 1945, the unit was essentially inactive and was formally disbanded upon the surrender of Germany in May 1945.

Commanders

• SS-Führer
  Führer
  Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
  
   Heinrich Weitmner Edler von Weitenturm (April 20, 1934 - July 1, 1934)
  • SS-Oberscharführer
    Oberscharführer
    Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
    
     Hirscher [Acting Deputy] (May 5, 1934 - May 28, 1934)
  • SS-Hauptscharführer
    Hauptscharführer
    Hauptscharführer was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank of Sturmscharführer....
    
     Ludwig Sperl [Acting Deputy] (May 28, 1934 - June 15, 1934)
• SS-Obersturmbannführer
  Obersturmbannführer
  Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
  
   Johann von Feil (June 15, 1934 - November 21, 1934)
• SS-Untersturmführer
  Untersturmführer
  Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
  
   Robert Schweiger (November 21, 1934 - May 1, 1935)
• SS-Sturmbannführer
  Sturmbannführer
  Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
  
  Ernst Wahl (May 1, 1935 - May 31, 1935)
• SS-Untersturmführer Paul Koppenwallner (May 31, 1935 - July 7, 1935)
• SS-Untersturmführer Robert Schweiger (July 7, 1935 - December 23, 1935)
• SS-Sturmbannführer Ernst Wahl (December 23, 1935 - January 1, 1936)
• SS-Sturmbannführer Georg Wall (January 1, 1936 - May 8, 1945)

Reference

• Yerger, Mark C. Allgemeine-SS: The Commands, Units, and Leaders of the General SS, Schiffer Publishing (1997). ISBN 0-7643-0145-4