The First SS-Abschnitt was a brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

 formation of the Allgemeine-SS and the first such unit ever established in the SS. The First Abschnitt was originally known as the SS-Brigaden 1, and was founded due to an expansion of the SS between 1929 and 1930 causing the need for SS-regiments (known as Standarten) to be grouped into higher brigade sized formations. The SS-Brigades were modeled after the same type of unit used by the Sturmabteilung

Sturmabteilung

The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...

.

The 1st SS-Brigade was headquartered in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

 and its original leadership staff were former members of the 1st SS-Standarte

1st SS-Standarte

The 1st SS-Standarte was a regimental command of the Allgemeine-SS and one of the most important units in the General-SS order of battle. The unit was formed on August 1, 1928 as the SS reorganized from previous units known as SS-Gaus. Based in Munich, the 1st SS Standarte was charged with...

, of which the 1st Brigade now acted as the commanding formation; the first appointed brigade commander was Josef Dietrich. Dietrich was technically the commander of the Abschnitt until 1932, although after a few short months, Dietrich began to become more and more involved in Hitler's personal protection corps (later to become the nucleus of the Leibstandarte-SS

1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler

The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. Initially the size of a regiment, the LSSAH eventually grew into a divisional-sized unit...

) and left the day-to-day running of the 1st Brigade to subordinates. During these years, Dietrich was also listed as the commander of the SS-Group South, which was the superior command to the 1st SS-Brigade.

By 1933, the name of the command had been changed to SS-Abschnitt I, or the 1st SS-District. As the Nazi Party came to power, and Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

 went to Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 along with Dietrich's Leibstandarte, the association of the Abschnitt's role with Hitler's presence in Munich gradually diminished and the command became more involved with ceremonial functions surrounding the Munich Brown House

Brown House, Munich, Germany

The Brown House was the national headquarters of the Nazi Party in Germany.A large impressive stone structure, it was located at 45 Brienner Straße in Munich, Bavaria...

.

Through the 1930s, the Abschnitt was seen as one of the more important units within the SS, as Munich was still viewed as a highly important city due to Munich's status as the birthplace of the Nazi Party. The Abschnitt continued to operate in full force until the start of World War II, when many of the Abschnitt staff were either conscripted into the Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 or joined 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...

.

By 1943, the daily operations of the Abschnitt had been overshadowed by the Office of the SS and Police Leader

SS and Police Leader

SS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...

, although the First Abschnitt continued to be listed as an active command until the end of the war. The Abschnitt was disbanded in May of 1945, upon the collapse of 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...

.

Chain of Command

• Superior Command: SS-Oberabschnitt Süd
  SS-Oberabschnitt Süd
  SS-Oberabschnitt Süd, often translated as "SS-District South" or "SS-Group South", was a division strength command of the Allgemeine-SS and the oldest SS-division in continuous existence from the inception of the SS in the late 1920s to the downfall of Nazi Germany in 1945.-Reference:* Yerger, Mark C...
  
  
• Subordinate Commands: 1st SS-Standarte
  1st SS-Standarte
  The 1st SS-Standarte was a regimental command of the Allgemeine-SS and one of the most important units in the General-SS order of battle. The unit was formed on August 1, 1928 as the SS reorganized from previous units known as SS-Gaus. Based in Munich, the 1st SS Standarte was charged with...
  
  

Commanders

• SS-Gruppenführer
  Gruppenführer
  Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
  
   Josef Dietrich (July 11, 1930 - August 11, 1932)
• SS-Oberführer Erasmus Freiherr von Malsen-Ponickau (August 11, 1932 - May 2, 1933)
• SS-Standartenführer
  Standartenführer
  Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
  
   Wilhelm Starck (May 2, 1933 - April 17, 1934)
• SS-Oberführer Heinz Roch (Aprril 17, 1934 - March 15, 1936)
• SS-Brigadeführer
  Brigadeführer
  SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
  
  Christoph Diehm (March 15, 1936 - March 1, 1939)
• SS-Oberführer Hans Döring (March 1, 1939 - October 31, 1942)
• Post Vacant (Deputy Commanders Only) (November 1, 1942 - April 1, 1943)
• SS-Brigadeführer Franz Jaegy (April 1, 1943 - 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