Hauptamt SS-Gericht
Encyclopedia
The Hauptamt SS-Gericht (SS Court Head Office) was the legal department of the SS during the Third Reich. It was responsible for formulating the laws and codes that the SS and various other groups of the secret police and Wehrmacht
were to adhere to, as well as administering the SS and Police Courts and penal
systems.
This legal status meant all SS personnel were only accountable to the Hauptamt SS Gericht effectively placing them 'above regular German law'.
The Hauptamt SS Gericht's headquarters were the high court offices in Munich
. The Hauptamt SS Gericht had 605 qualified lawyers that passed sentences on members of the German armed forces, though Reichsführer-SS
Heinrich Himmler
often changed the sentences.
By 1944, the number of SS-Hauptamt offices within Germany had grown from 8 to 12.
The SS and Police Courts were the only authority that could try SS personnel for criminal behaviour.
The different SS and Police Courts were as follows:
The one exception to the SS and Police Courts jurisdiction involved members of the Allgemeine-SS who were serving on active duty in the regular Wehrmacht. In such cases, the SS member in question was subject to regular Wehrmacht military law and could face charges before a standard military tribunal.
Georg Morgen
, from the Hauptamt SS-Gericht, began investigating corruption and criminal activity within the Nazi concentration camps system
. He eventually prosecuted so many SS officers that by April 1944, Reichsführer-SS
Heinrich Himmler
personally ordered him to restrain his cases. Among the people he investigated was Karl Otto Koch
, the commandant of Buchenwald and Majdanek
, and husband of Ilse Koch
- as well as Buchenwald's concentration camp doctor Waldemar Hoven
, who was accused of murdering both inmates and camp guards who threatened to testify against Koch.
In 1944, while investigating the Auschwitz commander, Rudolf Höß
, Morgen's assistant Hauptscharführer
Gerhard Putsch disappeared and was not heard from again. Some theorized this was a warning for Morgen to ease up on his investigations, as his quarters were burned down shortly afterwards.
Morgen, who had been an SS judge
and investigator
, later testified at the Nuremberg trials
. He later claimed that he fought for justice during the Nazi
era, and cited his long list of 800 investigations into criminal activity at concentration camps during his two years of activity.
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:...
were to adhere to, as well as administering the SS and Police Courts and penal
Penal
Peneral is a town in south Trinidad. It lies south of San Fernando and Debe, and north of Siparia. Originally a rice and cocoa producing area, Penal has grown into an important town in the past few years and is now a desirable place for corporate expansion...
systems.
History
Early in the Nazi regime SS personnel were charged with breaking the law through the performance of their duties at the Dachau concentration camp in 1934. Under such circumstances, the Nazi regime realised it would be expedient to remove the SS and police units from the jurisdiction of the civilian courts. This was achieved with a petition to the Reich Ministry of Justice.This legal status meant all SS personnel were only accountable to the Hauptamt SS Gericht effectively placing them 'above regular German law'.
Organization
The Hauptamt SS Gericht was an extension of the previous SS Gericht, an organization that administered surveys of the SS and police forces and their codes of honor. The Hauptamt SS Gericht had four departments :- Amt I Legal affairs
- Amt II Organisation, personnel & disciplinary matters
- Amt III Pardons, reprieves and the execution of sentences
- Amt IV Liaison office
The Hauptamt SS Gericht's headquarters were the high court offices 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...
. The Hauptamt SS Gericht had 605 qualified lawyers that passed sentences on members of the German armed forces, though Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
often changed the sentences.
By 1944, the number of SS-Hauptamt offices within Germany had grown from 8 to 12.
SS and Police Courts
The Hauptamt SS-Gericht administered also 38 regional SS courts throughout the Third Reich under legal jurisdiction which superseded civilian courts. These laws extended to all SS and police force members operating in Germany or throughout occupied Europe.The SS and Police Courts were the only authority that could try SS personnel for criminal behaviour.
The different SS and Police Courts were as follows:
- SS- und Polizeigericht: Standard SS and Police Court for trial of SS officers and enlisted men accused of minor and somewhat serious crimes
- Feldgerichte: Waffen-SS Court for court martial of Waffen-SS military personnel accused of violating the military penal code of the German Armed Forces.
- Oberstes SS- und Polizeigericht: The Supreme SS and Police Court for trial of serious crimes and also any infraction committed by SS Generals.
- SS- und Polizeigericht z.b. V.: The Extraordinary SS and Police Court was a secret tribunal that was assembled to deal with highly sensitive issues which were desired to be kept secret even from the SS itself.
The one exception to the SS and Police Courts jurisdiction involved members of the Allgemeine-SS who were serving on active duty in the regular Wehrmacht. In such cases, the SS member in question was subject to regular Wehrmacht military law and could face charges before a standard military tribunal.
Investigations of the Bloodhound Judge
In 1943 SS-SturmbannführerSturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
Georg Morgen
Georg Konrad Morgen
Georg Konrad Morgen was an SS judge and lawyer who investigated crimes committed in Nazi concentration camps.-Life:...
, from the Hauptamt SS-Gericht, began investigating corruption and criminal activity within the Nazi concentration camps system
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
. He eventually prosecuted so many SS officers that by April 1944, Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
personally ordered him to restrain his cases. Among the people he investigated was Karl Otto Koch
Karl Otto Koch
Karl-Otto Koch , a Standartenführer in the German Schutzstaffel , was the first commandant of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen, and later also served as a commander at the Majdanek concentration camp.-Early life:Koch was born in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse on...
, the commandant of Buchenwald and Majdanek
Majdanek
Majdanek was a German Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, Poland, established during the German Nazi occupation of Poland. The camp operated from October 1, 1941 until July 22, 1944, when it was captured nearly intact by the advancing Soviet Red Army...
, and husband of Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch, née Köhler , was the wife of Karl-Otto Koch, commandant of the Nazi concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941, and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943...
- as well as Buchenwald's concentration camp doctor Waldemar Hoven
Waldemar Hoven
Waldemar Hoven was a Nazi and a physician at Buchenwald concentration camp.Hoven was born in Freiburg, Germany. Between the years 1919 and 1933, he visited Denmark, Sweden, the United States, and France, returning in 1933 to Freiburg, where he completed his high school studies. He then attended...
, who was accused of murdering both inmates and camp guards who threatened to testify against Koch.
In 1944, while investigating the Auschwitz commander, Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss was an SS-Obersturmbannführer , and from 4 May 1940 to November 1943, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, where it is estimated that more than a million people were murdered...
, Morgen's assistant 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....
Gerhard Putsch disappeared and was not heard from again. Some theorized this was a warning for Morgen to ease up on his investigations, as his quarters were burned down shortly afterwards.
Morgen, who had been an SS judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and investigator
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
, later testified at the Nuremberg trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. He later claimed that he fought for justice during the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
era, and cited his long list of 800 investigations into criminal activity at concentration camps during his two years of activity.