Reichsführer-SS

E61738

Reichsführer-SS was the highest rank and title of the Schutzstaffel (SS) in Nazi Germany, most infamously held by Heinrich Himmler as head of the SS and a principal architect of the Holocaust.

Aliases (1)
  • Reichsführung-SS ×2

Statements (51)
Predicate Object
instanceOf military rank
position of authority
title
abolished 1945
associatedWithEvent Holocaust
World War II
branch SS
Schutzstaffel
category Holocaust perpetrators
Nazi Party positions
SS ranks
controls Allgemeine SS
Gestapo (via SS and police leadership structures)
Reich Main Security Office (RSHA) (through Himmler)
SS-Totenkopfverbände
Sicherheitsdienst (SD)
Waffen-SS
country Nazi Germany
elevatedToHighestRank 1934
equivalentRank Generaloberst (approximate)
establishedAsTitle 1926
hierarchicalLevel highest rank in the SS
ideology Nazism
racist antisemitic ideology
languageOfName German
literalMeaning Reich Leader of the SS
mostInfamousHolder Heinrich Himmler
notableOfficeHolder Erhard Heiden
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945)
Joseph Berchtold
Julius Schreck
Karl Hanke
officeHolderCount 5
partOf Schutzstaffel
rankGroup general officer rank
responsibleFor coordination of Nazi security and police forces
implementation of racial policies of Nazi Germany
organization of concentration camp system
oversight of Einsatzgruppen (through SS command)
role chief of all SS organizations
head of the SS
key role in implementation of the Holocaust
oversight of SS and police apparatus
senior Nazi Party leadership position
shortName RFSS
subordinateTo Adolf Hitler
Führer of Nazi Germany
timePeriod 1930s
1940s
uniformInsignia special collar patches with oak leaves and SS runes


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