By Richard Landwehr
SS Guard Battalion 1
This battalion was formed as the SS Guard Detachment Berlin from the VII. Battalion/“Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler” on 15 January 1942. In December 1942 the greater part of the battalion was transferred to the SS Brigade “Schuldt” was heavily engaged until March 1943. The portion of the battalion that was not a part of this brigade was reformed into an SS Guard Company for Berlin. Orders for this were dated retroactively to 1 December 1942, although most of the battalion did not jointed Brigade “Schuldt” until 21 December 1942.
On 1 December 1943, the SS guard formation in Berlin was upgraded again and received its final designation: SS Guard Battalion 1, Berlin. The battalion undertook emergency duties during the coup attempt of 20 July 1944, and part of it later served with Kampfgruppe “Spaeth” in Kustrin in April 1945. The rest of the battalion served with the Regiment “Brandenburg” during the battle for Berlin in April-May 1945.
SS Guard Battalion 2
Formed in April 1941 as SS Guard Battalion Prague and redesignated SS Guard Battalion 2 on 1 December 1943. Duty station: Prague.
SS Guard Battalion 3 (Btl. “Nordwest”)
This unit was formed initially as part of the staff company of the Higher SS and Police Leader in Holland on 12 April 1941, and was expanded to SS Guard Battalion “Nordwest” on the orders of Reichsführer-SS Himmler, effective 1 January 1942. The battalion was designed to carry out security duties in Holland under the orders of the Higher SS and Police Leader “Nordwest.”
While some sources indicate that some of the overage person- nel from the defunct 6th SS Regiment “Nordwest” might have been used in this battalion, there seems to have been no other connection between the two units. SS Guard Btl. 3 “Nordwest” was composed of Dutch volunteers who wore a right collar- patch that bore a silver “Wolf Hook” rune on a black field. For the most part the battalion’s soldiers guarded internment camps for captured terrorists and subversives. The order-of-battle for the battalion was as follows:
|
Order-of-Battle |
Field Post Number |
|
Staff |
44 138 |
|
Staff Company |
26 908 |
|
1st Company |
25 069 |
|
2nd Company |
46 736 |
|
3rd Company |
47 862 |
|
Garrison towns: The Hague, Amersfoort, Westerbrook and Hertogenbusch. |
|
From 1942 on the battalion headquarters was based in The Hague. On 20 October 1942, the SS Main Leadership Office authorized the formation of a 4th Guard Company for Btl. “Nordwest.” On the orders of the Reichsführer-SS Himmler dated 2 November 1944, SS Guard Btl. 3 was incorporated into the newly forming SS Volunteer Brigade “Landstorm Nederland.” 1st and 2nd Companies/Btl. “Nordwest” became the 1st and 2nd Anti-tank Companies of the Brigade “LN’s” SS Antitank Detachment 60. Some elements of Btl. “Nordwest” were added to the Staff Company/HSSuPF “Nordwest” in The Hague, during a reformation of that unit that took in November 1944.
SS Guard Battalion 4
This unit was formed during the course of November 1943 at the SS Troop Training Grounds “Kurmark” near Jamlitz on the Baltic coast. It consisted of a staff and four companies all of which used the Field Post number 01 496. In late 1944 the battalion was dissolved and the personnel were sent to other Waffen-SS combat units.
Extremely rare photo of the first SS security guard detachment in the Hague, Netherlands, being inspected by the Higher SS and Police Leader for Holland, Hans Albin Rauter. in April 1941. This element became the nucleus cadre for SS Guard Battalion “Nordwest” later in the year. Photo by SS reporter S. Fritz.
SS Guard Battalion 5
This battalion was formed in late 1943/early 1944 at the SS Troop Training Grounds “West Prussia” in the Konitz district of West Prussia. By 1945, its troops had been dispatched to other frontline SS elements.
SS Guard Battalion 6
This battalion was activated effective 1 December 1942 in Oslo, Norway, to serve under the Higher SS and Police Leader (HSSuPF) for Norway. Initially known as the SS Guard Battalion “Oslo” and also SS Guard Battalion “Nord,” it officially became SS Guard Battalion 6 on 1 December 1943. In early 1944 the battalion was dissolved. The unit consisted of a staff, bearing the Field Post number 03 063 and four companies that had the FP number 47 260.
SS Guard Battalion “Bohemia-Moravia”
This unit was established on 30 July 1940 as a special guard battalion for Bohemia and Moravia. It consisted of one staff group and two rifle companies deployed as follows:
Battalion Staff in Prague
1st Company in Thresienstadt
2nd Company in Bruenn
SS Battalion SS Troop Training Grounds “Debica”
On 18 August 1941, the SS Main Leadership Office ordered the formation of an independent security guard battalion at the SS Training Grounds “Debica” in Poland to commence on 1 September 1941. The battalion was assembled from parts of the following elements:
Staff Company/“Debica” SS Training Grounds SS Construction Battalion “Debica”
Signals Platoon/Command Staff “Debica”
SS Guard Battalion “Oranienburg” (Totenkopfwachsturmbanne)
SS Guard Battalion “Nord”
Formed in the course of October 1942 in Norway with a staff and four companies using the FP number 03 063. Redesignated SS Guard Btl. 6 on 1 December 1942 and subordinated to the Higher SS and Police Leader for Norway.
SS Guard Battalion “Obersalzberg”
This unit was formed from the SS Guard Company 9, which had the job of guarding Hitler’s country residence in the area. It consisted of a staff, one engineer and three infantry companies. On 9 November 1944 it was upgraded to the 3rd SS Gebirgsjaeger (Mountain) Battalion “Obersalzberg.” In April 1945 the battalion relinquished its guard duties to the local Volkssturm/ Home Guard and was sent to the Western Front. It saw heavy action around Reichenhall as part of an Army battle-group. The battalion surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945.
SS Guard Battalion “Oranienburg”
This battalion was formed in January 1941 and most of it was sent to the SS Btl. SS Training Grounds “Debica” in September 1941. The battalion’s 5th Company was formed from the SS Guard Company at the Reich Main Security Office.
SS Guard Company 7
This company was garrisoned in Munich.
SS Guard Company 8
This was the SS Guard Company for Vienna that was established effective 20 December 1941. It was subordinated to the Waffen-SS garrison commander in Vienna.
SS Guard Company 9
Formed for security duties around the Berghof in Obersalzberg. Incorporated into the SS Guard Btl. “Obersalzberg.”
SS Guard Company 10
This company was stationed in Budapest and came under the Waffen-SS commander for Hungary. It was destroyed in the bitter fighting for the city of Budapest in late 1944/early 1945.
SS Guard Company “Bohemia”
This was an independent guard company under the control of the commandant of the SS Troop Training Grounds “Bohemia.”
SS Guard Company “Hegewald”
Formed on the orders of the W-SS high command on 9 November 1942 for security duties in White Russia. This company was subordinated to the Waffen-SS supply depot commandant in Bobruisk. In the autumn of 1944, with the loss of the territory, Company “Hegewald” was dissolved. Actually this unit was the equivalent of one-half of a battalion in size and consisted of a staff and two companies with the FP number 48 688.
Sketch of an SS artilleryman by Ramiro Bujeiro.
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