Sicherheitsdienst

The Security Service of the Reichsführer- SS (abbreviation SD) was part of the Nazi power structure in the time of National Socialism in the German Empire and during the war in occupied Europe. It was founded in 1931 as the intelligence of the NSDAP and its associated SS and was from 1939 the Reich Security Main Office ( RSHA). He was responsible for numerous crimes and was used specifically to combat political opponents and intimidate the population. Through its international division, he also dealt with espionage and covert operations.

History

Development and function

The SD was created on October 5, 1931 by Reichsführer- SS Heinrich Himmler, the SS intelligence and Reinhard Heydrich assumed. After the seizure of power by the Nazis in January 1933, the headquarters was moved from Munich to Berlin. His responsibilities included both the monitoring of political opponents as well as party members. This competed with the SD also Himmler and Heydrich assumed Gestapo. After the alleged Röhm - Putsch, the responsibilities of the two organizations closer definition. After that, the SD should support as espionage and counter-espionage service, the Gestapo in exposing enemies of the state. With the adoption of Rudolf Hess on June 9, 1934, the SD was the only party internal intelligence service of the Nazi Party.

In 1935, the division between the "General SD", which then with members of the Security Police ( Sipo ) was occupied, and the more important " news - SD", who conducted the surveillance of the population. The results were in the so-called " Leitheften " and later summarized the messages from the Reich. To this end, the SD 52 SD ( conductivity ) were sections with 51 main and 519 branch offices available ( see Listing SD upper section). 1944 worked there 6,482 full-time SD members and over 30,000 undercover agents. By pooling Main Office Security Police and the SD main office, the Reich Security Main Office ( RSHA) was established on 1 October 1939. Thus, the SD was completely in a state institution.

Even in the foreign espionage competed SD with state agencies, particularly the Office for Foreign Affairs / Defence of the Wehrmacht. In the wake of the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944, the SD could also gain control of this institution. The foreign - SD chatted own agent networks abroad, such as the Vatican and backed foreign fascist organizations. Especially in the former German territories in Poland and Czechoslovakia, as well as in other parts of Eastern Europe, the foreign - SD -organized terrorist groups among the German minorities, prepared as a so-called fifth columns of the German occupation. The foreign - SD was also instrumental in the preparation and execution of the attack on the Gleiwitz radio station on 31 August 1939, which was used as a propaganda pretext for the attack on Poland.

His seat had the SD in the Prinz- Albrecht- Palais at Wilhelmstrasse 102 in Berlin. The property now belongs to the Topography of Terror memorial.

Persecution of Jews

The SD was instrumental in the establishment and equipment of the SS Einsatzgruppen. The conviction was relevant, that the Jews "natural" enemies of the state and the Nazi party were. This attitude already came in December 1936 in a memorandum of the " department Jews " ( Division II 112) for expression in the as " provisional target [ ... ] the liberation of Germany from the Jews" was announced.

Further development

By 1942, the SD was led by Reinhard Heydrich. After Heydrich had died of his wounds in an attack in Prague, Ernst Kaltenbrunner took over the management until 1945.

The SD was sentenced at the Nuremberg process in addition to the SS and the Gestapo as a criminal organization.

Numerous members of the SD were FHO, Reinhard Gehlen, adopted in 1945 under the leadership of former major general of the Wehrmacht Division in Western intelligence agencies - first in the " Gehlen Organization ", which merged in 1956 in the newly established Federal Intelligence Service of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Staff and Organization

Head of the Security Service of the Reichsführer- SS were

• 1931-1939: SS-Sturmführer/SS-Standartenführer/SS-Obergruppenführer and General of Police Reinhard Heydrich, Chief of the Security Police and the SD