SS-Junkerschule
SS Leader Schools (German: SS-Führerschulen), as of 8 August 1937 officially SS-Junker Schools (German: SS-Junkerschulen), were leadership training facilities for officer candidates of the Schutzstaffel (
). The first facilities were established at (Bad) Tölz and Braunschweig in 1934 and 1935. Additional schools were founded at Klagenfurt and Posen-Treskau in 1943, and Prague in 1944. By 1945, more than 15,000 cadets from these training institutions were commissioned as officers in the Waffen-SS.
History
SS leader schools as separate schools for the SS's leadership personnel were an early part of Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler's elite military concept. In terms of space, it was possible to fall back on the former public sports schools. The future leader corps of the Allgemeine SS as well as the SS-Verfügungstruppe and later the Waffen-SS were to be trained in them. Adolf Hitler opened the first SS Leader School in Bad Tölz in the spring of 1934. A little later, Felix Steiner became the commander of this school.
In the spring of 1935, the SS Leader School in Braunschweig was set up, which, under the direction of Paul Hausser, was also intended to train military command personnel for the armed forces. In terms of organizational structure, the leadership schools of the armed SS corresponded to the leadership schools of the General SS. In 1937, Himmler rechristened the Leadership Schools to "Junker Schools" in honor of the land-owning Junker aristocracy that once dominated the Prussian military.
Candidates for courses at the Junker schools – apart from sporting ones – were not required to have any special skills. They were recommended by their superiors based solely on their performance and character. Approximately 90 % of the participants had a general school qualification. The trained officers of the SS-Verfügungstruppe and the Waffen-SS were supposed to represent a primarily military and racial elite. However, since higher education or a Abitur was required for officer leadership areas within the Waffen-SS, from 1940 onwards, priority was given to accepting graduates from the National Political Educational Institutions (NPEA).
General military instruction over logistics and planning was provided but much of the training concentrated on small-unit tactics associated with raids, patrols, and ambushes. Training an SS officer took as much as nineteen months overall and encompassed additional things like map reading, tactics, military maneuvers, political education, weapons training, physical education, combat engineering and even automobile mechanics, all of which were provided in varying degrees at additional training facilities based on the cadet's specialization.
Because of the socially very heterogeneous composition of the leadership candidates and their very different education and military qualifications, the task of this office was to standardize the level of training and social behavior as far as possible. The SS Junkers swore the oath to Adolf Hitler personally. After successful graduation (for which they would receive the Honour Sword of the Reichsführers-SS), the cadets attended an almost three-month-long platoon leader course (Zugführerlehrgang) and were then commissioned as SS-Untersturmführer (2nd Lieutenant).
First courses (Friedens-Junker-Lehrgänge)
- 1st SS leader candidate course (1st Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school in Tölz (full course) 1 April 1934 to 22 December 1934
- 2nd SS leader candidate course (2nd Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school in Tölz (full course) 24 April 1935 to 31 January 1936
- 2nd SS leader candidate course (2nd Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school in Braunschweig (full course) 24 April 1935 to 31 January 1936
- 3rd SS leader candidate course (3rd Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school in Braunschweig (full course) 1 April 1936 to 31 January 1937
- 4th SS leader candidate course (4th Peace Junker course) at the SS leader school in Braunschweig (full course) 1 April 1937 to 31 January 1938
- 5th Peace Junker course at the SS Junker School in Tölz (full course) from 1 October 1937 to 31 July 1938
- 6th Peace Junker Course at the SS Junker School in Braunschweig (full course) 1 April 1938 to 31 January 1939
- 7th Peace Junker Course at the SS Junker School in Tölz (full course) 15 November 1938 to 15 August 1939
On 8 August 1937, the name was officially changed to “SS Junker Schools”, and military training was strictly based on German Army regulations. The War Junker courses (short courses) in Tölz and Braunschweg took place from 1 April 1939, the War Reserve Leader Candidate courses on 1 February 1940, with the 4th War Reserve Leader Candidate course (at the same time as the 5th Kriegsjunker and 3rd Reserve Leader course in Tölz) took place at the SS-Unterführerschule (SS NCO School) Radolfzell.
Other Leader Schools
Various National Socialist organizations offered leadership schools. The first Reich Leader School (Reichsführerschulen der NSDAP) was established by the Sturmabteilung. Graduates were awarded the Kampfrune which was worn on the upper left sleeve above the swastika armband. The Sicherheitspolizei (Leader School in Berlin-Charlottenburg), the Sicherheitsdienst (Leader School in Bernau near Berlin), the Reich Labor Service, the NSKK, the BDM, the NS-Volkswohlfahrt, the Association of Germans Abroad, the Reich Air Defense Association (Reichsluftschutzbund), the German Faith Movement (Leader School in Tübingen) and even the German Red Cross had such institutions. Very well known were the Leader School of the German medical profession (Führerschule der Deutschen Ärzteschaft) and the Reich School of the Reich Nährstand for physical exercises (Reichsschule des Reichsnährstandes für Leibesübungen).
