SS-Obergruppenführer
und General der Waffen-SS Theodor Eicke participated in World War I as a
paymaster. He later joined the "Zollgrenzschutz":, which were engaged
in the defense of Germany’s eastern borders against Polish attacks
following the Great War. Subsequent to this service with the latter
formations, Eicke joined the "Schützpolizei" and later a "Detective
Bureau".
Eicke had joined the "Polizei" in 1927 and
soon thereafter came into contact with the Allgemeine-SS. He became a
member and, compared to his fellow officers, was promoted quickly.
Together with his comrades in the Allgemeine-SS, as well as with the
police, NCOs and enlisted men discharged from the Reichswehr, he set up
"Hilfspolizei" squads (auxiliary police units formed in early 1933).
These were organized to combat Hitler’s opponents and also to guard them
after they had been arrested. Once the new government had obtained
power, Eicke formed so-called "SS-Hundertschaften", from which the later
"Totenkopfverbände" ("T.-Sturmbanne" and "T.-Standarten") evolved.
These men guarded the Oranienburg Concentration Camp near Berlin, as
well as the camp at Dachau, north of München. The prisoners in these
camps … communists, social-democrats, members of the "Reichsbanner", as
well as other opponents of Hitler … were often subjected to brutal
treatment.
It should be noted that when Eicke took over
the command of all concentration camp personnel, as well as all
SS-Totenkopfverbände, he attempted to train these men along army lines,
or at least in a manner similar to the training received by the
SS-Verfügungstruppe units. When the Reichswehr refused to issue Eicke’s
men with light infantry weapons, in contrast to the SS-Verfügungstruppe,
Eicke procured such weapons on his own, drawing upon the caches of arms
hidden by SA-troopers. Eicke also played a role in the crushing of the
"Röhm Putsch", and, as a result of laws passed after 30 June 1934, his
units officially became part of the SS under the supreme command of
Himmler. Up until that time, they had been directly subordinated to the
supreme command of the SA.
At any rate, by 1938/39,
Eicke’s troops had all received some basic military training and had
been issued with light infantry weapons such as rifles, carbines,
pistols, WWI machine-guns, and some mortars. When the Second World War
broke out, Eicke formed a division from the Totenkopf units, reinforced
by reserves from the Allgemeine-SS, Army reservists and the police. The
Division was partially motorized, had been constituted at Dachau (the
Waffen-SS training base), and had undergone full military training at
Obermünsingen, Württemberg, during the winter of 1939/40.
On
6th February 1943, Eicke was on an inspection flight in a
Fiessler-Storch when his plane was shot down by the Soviets and crashed
behind their lines. Several attempts were made by reinforced assault
squads to recover the remains of their commander. They finally
succeeded, after losing several men. Eicke was given an elaborate
funeral at one of the cemeteries of the Division near Orelka, Russia. In
a manner reminiscent of the funeral rites performed by the ancient
Germans upon the death of their tribesmen or kings, Theodor Eicke, or
"Papa Eicke", as his troops called him, was laid to rest.
Later,
when German forces had withdraw, officers from the divisional staff,
together with a few selected men, exhumed Eicke’s corpse and brought it
back by truck to Kiev. His remains were not to fall into enemy hands!
Officials from the legal section of the military authorities
investigated this incident and the officers responsible are said to have
been reprimanded.
Source :
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/topic/6937-ritterkreuztr%C3%A4ger-photos-in-color-thread/?page=2
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29942/Eicke-Theodor.htm
SS-Hauptsturmführer Otto Baum (Kommandeur III.Bataillon / SS-Totenkopf-infanterie-Regiment 3 / SS-Division "Totenkopf") with SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Theodor Eicke (Kommandeur SS-Division "Totenkopf")) in a war exercise ahead of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), spring 1941. This photo was taken shortly after Baum was transferred from Leibstandarte to Totenkopf (5 March 1941). Eicke - known for being stingy with praise and hard to impress - was always a tough commander and suspicious of newcomers assigned to his unit. He preferred to rely on direct judgment with his own eyes rather than on evaluations from other commanders. Therefore, it is the greatest pride when he considers Baum as one of his best commanders in terms of bravery and leadership!
