Freiwillige Schutzstaffel


Freiwillige Schutzstaffel was a paramilitary organization in the World War II Slovak Republic. FS was founded in late 1938. Modelled on the German Sturmabteilung and the Allgemeine SS, FS organized members of the German community in Slovakia. It functioned as the paramilitary wing of the German Party. Walter Donath served as the national commander of FS.
Two government regulations issued in 1939 provided the legal cover for FS; decree no. 240 issued September 27, 1939 and decree no. 311 issued December 21, 1939. Through the latter decree the Slovak government recognized FS and the German Youth as paramilitary organizations operating in the frame of the German Party. FS members were assigned to protect infrastructure and persecuted deserters from the Polish front. FS also sent fighters to take part in the German war effort against Poland. Along with its Slovak counterpart, the Hlinka Guard, FS conducted attacks against the Jewish communities in Slovakia.
As of March 1939 FS was organized into three Sturmbannen. The title of the commander of a Sturmbann was Sturmbannführer. The geographic area covered by a Sturmbann corresponded to the territorial units of the German Party: Pressburg, Kremnitz-Deutsch Proben and Zips. At this point FS had 4,604 members. At the time of its foundation FS membership was open to ethnic German males aged 18-35, who could provide proof of Aryan lineage three generations back. In June 1941 membership was opened up to party members up to the age of 50. The uniform of FS was largely identical to that of Allgemeine SS. Its symbol was an eagle carrying a shield with a swastika.
On February 15, 1940 the number of Sturmbannen was increased to six;
However, the six Sturmbannen did not cover all of the FS membership. In areas with small German populations, FS members adhered directly to the national headquarters of FS. At this point FS had 4,622 members. As of early 1941 FS membership stood at around 5,500, by October 1941 it stood at 6,810. FS was again reorganized on September 14, 1942 with the creation of a seventh Sturmbann in Považie. From that point onwards all FS members were included into a Sturmbann.
FS participated, along with the Hlinka Guard, in the deportation of Jews from Slovakia in 1942.
Not all FS members were in active military service, by late 1942 5,832 out of 7,646 FS members were in active service. And whilst membership in FS continued to increase throughout the war, the percentage of FS members in active service declined. The decline was a result of recruitment into Waffen-SS. In this process the German Party leadership gradually lost some of its influence over FS, as the organization became increasingly subordinated to SS. In 1943 Donath left his post as FS commander to fight on the Eastern Front. F. Klug, hitherto leader of the German Youth organization, was named the new FS commander.
Again in 1944 FS participated in deportations of Jews from Slovakia.