The SS Members personal files from the Berlin Document Center

The Berlin Document Center (BDC), was established on 10 May 1945, immediately after the occupation of Berlin by the Allied forces. The purpose of the BDC was to concentrate the archival documentation of the German government institutions, the Nazi party and the organizations associated with the party. The Collection was officially returned to German ownership in the 1990s. This collection includes personal files of SS officers above the rank of Untersturmfuehrer has been kept at the BDC. In the files there is varied documentation, and in certain instances, the BDC personnel have added documentation regarding a specific officer from other collections in the BDC archive. A large number of files regarding the SS officers were created from questionnaires concerning the personality of the officer. In addition to general data, there is also psychological and medical information and information regarding the officer's outlook on life. In the SS personal files there is an effort to describe and define the level of efficiency of the officer, and if he can be relied on or not. The documentation helps in learning about the SS officer's character; however one must take into account the identity of this Nazi source of information. In addition to information regarding the person, one can also learn about the SS systems and their development during the course of the war from the documentation. Every so often, one can find contradictions in the answers or changes in the answers to similar questions in the questionnaires, for example:"Are you religious (gottglaeubig)?"In the early 1930s, officers Hoppe and Hoess replied in the affirmative to this question, however, in the early 1940s, they answered a similar question in the negative. In the documentation, changes can be recognized in the personality evaluations of each officer as well. With the establishment of the SS, the criteria for evaluation of the officers were high, and therefore every small infraction of the officer, such as drunkenness or lack of manners, was entered in the file. However, already in the early 1940s, carrying out one's job was regarded as the main value, and therefore, people who formerly were almost forced to leave the organization because of their behavior were recognized as outstanding soldiers (for example, Anton Ganz was found guilty of fraud and offense). One determining factor in these cases was whether the infraction was committed before 1933, and if it was committed in the service of the Nazi party. For example, Rudolf Hoess was accused of murder, but the Nazi party defined the act as Fememord (the murder of a leftist on an ideological background), and therefore the murder was not regarded as an infraction, but rather as a positive act. In the documentation there are interesting details regarding the personal and economical situation of some of the officers. In certain instances officers who wished to be married were obliged to go through a long process along with their prospective spouses, including disclosure of additional personal details. The couple had to reveal not only their family trees, but their economic condition as well. Here, too, one can observe various changes that took place during the war.Despite the fact that the documentation does not have full information regarding the events of the Holocaust, it can be still used in many instances to complete the general picture of the events of this period. YV archives Catalogue and list of the SS members in German Language is available in file 65/300 in the YV archives as well as description of the files in Hebrew and English are available on IDEA ALM system at Yad Vashem Archives reading room