SS Rebellion

SS Rebellion
Part of The Cold War
From top to bottom: SS Troops in Germania, 1955, SS Troops preparing an attack against Heer units in Western Russia, n.d.
Date	1950s
Place	Germany
Result	Coup fails SS splits into the German and Burgundian Schutzstaffel Creation of the Order-State of Burgundy
Belligerents
German Government German Reich Wehrmacht Waffen-SS Schutzstaffel
Leaders
Adolf Hitler Hans Speidel Heinrich Himmler Reinhard Heydrich Oskar Dirlewanger (MIA, presumed Dead)

The SS Rebellion was an armed insurrection led by Heinrich Himmler and the leadership of the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the stagnation of the German Reich in the 1950s, at the height of the West Russian War.

Background

The victory over the Allies in the Second World War brought significant wealth and prestige to Germany. The Reich’s economy underwent rapid growth and expansion, due mostly to its vast conquests across Europe and Africa.

However, this prosperity and economic growth was short-lived, as ambitious projects sought by Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer drained the German treasury, which inevitably caused economic stagnation and financial crisis.

The Schutzstaffel, led by Heinrich Himmler, slowly became disgusted with what they saw as political and social degeneration of the Reich. Soon, plans were laid out by the SS's Leadership to seize power in a coup d'etat and run Germany on their own terms.

The Plan

Taking advantage of the chaotic situation caused by the West Russian War, SS Units began to prepare for the coup. By shifting key Waffen-SS forces just behind the frontlines of the Wehrmacht under the guise of enacting anti-partisan activities, they could take Heer units by surprise. Meanwhile, locally-quartered SS garrisons seized the capital of Germania and ousted Hitler from his position as Führer.

The Revelation and Collapse

Unbeknownst to the SS leadership, Heer General Hans Speidel with other generals in the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) discovered the SS’s plan. With no other choice, Heer units across the front attacked the SS who were planning to strike from their rear, driving many SS units to either surrender or flee; the 36th Waffen Grenadier Division was pushed deeper into Russia by the Heer's counterattack, seizing the city of Orsk, and establishing a kleptocratic bandit-based regime.

Hitler's Compromise

Hitler, having been notified directly by OKH about the SS Coup and the plans, summoned Himmler. Revealing his knowledge of Himmler’s plans, Hitler accused Himmler of treason. However, the situation was such that arresting Himmler would have led to civil unrest, forseeably a civil war.

As a compromise, Hitler offered Himmler the opportunity to establish the SS-Ordenstaat of Burgundy from the territories of Reichskommissariat Belgien-Nord Frankreich, which had recently been ceded to Germany by the French State. The SS in Germany proper would be transferred to the command of the relatively more moderate Reinhard Heydrich.

Consequences

Himmler's SS was effectively exiled to Burgundy, and the German SS was reorganised. Large numbers of loyal Waffen-SS divisions still remained in Germania under Reinhard Heydrich. Although officially distinct from the Burgundian SS, the German SS is strongly influenced by Burgundy, with Himmler still being de facto leader of the German SS.

The Wehrmacht’s traditional distrust of the SS intensified as a result of the attempted coup, and spread to other areas of political life in Germany, especially among the conservative and reformist factions.

As a result of his actions in finding the SS Plans and organising the counterattack against rebelling SS forces, Speidel would be promoted to Generalfeldmarschall and Chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW)