19 Dec. 45
bearing on SS responsibility which were demonstrated by
that evidence
To satisfy the increased demands for manpower it was not enough to work
the inmates of the camp harder. More inmates had to be obtained. The SS,
through its police arm, was prepared to satisfy this demand, as through
the WVHA it was prepared to work those who were already in the camp.
THE PRESIDENT: Have you got any figures you can give the Tribunal as to
the total numbers in the SS and the total numbers who were employed on
concentration camps? If you gave us the total number of the SS and the
total number employed in concentration camps, we should see what the
proportion was.
MAJOR FARR: I think I can only give you these figures: I earlier quoted
some figures from D'Alquen in his book published in 1939, in which he
said that the total strength of the General SS was about 240,000. That
is the General SS, which was not at that time engaged in the guarding of
concentration camps. The Totenkopf Verbände (the Death's-Head
Units) at that time consisted of some three or four regiments at the
most. They were the guards; so that of the personnel who were employed
in actual guard duty there were, in 1939, about three or four regiments.
The Court will recall that after the war had started, the Totenkopf
Verbände were no longer employed in that duty and that the members
of the General SS took it up. How many were employed is something that
is difficult to estimate. The concentration camp program was constantly
expanding; and of course, as more camps were added more personnel was
needed. I can't give the Tribunal figures on the number of persons,
involved in guarding the camps, but one of the matters* I think
significant is this: We have not only guards, we have administrative
personnel; we have the whole of the WVHA which, as I want to show by
evidence, had complete control of the management of the concentration
camps. The members of the staff office, WVHA, were derived from the
General SS; so you have on the one hand the guard personnel,
Death's-Head Units up to 1939, and then you have after 1939 more guards
from the Allgemeine SS. You have, after 1939, more guards from the
General SS and also administrative personnel from WVHA.
I do not have figures on how many persons were engaged in one or
another phase of the concentration camp activities. You have, of course,
the SD and Security Police Involved in it, insofar as they went out and
seized victims. You have WVHA, the entire administrative personnel of
that section involved in it, insofar as they handled administrative
matters.
Some conception of the number of persons who must have been engaged in
the activity may be gained from noting the number of