Sicherheitsdienst

The SD and the Spartans of Heydrich

Sicherheitsdienst (SD)

Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), oversees the German Reich's most secretive and ruthless intelligence organization. Tasked with maintaining ideological purity, suppressing dissent, and conducting operations beyond the reach of conventional military forces, the SD operates as a state within a state.

Origins of the SD:

Initially established as the SS's intelligence agency, the SD expanded rapidly under Heydrich's leadership. By 1946, it operates across all Axis territories, monitoring party loyalty, overseeing internal security, and neutralizing threats—both real and imagined.

• Headquarters: Berlin, with regional directorates across Europe and the Eastern territories
• Key Focus: Surveillance, counter-intelligence, internal purges, and ideological education

The Spartans of Heydrich

Known internally as "Heydrichs Spartiaten", this elite paramilitary division of the SD was created in 1943 to carry out black operations, psychological warfare, and clandestine eliminations.

Role and Duties:

• High-value target eliminations
• Suppression of resistance leaders and underground networks
• Punitive operations against dissident elements within the Reich
• Monitoring and executing purge orders among SS, Wehrmacht, and party officials

Symbolism and Uniform:

• Black or Brown combat uniforms
• Operate in cells of 6–12 men, often without insignia during covert missions
• Presence often announced by graffiti or flyers reading: "The Reich sees everything."

Training and Doctrine:

• Rigorous ideological vetting and psychological conditioning
• Trained in sabotage, assassination, torture resistance, and multilingual infiltration
• Indoctrinated with absolute loyalty to Heydrich and the concept of the "Ideological Frontline"

Reputation:

• Feared even within the SS
• Often described as "Heydrich's invisible dagger"
• Known for loyalty and ruthlessness; a tool of control and terror

Status in 1946:

The Spartans are currently active in suppressing unrest in Moskowien, Ukraine, and the Balkan Protectorates. Rumors persist of internal purges within the Reichskommissariats, eliminating those seen as ideologically weak or potentially disloyal.

Though small in number—estimated at 3,000 operatives—their influence is immense. Their operations are rarely documented. To many, they are ghosts; to Heydrich, they are the executioners of his vision of a perfectly loyal Reich.