Joseph Berchtold | |
|---|---|
 Berchtold in his SA uniform | |
| 2nd Reichsführer-SS | |
| In office 15 April 1926 – 1 March 1927 | |
| Leader | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Julius Schreck |
| Succeeded by | Erhard Heiden |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1897 Ingolstadt, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire |
| Died | 23 August 1962 (aged 65) Herrsching, Bavaria, West Germany |
| Political party | Nazi Party (1920–1921, 1922–1945) |
| Other political affiliations | German Workers' Party (1920) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Branch/service |  Imperial German Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Joseph Berchtold (6 March 1897 – 23 August 1962) was an early senior Nazi Party member and a co-founder of both the Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS).
Berchtold served in World War I and upon Germany's defeat joined the German Workers' Party (DAP), a small extremist organization at the time. He remained in the party after it became known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party; NSDAP) and went on to become the second commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS) from April 1926 to March 1927.
After resigning as the SS leader, Berchtold spent much of his time writing for Nazi magazines and journals. He survived the war, but was arrested by the Allies. Berchtold was later released and died in 1962. He was the last surviving person to hold the rank of Reichsführer-SS and the only one to survive the Second World War.