 Deubel was a civil servant with the customs office and actually took a leave of absence to join the SS rather than forgo his civil service pension.Deubel was an inspector at Dachau concentration camp in 1934 when commandant Theodor Eicke was promoted to a role overseeing all concentration camps.Deubel, by then an Oberführer in the SS, was nominated by Eicke as his successor.