WWII German SS

During World War II, the German Schutzstaffel (SS-Protection Squad) represented one of the most complex political and military organizations ever known to the world. Much of our knowledge of the German SS comes from media depictions of "monolithic Black Corps of goose stepping Gestapo men", however this is not an accurate depiction of the German SS organization (German SS 1). In reality, the German SS was a sophisticated bureaucratic structure that was comprised of three distinct entities, all interrelated but specific in their operations and aims: the Allgemeine-SS (General SS), the SS-Totenkopfverbande (SS Death's Head Guard), and Waffen-SS (Armed SS).

The military formation of the SS, the Waffen-SS, is one of the most historically misunderstood groups because it is often associated with the politics and brutality of the Allgemeine-SS and SS-Totenkopfverbande but it was actually a front line combat group. When Hitler founded the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NSDAP) in the 1920s, the group became known as the Nazi's glorifying "violence, war, and military might" (SS-Organization 2). Because of such underlying ideology, most Nazi party organizations evolved into paramilitary organizations. The first of these groups was known as the Sturm Abteilung (SA � Storm Troopers). Hitler became the dictator of Germany in 1933. Upon assuming power he had the leadership of the SA killed, because the organization had bec

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on of the German SS. The SS-FHA was also created in 1940 to oversee Waffen-SS. Waffen-SS military units operated under the command structure of the Heer and the OKH, but Hitler could give direct orders to the units via the OKW. Himmler gave direct orders to Waffen-SS units or sent them via the command of a HSSPF. As one historian notes, "Himmler created an incredibly complex chain of command while maintaining the right to give orders to any SS commanding officer. It is almost as if the purpose of this complexity and confusion was to give himself absolute authority rather than create efficiency in the Waffen-SS command structure. A breakdown of the ranks, divisions and troop types of the Waffen-SS are available in Appendices I-III (See p. 10-13). As soon as Hitler assumed power in 1933, Storm Troopers (Gestapo) immediately began erecting concentration camps. Violence and cruelty were the norm of these camps. When the SA fell in 1934, the SS took over the administration of the concentration camps. For this purpose, Himmler created the Death's Head Guard, SS- Totenkopfverbande, specifically for the purpose of overseeing the murder of millions of Jews and other political and ideological enemies of the Nazi Party. By 1940,

Category: History - W