SS was primarily the specialized and dutiful servant of Adolf Hitler. However, each branch had different purposes and goals. The Allgemeine-SS dealt with politics and administration. The SS-Totenkopfverbande in coordination with the Allgemeine-SS was responsible for carrying out Hitler’s Final Solution of exterminating all Jews and other undesirables. The Waffen-SS, on the other hand, was an elite military formation of approximately 600,000 individuals by the end of WWII, one whose divisions and units “would spearhead some of the most crucial battles of WWII while its men would shoulder some of the most difficult and daunting combat operations of all the unites in the German military” (German SS 1).
Each of the three branches of the German SS had distinct purposes and goals. While each of these branches is distinct with different purposes and goals, it is important to remember that all three are interrelated and part of the overall German SS organization. The Allgemeine-SS was responsible for political and administrative duties. It oversaw all SS operations and unites. Below is a general description of the main departments that made up the German SS and their purposes:
SS-Fuhrungshauptamt (FHA): Organized arms & weapons & vehicles for the Waffen SS, also training, wages, transport, geology, war archives, medical and dental service.
SS-Wirtschaft und Verwaltungshauptamt (WVHA): Provided rations, uniforms & equipment. Also included economic and administrative departments, industrial/agricultural projects, finance, and oversaw the concentration camp system.
SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA): Reich Central Security Office – responsible for the internal security of the Nazi empire; included the Gestapo, the Kripo (criminal police), etc. – Oversaw the administration of the Final Solution.
SS-Rasse und SieflungsHauptamt (RuSHA): Race and Settlement Department. Chartered to maintain Aryan racial ‘purity...