Waffen-SS
Quick Summary
The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Nazi Party's SS (Schutzstaffel), founded by Adolf Hitler in 1925 as a personal bodyguard. It grew into a powerful organization with police and military authority. The Waffen-SS served in combat, administered concentration camps, and conducted mass executions.12
The Waffen-SS was known for its fanaticism and absolute obedience to Hitler. Members were indoctrinated with racial hatred and trained to disregard human suffering. Following World War II, the SS was declared a criminal organization by the Allied Tribunal in Nuremberg in 1946.12
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Heinrich HimmlerHe expanded the Waffen-SS (āArmed SSā) until, with 35 divisions, it rivaled the army. He also gained control of the intelligence network, military armaments (after the abortive attempt on Hitlerās life of July 20, 1944), the Volkssturm (āPeopleās Storm Troopā), a mass levy of mostly older men, andā¦
Read MoreHe expanded the Waffen-SS (āArmed SSā) until, with 35 divisions, it rivaled the army. He also gained control of the intelligence network, military armaments (after the abortive attempt on Hitlerās life of July 20, 1944), the Volkssturm (āPeopleās Storm Troopā), a mass levy of mostly older men, andā¦
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Third ReichThe Nazi empireā¦alsoāin his oversight of the Waffen (armed) SS divisions, some 500,000 strong by 1944ācreated a rival army to the Wehrmacht.
Read Moreā¦alsoāin his oversight of the Waffen (armed) SS divisions, some 500,000 strong by 1944ācreated a rival army to the Wehrmacht.
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WehrmachtCreation and structure of the Wehrmachtā¦to the OKW was the Waffen-SS, which comprised the āpolitical soldiersā of the Nazi Party. In addition to serving as Hitlerās personal bodyguard, administering concentration camps, and carrying out some of the most horrific atrocities of the Holocaust, men of the Waffen-SS fought as combat troops alongside the regular army.ā¦
Read Moreā¦to the OKW was the Waffen-SS, which comprised the āpolitical soldiersā of the Nazi Party. In addition to serving as Hitlerās personal bodyguard, administering concentration camps, and carrying out some of the most horrific atrocities of the Holocaust, men of the Waffen-SS fought as combat troops alongside the regular army.ā¦
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