SS soldiers: history and photo

Schutzstaffel, or detachment of protection - so in Nazi Germany in 1923-1945. called SS soldiers, paramilitary groups of the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). The main task of the combat unit at the initial stage of formation is the personal protection of the leader, Adolf Hitler.

SS soldiers: the beginning of the story

It all began in March 1923, when the personal guard and driver of A. Hitler, watchmaker by profession Emil Moris, together with the stationery trader, and part-time and political figure of Nazi Germany Joseph Berchtold, created a headquarters guard in Munich. The main mission of the newly formed combat formation was to protect the Fuhrer of the NSDAP Adolf Hitler from possible threats and provocations from other parties and other political groups.

After a modest start, as a defense unit for the leadership of the NSDAP, the combat unit grew into the Waffen-SS, armed with a defensive squadron. The officers and soldiers of the Waffen SS were a huge combat unit. The total number was more than 950 thousand people, a total of 38 combat units were formed.

Beer putsch A. Hitler and E. Ludendorff

"Burgerbroikeller" - a beer hall in Munich at 15. Rosenheimerstrasse 15. The area of ​​the premises of the drinking establishment allowed to host up to 1830 people. Since the times of the Weimar Republic, due to its capacity, the Burgerbroekeller has become the most popular venue for various events, including political ones.

So, on the night of November 8–9, 1923, an uprising took place in the drinking establishment, the purpose of which was to overthrow the current German authorities. The first to speak was A. Hitler's political associate, Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorf, outlining the general goals and objectives of this gathering. The main organizer and ideological inspirer of the event was Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party - a young Nazi party. In his accusatory speech, he called for the ruthless destruction of all the enemies of his National Socialist Party.

To ensure the safety of the Beer putsch - this political event went down in history - the SS soldiers headed at that time by the treasurer and close friend of the Fuhrer J. Berchtold took over. However, the German authorities timely responded to this bunch of Nazis and took all measures to eliminate them. Adolf Hitler was convicted and imprisoned, and the Nazi Party in Germany was banned. Naturally, the need for the protective functions of the newly militarized guard disappeared. SS soldiers (the photo is presented in the article), as the combat formation of the "shock detachment", were disbanded.

Restless Fuhrer

Freed from imprisonment in April 1925, Adolf Hitler orders his fellow party member and bodyguard J. Shrek to form personal guard. Preference was given to former fighters of the Shock Squad. Having gathered eight people, Y. Shrek creates a defense team. By the end of 1925, the total number of combat formations was about a thousand people. From now on they were given the name "SS soldiers of the National Socialist German Workers' Party."

Not everyone could join the NSDAP SS organization. The candidates for this "honorable" position were subject to harsh conditions:

• age from 25 to 35 years;
• residence in the area for at least 5 years;
• the presence of two guarantors from among party members;
• good health;
• discipline;
• sanity.

In addition, in order to become a party member and, accordingly, an SS soldier, the candidate needed to confirm his belonging to the highest Aryan race. These were the official rules of the SS (Schutzstaffel).

Education and training

The soldiers of the SS troops had to undergo appropriate combat training, which was carried out in several stages and lasted for three months. The main objectives of intensive training of recruits were:

• excellent physical fitness ;
• knowledge of small arms and their impeccable possession;
• political indoctrination.

The training in military art was so intense that only one out of three people could go the whole distance to the end. After the basic training course, the recruits went to specialized schools, where they received additional education corresponding to the chosen military branch.

Further training in military wisdom in the army was based not only on the specialization of the military branch, but also on mutual trust and respect between candidates for officers or soldiers. That was the difference between Wehrmacht soldiers and SS soldiers, where strict discipline and a strict policy of division into officers and privates were at the forefront.

The new chief of the combat unit

The newly created own troops, which were distinguished by impeccable devotion and loyalty to their Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler attached particular importance. The main dream of the leader of fascist Germany was the creation of an elite formation capable of fulfilling any tasks that the National Socialist Party set before them. This required a leader who could cope with this task. So, in January 1929, on the recommendation of A. Hitler, the Reichsfuhrer of the SS became Heinrich Luitpold Himmler, one of A. Hitler's loyal assistants in the Third Reich. The personal personnel number of the new chief of the SS is 168.

The new boss began his work as the head of an elite unit with a tightening of personnel policy. Having developed new requirements for personnel, G. Himmler cleared the ranks of the combat formation in half. The Reichsführer SS personally spent hours studying photographs of members and candidates for the SS, finding flaws in their "racial purity." However, soon the number of SS soldiers and officers increased markedly, increasing by almost 10 times. The SS chief achieved such successes in two years.

Thanks to this, the prestige of the SS troops has grown significantly. It is G. Himmler who is credited with authorship of the famous gesture familiar to everyone from films about the Great Patriotic War - “Heil Hitler”, with the raising of his right straightened arm at an angle of 45º. In addition, thanks to the Reichsfuhrer, the uniform of the Wehrmacht soldiers (including the SS) was modernized, which lasted until the fall of Nazi Germany in May 1945.

Order of the Fuhrer

The authority of Schutzstaffel (SS) has grown significantly thanks to the personal order of the Führer. The published order said that no one had the right to give orders to soldiers and officers of the SS, except for their immediate superiors. In addition, it was recommended that all units of the SA, the assault squads, known as the "Brown Shirts", do their best to support the SS army, supplying the latter with their best soldiers.

SS Uniform

From now on, the uniform of the SS soldier was noticeably different from the clothes of the assault troops (SA), security services (SD) and other combined arms units of the Third Reich. A distinctive feature of the SS military uniform was:

• black jacket and black pants;
• White shirt;
• black cap and black tie.

In addition, a digital abbreviation, indicating the belonging to one or another standard of the SS troops, now appeared on the left sleeve of the jacket and / or shirt. With the outbreak of hostilities in Europe in 1939, the uniform of the SS soldiers began to change. The strict implementation of G. Himmler’s decree on a uniform black and white uniform color that distinguished the soldier of A. Hitler’s personal army from the combined arms color of other Nazi formations was somewhat relaxed.

The party factory for tailoring military uniforms, due to the huge workload, was not able to provide uniforms for all SS units. The servicemen were asked to alter the Schutzstaffel affiliation signs with the Wehrmacht combined arms form.

SS military ranks

As in any military unit, the SS army had its own hierarchy in military ranks. Below is a comparative table of the equivalent military ranks of the Soviet Army, Wehrmacht and SS troops.

The highest military rank in the elite army of Adolf Hitler was the Reichsfuhrer SS, which until May 23, 1945 belonged to Heinrich Himmler, which corresponded to the Marshal of the Soviet Union in the Red Army.

Awards and insignia in the SS

Soldiers and officers of the elite unit of the SS troops could be awarded orders, medals and other insignia, as well as soldiers of other military formations of the Nazi German army. There were only a small number of distinctive awards, which were developed specifically for the "favorites" of the Fuhrer. These included medals for 4- and 8-year service in the elite unit of Adolf Hitler, as well as a special cross with a swastika, which was awarded to the SS men for 12 and 25 years of devoted service to their Fuhrer.

Faithful sons of his Fuhrer

Recollection of a SS soldier: “Duty, devotion and honor were the driving principles in us. Defense of the Fatherland and a sense of camaraderie are the main qualities that we have cultivated in ourselves. We were forced to kill everyone who was in front of the barrel of our weapons. A feeling of pity should not stop the soldier of great Germany neither in front of a woman praying for mercy, nor in front of children's eyes. We were inspired with the motto: "Accept death and bring death." Death must become a routine. Each soldier understood that by sacrificing himself, he thereby helped the great Germany in the struggle against the common enemy, communism. We considered ourselves warriors for the future of the world, Hitler’s elite. ”

These words belong to one of the soldiers of the former Third Reich, an ordinary SS infantry unit, Gustav Frank, who miraculously survived the Battle of Stalingrad and was captured by the Russians. Were these words of remorse or a simple youthful bravado of a twenty-year-old Nazi? Today it’s hard to judge this.

The trial of Nazi Germany accomplices

At the Nuremberg trials, officers and soldiers of the Wehrmacht and SS were convicted as members of a criminal organization, so the veterans of the mentioned military formations were deprived of many rights enjoyed by their other compatriots who had gone through hostilities.

However, German SS soldiers, whose age at the time of the end of World War II did not exceed 18 years, were released from conviction and fully acquitted due to the minor conscript.

It is worth noting that to date, the training system for the Waffen-SS soldiers has been adopted by the modern army of some countries in Europe and the United States of America.