After the surrender of Germany at the end of World War I, the country fell into a deep crisis. The result was the spontaneous formation of nationalist organizations that wanted to cleanse the state of "traitors" who welcomed communist views. It was on this basis that the NSDAP party emerged, whose ideological leader was Adolf Hitler. Later, by his order, the SS militarized groups were formed, whose members initially played the role of personal bodyguards of those in power.
Who are the SS men? Photos, insignia, uniforms, the purpose of these structures will be considered later in the material.
Who are the SS men?
The SS men are special combat units of the Nazi troops that were formed in the early 30s of the last century. These paramilitary squads belonged to the so-called reinforcement troops. Officially, the name Waffen-SS began to be used in 1939.
During the Second World War, the SS men were subordinate to Himmler, who bore the title of Reichsführer. SS soldiers had the primary right to receive better equipment and innovative weapons.
The SS men are units that were formed in 1933 from Hitler’s personal bodyguards. At that time, there were about 120 people. Later, in such detachments, the most loyal to the Nazi movement and the most skilled foot soldiers were selected.
SS military unit formation
As of 1935, the number of soldiers in Hitler’s personal guard regiment increased from 120 to 2,600. Soon, the Fuhrer announced the introduction of compulsory military service in the country. The result was the transformation of soldiers who were guarding the top of the power into special forces - SS-Verfugungstruppe. In peacetime, such units were obliged to engage in combat training under the vigilant control of the rafuhrer, and during the war to completely transfer to his disposal.
Initially, soldiers of the ground forces on a voluntary basis enrolled in the SS units. In order to train officers, special schools were organized in Braunschweig and Bad Taurus. Here, soldiers who were loyal to Nazi convictions were cultivated. It is noteworthy that everyone who wanted to join the SS should have met certain parameters, in particular, have a height of at least 175 cm.
Special SS Parts
In the second half of 1939, the following SS units were organized:
- Motorized infantry regiment - several motorized infantry, reconnaissance, artillery and anti-tank battalions under the command of General Sepp Dietrich, Hitler's closest ally.
- Deutschland Regiment - formed of 4 reconnaissance and artillery battalions. Members of the paramilitary structure took part in occupation activities aimed at the capture of the Sudetenland in 1938.
- Regiment "Germany" - according to the structure, had a device similar to a motorized infantry regiment. The soldiers included in his number were involved in the occupation of Austria.
- "Dead Head" - five SS regiments, whose soldiers did not have significant combat experience. The latter played the role of the internal police, were responsible for the safety of representatives of the country's top leadership, and were later involved as guards of concentration camps.
First participation in hostilities
Despite the fact that the SS men are special forces regiments, in September 1939 a need arose for their use in the course of hostilities. The motorized infantry regiment and the Germania unit were sent to Poland. The latter became part of the 10th and 14th armies. The Deutschland regiment was involved in defensive operations on the Western Front.
The occupation campaign in Poland proved that the SS men are brave, skillful, and well-trained warriors. At the same time, some soldiers of this kind of troops behaved somewhat self-confidently and even recklessly, as evidenced by the reports of the command. The reason was the reluctance of SS officers to obey ordinary field commanders. For this reason, Himmler ensured that the SS regiments fought autonomously, regardless of the general forces.
A uniform
The SS uniform consisted of fairly elegant black trousers and a tunic. Both items were made of natural wool with the addition of viscose. This allowed to increase the service life of the uniform. Pants with a high belt combined with suspenders. The SS men wore a single-breasted tunic, which contained four large pockets, which were intended for personal belongings and storage of ammunition.
The members of the units wore gray shirts. The latter were tailored quite freely, which allowed for comfort of movement and to keep warm.
SS soldiers wore black cotton caps. There was a graduation along the top and bottom of the headdress, the shade of which corresponded to the military branch. The generals wore caps of a similar design, but made of black velvet.
Insignia
In contrast to other Nazi paramilitary units, SS soldiers did not wear the Wehrmacht state emblem on uniform. Instead, a special SS sign was used, where the wings of the eagle were more straightforwardly extended to the sides. The very image of a bird of prey was placed above the laurel wreath with a swastika in the center. The emblem was sewn onto the sleeve of a military uniform with silk or aluminum thread. A similar sign was on the cap.
In the right loop of the SS tunic, the Zig rune symbol was placed in the form of a schematic image of two lightning bolts. These symbols could be embroidered on the form or in the form of a metal badge.
Soldiers who belonged to the special Dead Head division instead of the traditional Zig runes, wore a skull-shaped badge with crossed bones.
SS women
To realize his crazy ideas, Hitler needed loyal and ruthless executors of orders. The Führer was looking for such not only among men. One of the most famous women in the SS was Ilse Koch. In her youth, she was a diligent student and was respected by others. In 1939, Ilsa decided to join the NSDAP. A few years later, she became the wife of Karl Koch, who organized the Buchenwald concentration camp. The big ambitions of the young SS man were united with the hidden perversion of her husband.
In 1936, Ilsa Koch got a job in a concentration camp. At that time, her husband reveled in power over prisoners of war. Watching the annihilation of innocent people, the woman soon discovered her hidden sadistic inclinations. In the camp, they began to fear her no less than the commandant.
There is evidence that Frau Koch sent intractable concentration camp inmates to be torn to pieces by wild animals at the zoo. However, her real passion was tattoos. By her order, the skin of the killed captives, decorated with drawings, was made for decoration of various household utensils.
In April 1945, during the liberation of Buchenwald by the Allied forces, Karl Koch was killed in the middle of the camp, where he had not so long ago disposed of the fate of people. However, Ilse managed to escape in time and avoid punishment.
In 1947, the German Ministry of Justice sent forces to search for former Buchenwald prisoners. Thus, irrefutable evidence of the war crimes of Ilsa Koch against prisoners of war appeared. The SS was captured and sent to a prison cell for the rest of her life. Soon, the former head of the concentration camp hanged herself on a sheet in a Bavarian prison.
The fate of the SS after the war
According to historical information, in total during the war during the Second World War, about 180,000 SS soldiers were destroyed. About 400,000 members of the organization were injured. Another 40,000 soldiers are reported missing.
What happened to the fate of the SS men? During the Nuremberg trial, all military personnel belonging to the SS detachments were charged with crimes against humanity . Most of them admitted their involvement in the Holocaust. The only exception was persons who were called up to the ranks of the organization by government agencies on a compulsory basis and in fact had no choice. The charges were dropped from the SS, who proved their innocence in war crimes.
Finally
As you can see, the SS men were a special group of Wehrmacht troops, which at first was used as the personal guard of Hitler and the top leadership of the NSDAP party. Later, SS soldiers began to participate in special military missions. Over time, concentration camps fell into the charge of the structure, where the SS men were engaged in the destruction of prisoners on political and racial grounds. At the end of the war, the Nuremberg Tribunal found SS members guilty of crimes against humanity.