Schutzstaffel

In 1925, the rise of Nazism was at its height, and their was a new paramilitary group known as the Schutzstaffel or (SS). The SS was known as a protection squad for Hitler’s Nazi empire. They became known as the Black shirts due to the color of their uniform. Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ran the elite bodyguard unit that was known for exterminating people of Jewish descent, Blind Obedience, and total commitment to the Nazi cause. Himmler was a racist fanatic who only recruited people of the superior race, but did also recruit people of German descent. The SS felt as if they were the superior to the Stormtroopers, with their jet black uniforms, and lighting bolt insignias. It soon became virtually a state within a state. By 1939, units of SS began to be assigned to military branches. The military branch of thee SS was known as the “Waffen SS”. The SS was divided into two branches, the Waffen SS and the Allgemeine-SS.

The Allgemeine SS was mainly a police unit that dealt with racial manners. The most important division was the (RSHA; Reich Security Central Office), which was consisted of the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo; Order Police) and the Sicherheitspolizei (Security Police or Sipo), which became divided into the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo; Criminal Police) and the Gestapo, under Heinrich Müller.

The Waffen-SS consisted of three groups: the Leibstandarte, Hitler's personal guards; the Totenkopfverbände (Death's-Head Battalions), which was head of the concentration camps; and the Verfügungstruppen (Disposition Troops), which grew to 39 divisions in WWII, and serving as elite combat troops with the regular army, gained a huge reputation as the greatest fighters. SS members were educated in racial hatred and admonished to make their hearts harden to human suffrage. Their main oath was complete obedience and loyalty to the Führer, who gave them the saying: “Thy Honour is Thy Loyalty.” In WWII the SS carried out ethnic cleansing and mass executions of political opponents, Gypsies, Jews, Polish leaders, partisan resisters, and Russian prisoners of war. When WWII ended the Allies, declared the SS a criminal organization by the Allied Tribunal.

Sources:

"SS." //Encyclopedia Britanica//. 1-1. Print.

"SS." //MSN Encarta//. 1-1. Print.

Photo: //Waffen SS//. Photograph. Http://www.timeoutpub.com/taormina-irish-pub/categorie-17-0,the%20trinacria-0.html.