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Schutzstaffel

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	Topics Schutzstaffel Topic Home The Initially smaller than the Ernst RöhmErnst Röhm Ernst Julius Rhm, also known as Ernst Roehm in English was a German military officer, and the commander and co-founder... 's SturmabteilungSturmabteilung The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party.... (Storm Battalion abbreviated SA), the SS grew in size and power due to its exclusive loyalty to Hitler, as opposed to the SA, which was seen as semi-independent and a threat to Hitler's hegemony over the party. Under Himmler, the SS selected members according to the "Aryan" ideologyMaster race The master race is a concept in Nazi ideology, which holds that the Germanic and Nordic people represent an ideal and "pur... . Developing elite police and military units such as the Waffen SS, Himmler used the SS to develop an order of men claimed to be superior in racial purity and abilities than other Germans and national groups, the model for the Nazi vision of a master raceMaster race The master race is a concept in Nazi ideology, which holds that the Germanic and Nordic people represent an ideal and "pur... . During the World War, SS units operated alongside the Army and in the final stages of the war, exercised dominance over the Army to eliminate perceived threats to Hitler's power while implementing his strategies despite the increasingly failing war effort. The SS was responsible for the vast majority of war crimes perpetrated under the Nazi regime, including the Holocaust. As part of its race-centric functions, the SS oversaw the isolation and displacement of Jewish peoplePeople A people is a group of individuals who belong to and function within a particular society.... from the populations of Germany and conquered territories, seizing their assets and imprisoning them in concentrationConcentration In chemistry, concentration is the measure of how much of a given substance there is mixed with another substance.... campsCAMPS Civil Aircraft Missile Protection System or CAMPS is an infrared countermeasure against anti-aircraft missiles, specif... and ghettos where they would be used as slave labor, pending extermination. Chosen to implement the Nazi "Final SolutionFinal Solution The so-called "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" refers to the German Nazis' plan to engage in systematic genocide aga... " for Jews and other groups deemed "inferior," the SS carried out the enslavement, torture and killing of approximately twelve million people. Most victims were Jews and/or Slavs, but a significant number of victims included ChristianChristian A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as Christ.... s, homosexuals, Gypsies, Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses are members of an international religion who believe they are the restoration of first-century Christiani... , journalistJournalist A journalist is a person who practises journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, tren... s, Communists and German civilians who were seen as threats to the regime. Foreseeing Nazi defeat in the war, a significant number of SS personnel organized their escape to South AmericaSouth America South America is a continent situated in the western hemisphere and, mostly, the southern hemisphere, bordered on the west b... n nations. Many others were captured and prosecuted by AlliedAllies Allies spelled with a capital A, usually denotes the countries who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I... authorities at the Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg Trials Summary The Nuremberg Trials were the trials of the Nazi officials involved in the Holocaust during World War II.... for war crimes, and absconding SS criminals were the targets of police forces in various Allied nations, post-war Germany, AustriaAustria Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe.... and IsraelIsrael Israel , officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean Se... . Background The SS was established in 1925 as a personal guard unit for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ("Die Schutz-Staffel der NSDAP" [Shield Squadron of the NSDAP]). Under the leadership of Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler Overview Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germa... between 1929 and 1945, the SS grew from a small paramilitaryParamilitary A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion.... formation to become one of the largest and most powerful organizations in Nazi GermanyNazi Germany Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governed by the National So... . The Nazis regarded the SS as an elite unit, the party's "Praetorian GuardPraetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard comprised a special force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors.... ," with all SS personnel (originally) selected on the principles of racial purity and unconditional loyalty to the Nazi Party. In the early days of the SS, officer candidates had to prove German ancestry to 1750. They also were required to prove that they had no Jewish ancestors. Later, when the requirements of the war made it impossible to confirm the ancestry of officer candidates, the proof of ancestry regulation was dropped. In contrast to the black-uniformed Allgemeine-SS, the political wing of the SS, the military wing, the Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... evolved into a second German army within the WehrmachtWehrmacht Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces of Nazi-Germany from 1935 to 1945.... , operating in tandem with the regular German army, the HeerGerman Army The German Army is the land component of the Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany.... . The Waffen-SS gained a reputation for barbarity; its units helped wipe out resistance in both the Warsaw Ghetto UprisingWarsaw Ghetto Uprising The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish insurgency against Nazi Germany's attempt to liquidate the remains of the Warsaw G... and the Warsaw UprisingWarsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising was an armed struggle during the Second World War by the Polish Home Army to liberate Warsaw from German... , and perpetrated the Malmedy massacreFacts About Malmedy massacre The Malmedy massacre was a war crime committed by German Waffen-SS troops during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, in... near the Belgian town of MalmedyMalmedy Malmedy is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Lige.... during the Battle of the BulgeBattle of the Bulge The Ardennes Offensive , officially named the Battle of the Ardennes by the U.S.... in 1944. The SS was distinguished from other branches of the German military, the Nazi party, and German state officials by its own rank structure, unit insigniaSS unit insignia SS unit insignia was a form of uniform insignia used by the S.S.... , and uniformSS uniform SS uniform or the Schutzstaffel uniform was one of the uniforms that was worn during Nazi Germany by the military and other ... s. The all-black SS uniform was designed by SS-Oberführer Prof. Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck (graphic designer) and made by Hugo BossHugo Boss Hugo Boss AG is a fashion house based in Germany, which specializes in menswear and womenswear.... , some workers being prisoners of war forced into labor. (The SS also developed its own field uniforms, including the first widespread use of camouflage.) As the Nazi party monopolized political power in Germany, key government functions such as law enforcement were absorbed into the SS, while many SS organizations became the de facto government agencies. To maintain the political power of the Nazi party, the SS was given authority to establish and run the SicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienst The *Sicherheitsdienst* was the intelligence service of the SS.... (SD), the security and intelligence service, and the Geheime StaatspolizeiGestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany.... (Gestapo), the secret police, effectively putting the SS above the law. Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS, was the chief architect of the Final SolutionFinal Solution The so-called "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" refers to the German Nazis' plan to engage in systematic genocide aga... . The SS EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary groups operated by the SS before and during World War II.... death squads, formed by Himmler, murdered many civilian non-combatants, mostly JewJew Jews are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno-religious group descended from th... s, in the countries occupied by Germany during World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... . Himmler was responsible for establishing and operating concentration campsNazi concentration camps Prior to and during World War II Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territory it controlled.... and extermination camps in which millions of inmates died of systematic mass gassing, inhumane treatment, overwork, malnutrition, or medical experimentsFacts About Nazi human experimentation Nazi human experimentation occurred during World War II, the Nazi regime in Germany conducted human medical experimentation ... . After the war, the judges of the Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg Trials The Nuremberg Trials were the trials of the Nazi officials involved in the Holocaust during World War II.... declared part of the SS, the SicherheitsdienstSicherheitsdienst The *Sicherheitsdienst* was the intelligence service of the SS.... (SD) a criminal organization responsible for the implementation of racial policies of genocideGenocide Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Article 2 as "any of the following acts committed with inten... and committing war crimeWar crime In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any... s and crimes against humanityCrime against humanity A crime against humanity is a term in international law that refers to acts of murderous persecution or any large scale atro... . History Origins The group was first formed in 1923, as a company of the SturmabteilungSturmabteilung The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party.... (SA), storm troopers, tasked with protecting senior leaders of the Nazi Party at rallies, speeches, and other public events. Commanded by Emil MauriceEmil Maurice Emil Maurice was an early member of the Nazi Party.... , and known as the Stabswache (Staff Guard), they were nicknamed the "Brown Shirts" according to their dress. The original group consisted of eight men and was modeled after the Erhardt Naval Brigade, a violent FreikorpsFreikorps The designation of Freikorps was originally applied to voluntary armies.... of the time. After the failed 1923 PutschBeer Hall Putsch The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed coup d'tat which occurred in the evening of Thursday, November 8 to the early afternoo... by the Nazi Party, the SA and the Stabswache were abolished, yet they returned in 1925. At that time, the Stabswache was reestablished as the Stosstrupp Adolf Hitler, tasked with the personal protection of Hitler at Nazi Party functions and events. That same year, the Stosstrupp was expanded to a national level, and renamed as the Schutzstaffel (SS). The new SS was delegated to be a protection company of various Nazi Party leaders throughout Germany. Hitler's personal SS protective unit was later enlarged to include combat units and received the name "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH). After Germany mobilized in 1939, the combat units in the LSSAH were mobilized as well, leaving a small honor guard behind to protect Hitler. It is these SS troops that are seen at Hitler's Obersalzberg estate in his personal 8mm movies. Development Between 1925 and 1929, the SS was considered merely a battalion of the SA and numbered no more than 280 personnel. On January 6, 1929, Adolf Hitler appointed Heinrich Himmler as the leader of the SS, and by the end of 1932, the SS had 52,000 members. By the end of the next year, it had over 209,000 members. Himmler's expansion of the SS was based on models from other groups, such as the Knights TemplarKnights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , popularly known as the Knights Templar, was one of t... and the Italian BlackshirtsBlackshirts The Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the ... . According to SS-ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer *Obergruppenfhrer* was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it... and General of the Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... , Karl WolffKarl Wolff Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff was a high-ranking member of the Nazi SS.... , it was also based on the model from the Society of JesusSociety of Jesus Overview The Society of Jesus is a Christian religious order of the Catholic Church in direct service to the Pope.... of absolute obedience to the Pope. Before 1932, the SS wore the same uniform as the SA, with the exception for a black tie and a black capCAP "CAP" can refer to:* Apex Aircraft's range of CAP training and aerobatic aircraft.... with a TotenkopfTotenkopf *Totenkopf* is the German word for "death head" or "death's head" and is used to describe a military insignia featuring a ... , skull and bones, ("death's head") symbol on it. Later, they adopted a black uniform, designed by Hugo BossHugo Boss Hugo Boss AG is a fashion house based in Germany, which specializes in menswear and womenswear.... and then, just before the war, a dove-grey uniform. The Waffen ("armed") SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... wore a field-grey (feldgrauFeldgrau *Feldgrau* was the colour of the German army uniform from the late 19th century until 1945.... ) uniform similar to the regular army, or Reichsheer. During the war, Waffen-SS units wore a wide range of camouflageCamouflage Camouflage is the method which allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding e... uniforms (Platanenmuster, Telo Mimetico, Erbsenmuster etc.), while their feldgrau uniforms became largely indistinguishable from those of the Heer, save for the insignia. In 1945, the SS adopted the LeibermusterLeibermuster Leibermuster was a six-color military camouflage pattern developed by the Third Reich in February 1945.... disruptive pattern that inspired many forms of modern battle dressBattle Dress Battle Dress was the specific title of a military uniform adopted by the British Army in the late 1930s and worn until the 1... . Their motto was "Meine Ehre heißt Treue ("My honor is True.") The SS rank system was unique in that it did not copy the terms and ranks used by the Wehrmacht's branches (army, air force, navy), but instead used the ranks established by the post-WWI Freikorps and taken over by the SA. This was mainly done to establish the SS as being independent from the Wehrmacht, although SS ranks do generally have equivalents in the other services. Heinrich Himmler, together with his right-hand man, Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenfhrer, chief of the Reich Security Main Office and Reich governor... , consolidated the power of the organization. In 1931, Himmler gave Heydrich the assignment to build an intelligence and security service inside the SS, which became the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). By the time World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... began, the number of members rose to 250,000, and the Waffen-SS was formed in December 1940, expanding the earlier armed SS troops who had fought in Poland and France in 1939-40, to serve as part of the Wehrmacht, Germany's regular armed forces. The SS also received control of the GestapoGestapo Overview The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany.... in 1934, and, that same year, Adolf Hitler had given the SS jurisdiction over all concentration camps. Postwar activity According to Simon WiesenthalSimon Wiesenthal , Wiesenthal dedicated most of his life to tracking down, hunting and gathering information on [[f... , towards the end of World War II, a group of former SS officers went to ArgentinaArgentina Argentina is a country in southern South America.... and set up a Nazi fugitive network code-named ODESSAOdessa name = Odessa\| coa = Odesa emblem.gif\| motto =... , (an acronym for Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen, "Organization of the former SS members"), with ties in GermanyGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe.... , SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked Alpine country in Central Europe.... , ItalyItaly Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European country.... , and the VaticanRoman Curia The Roman Curia - usually called the Vatican - is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and prov... , operating out of Buenos AiresBuenos Aires \|-\| \|\| AR-C\|-\| Chief of govt. \|\| Jorge Telerman... . ODESSA allegedly helped Adolf EichmannAdolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann was a high-ranking Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannfhrer .... , Josef MengeleJosef Mengele Josef Mengele was a Nazi German SS officer and a physician in the concentration camp Auschwitz.... , Erich PriebkeErich Priebke Erich Priebke is a Nazi war criminal.... , and many other war criminals find postwar refuge in Latin AmericaLatin America Latin America is the region of the Americas where Romance languages those derived from Latin are officially or primarily s... . It is estimated that out of roughly 70,000 members of the SS involved in crimes in German concentration camps, only between 1650 and 1700 were tried after the war. Argentinian citizen and water company worker Ricardo Klement was discovered to be Adolf Eichmann in the 1950s, by former Jewish Dachau worker Lothar Hermann, whose daughter, Sylvia, became romantically involved with Klaus Klement (born Klaus Eichmann in 1936 in Berlin). He was captured by the Israeli Secret Service, MossadMossad Ha-Mosad le-Modi'in u-le-Tafkidim Meyuhadim is an Israeli intelligence agency, often referred to as Mossad .... , in a suburb of Buenos Aires on May 11, 1960, and tried in Jerusalem on April 11, 1961, where he explicitly declared that he had abdicated his conscience in order to follow the Führerprinzip (the 'leader principle' or superior orders). Josef MengeleJosef Mengele Josef Mengele was a Nazi German SS officer and a physician in the concentration camp Auschwitz.... , disguised as a member of the regular German infantry was captured and released by the Allies, oblivious of who he was. He was able to go and work in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1949 and to Altos, Paraguay, in 1959 where he was discovered by Nazi hunters. From the late 1960s on, he exercised his medical practice in Embu, a small city near São Paulo, Brazil, under the identity of Wolfgang Gerhard, where in 1979, he suffered a stroke while swimming and drowned. The British writer Gitta SerenyGitta Sereny Gitta Sereny is a Hungarian-born British biographer, historian and journalist.... (born in 1921 in Hungary), who conducted interviews with SS men, considers the story about ODESSA untrue and attributes the escape of notorious SS members to postwar chaos, an individual bishop in the Vatican, and the Vatican's inability to investigate the stories of those people who came requesting help. In the modern age, several neo-Nazi groups claim to be successor organizations to the SS. There is no single group, however, that is recognized as a continuation of the SS, and most such present-day organizations are loosely organized with separate agendas. The SS before World War II 1925–1928 In early 1925, the SS was a single, eight-man company that was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. In September, all local NSDAP offices were ordered to create body guard units of no more than ten men apiece. By 1926, six SS-Gaus were established, supervising all such units in Germany. In turn, the SS-Gaus answered to the SS-Oberleitung, the headquarters unit. The SS-Oberleitung answered to the office of the SA Chief of Staff, clearly establishing the SS as a subordinate unit of the Sturmabteilung. Between 1926 and 1928, the SS command Gaus were as follows: SS-Gau Berlin Brandenburg SS-Gau Franken SS-Gau Niederbayern SS-Gau Rheinland-Süd SS-Gau Sachsen 1929–1931 In 1929, the SS-Oberleitung was expanded and reorganized into the SS-Oberstab with five main offices, as listed below: Abteilung I: Administration Abteilung II: Personnel Abteilung III: Finance Abteilung IV: Security Abteilung V: Race At the same time, the SS-Gaus were expanded into three SS-Oberführerbereiche as listed below SS-Oberführerbereiche Ost SS-Oberführerbereiche West SS-Oberführerbereiche Süd Each SS-Oberführerbereiche contained several SS-Brigaden, which in turn were divided into regiment-sized SS-Standarten. 1931–1933 In 1931, as the SS began to increase its membership to over 100,000, the organization was again restructured beginning with the SS-Oberleitung, which was replaced by the SS-Amt, divided into five sections as follows: Section I: Headquarters Staff Section II: Personnel Office Section III: Administration Office Section IV: SS Reserves Section V: SS Medical Corps In addition to the SS-Amt, the SS-Rasseamt (Race Office) and Sicherheitsdienst Amt (Office of the SD) were established as two separate offices on an equal footing with the Headquarters Office. At the same time that the SS Headquarters was being reorganized, the SS-Oberführerbereichen were replaced with five SS-Gruppen, listed as follows: SS-Gruppen Nord SS-Gruppen Ost SS-Gruppen Süd SS-Gruppen Südost SS-Gruppen West The lower levels of the SS remained unchanged between 1931 and 1933; however, it was during this time that the SS began to establish its independence from the Sturmabteilung (SA), which the SS was still considered merely a sub-organization and answerable to the SA Chief of Staff. 1933–1934 Following Adolf Hitler's assumption of power in Germany, the SS became regarded as a state organization and a branch of the established government. The Headquarters Staff, SD, and Race Office became full-time paid employees, as did the leaders of the SS-Gruppen and some of their command staffs. The rest of the SS were considered part-time volunteers, and in this concept the Allgemeine-SS came into being. By the autumn of 1933, Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard (previously SS-Standarten 1 situated in Munich) had been called to Berlin to replace the Army Chancellery Guard as protectors of the Chancellor of Germany. By the start of 1934, the SS guard in Berlin had taken on the name of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), and would later become the first division in the Order of Battle of the Waffen-SS. 1934–1936 Following the Night of the Long KnivesNight of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives , also known as Reichsmordwoche, "Operation Hummingbird" or "the Blood Purge", was a letha... , the SS again underwent a massive reorganization. The SS-Gruppen were renamed as SS-Oberabschnitt, and the former SS Headquarters and command offices were reorganized into eight SS-Hauptämter. The SS-Hauptamt offices would eventually grow from 8 to 12 by 1944 and remained unchanged in their names until the end of World War II and the fall of the SS. On April 20, 1934, (as a prelude to the Night of the Long Knives), the SS took control of the GestapoGestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany.... , which had previously been a state office of Prussia. The Gestapo was placed under the command of the new SicherheitspolizeiSicherheitspolizei The *Sicherheitspolizei* was a term used in Nazi Germany which described the combined forces of the Gestapo and Sicherheit... , which was a combined office of both the Gestapo and SD. The Sicherheitspolizei would eventually become part of the much larger RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... in 1939. By mid-1934, the SS had taken control of all concentration camps from the SA, and a new organization, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV) had been established as the SS Concentration Camp Service. The original SS-TV was organized into six Wachtruppen at each of Germany's major concentration camps. The Wachtruppe were expanded in 1935 into Wachsturmbann and again in 1937 into three main SS-Totenkopfstandarten. This structure would remain unchanged until 1941, when a massive labor and death camp system in the occupied territories necessitated the concentration camps to be placed under the Waffen-SS into three main divisions of Labor CampsLabor camp A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are engaged in penal labor.... , Concentration Camps, and Death Camps. The early Waffen-SS can trace its origins to 1934 in the SS-Verfügungstruppe. Established as a military company of the SS, the Verfügungstruppe grew into three SS Divisions which would, along with the Leibstandarte, become part of the Waffen-SS in 1941. 1936–1939 In 1936, the SS absorbed all of Germany's regular police forces and formed the OrdnungspolizeiOrdnungspolizei The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany between the years of 1936 ... and the KriminalpolizeiKriminalpolizei Kriminalpolizei is the usual designation of the criminal investigation services in the police forces of Germany, Austria and... . These two organizations would later be folded into the RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... just prior to the start of World War II. In 1939, from the existing Totenkopfverbände was formed the SS Division Totenkopf composed of former members of the Concentration Camp service. The Totenkopf division would later become a division of the Waffen-SS. Austrian SS The Austrian branch of the SS developed in 1934 as a covert force to influence the AnschlussAnschluss Summary The Anschluss , also known as the Anschluss sterreichs, was the 1938 annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the... with Germany which would occur in 1938. The early Austrian SS was led by Ernst KaltenbrunnerErnst Kaltenbrunner Summary Ernst Kaltenbrunner was a senior Nazi official during World War II. ... and Arthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-Inquart Arthur Seyss-Inquart was a prominent Nazi official in Austria and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands.... . The Austrian SS was technically under the command of the German SS and Heinrich Himmler but acted independently concerning Austrian affairs. Austrian SS men were organized under the same manner as the Allgemeine-SS but operated as an underground organization, in particular after 1936 when the Austrian government declared the SS an illegal organization. The Austrian SS used the same rank system as the regular SS, but rarely used uniforms or identifying insignia. Photographic evidence indicates that Austrian SS men typically would wear a swastika armband on civilian clothes, and then only at secret SS meetings. After 1938, when Austria was annexed by Germany, the Austrian SS was completely incorporated into the regular SS. Most of the Austrian SS was folded into Oberabschnitt Donau with a new concentration camp at MauthausenMauthausen-Gusen concentration camp Mauthausen grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that were built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gu... opened under the authority of the SS Death's Head units. Cultural differences between Austrian and German SS men were present to the end of World War II, even though in theory the two countries contributed to a single SS. The issue was highlighted in 1943, when Austrian SS commanders were responsible for heavy losses in the first days of the Warsaw Ghetto UprisingWarsaw Ghetto Uprising The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish insurgency against Nazi Germany's attempt to liquidate the remains of the Warsaw G... and charged with negligence. Jürgen StroopJürgen Stroop J?rgen Stroop, was a general of the SS who led the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.... , the Higher SS and Police Leader in Warsaw, overturned several courts martial sentences since it was believed that Austrian members of the SS might rebel against the German officers who passed the sentences. A notable figure of the Austrian SS included Amon GöthAmon Göth Hauptsturmfhrer Amon Leopold Gth of the SS was the commandant of the Nazi concentration camp at Plaszow, Poland. ... , who was portrayed in the film Schindler's ListSchindler's List *Schindler's List* is an Academy Award-winning 1993 movie based on the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, publis... by Ralph Fiennes. Göth had joined the Austrian SS in 1930 and was an underground member to 1938, after which he entered the Concentration Camp service. The SS during World War II The war helped Himmler transform his empire into undoubtedly the most powerful political and economic force in Nazi GermanyNazi Germany Overview Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governed by the National So... , and by 1944, the SS had grown into a vast and complex organization. SS and police leaders The most powerful men in the SS were the SS and Police LeaderSS and Police Leader SS and Police Leaders were senior National Socialist German Workers Party officials that commanded large units of the SS dur... s, divided into three levels: Regular Leaders, Higher Leaders, and Supreme Leaders. Such persons normally held the rank of SS-Gruppenführer or above and answered directly to Heinrich Himmler in all matters pertaining to the SS in their area of responsibility. Thus, SS and Police Leaders bypassed all other chains of command. In Himmler's grand dream of the SS, the SS and Police Leaders were eventually to become SS-Governors of the LebensraumLebensraum *Lebensraum* is a motivation of the National Socialist government of Germany and its expansionist policies, which aimed to... which would be ruled by SS-Lords, protected by SS-Legions, and worked and lived in by SS-Peasant Warriors. SS offices With the creation of the Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... in 1940, the SS organizational structure evolved into two distinctly different branches: the general SS (Allgemeine-SS) and military SS (Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... ). By 1944, all activities of the organization within and outside Germany were managed by twelve main offices: Hauptamt Persönlicher Stab Reichsführer-SSReichsführer-SS Overview Sorry, no overview for this topic (Personal Staff of the Reich Leader SS) SS Hauptamt (Main Administrative Office of the SS) SS FührungshauptamtSS Führungshauptamt The SS-F?hrungshauptamt was the operational headquarters of the SS.... (Administrative and Supply Department of the Allgemeine-SSAllgemeine SS The Allgemeine SS was established in the autumn of 1934 to distinguish SS members from the armed organisation Armed SS and d... and Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... ) Hauptamt SS Gericht (Office of SS Legal Matters) SS Rasse und Siedlungshauptamt, RuSHA (SS Office of Race and Settlement) SS Personalhauptamt (SS Personnel Office) Reichssicherheitshauptamt RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... (Reich Central Security Office) Hauptamt OrdnungspolizeiOrdnungspolizei The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany between the years of 1936 ... (Office of the Order Police) Wirtschafts und VerwaltungshauptamtSS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt The SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt or WVHA was the Economics and Administrative Department of the SS.... , WVHAWVHA WVHA can stand for:* Worldwide Voice of Historic Adventurism, a Christian Scientist organisation.... (Economics and Administration Office) Hauptamt Dienststelle Heissmeyer (SS Education Office) Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle, VOMI (Main Office for Ethnic Germans) Reichskommissariat für die Festigung des deutschen Volkstums (Reich Commissioner for Germanic Resettlement) The EinsatzgruppenFacts About Einsatzgruppen Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary groups operated by the SS before and during World War II.... were under the overall command of the RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... . Allgemeine-SS The Allgemeine-SS (the "General SS") refers to a non-combat branch of the SS. The Allgemeine-SS formations were divided into Standarten, organized into larger formations known as Abschnitte and Oberabschnitte. The Allgemeine-SS members were considered more or less reservists, and many Allgemeine-SS personnel served in other branches of the German military, the Nazi Party, or the Waffen-SS. For those who served in the Waffen-SS, it was a standard practice to hold separate SS ranks for both the Allgemeine-SS and the Waffen-SS. SS Cavalry Corps The SS Cavalry Corps (German: Reiter-SS) comprised several Reiterstandarten and Reiterabschnitte that were equestrianEquestrianism Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving horses.... riding groups founded to attract the German upper class and nobility into the SS. Bernhard of Lippe-BiesterfeldBernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands born Count Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, was Prince Consort to the late Queen Juli... was a member before he married Queen Juliana of The Netherlands. In the 1930s, the SS Cavalry Corps was considered as a starting point for a military branch of the SS, but this idea was phased out with the rise of the SS-VerfügungstruppeSS-Verfügungstruppe The SS-Verf?gungstruppe were combat divisions of the SS, trained according to the German Army regulations.... , which would later become known as the Waffen-SS. By 1941, the SS-Cavalry Corps was little more than a social club with most of the serious cavalry officers having transferred to combat units in the Waffen-SS. Between 1942 and 1945, the Reiter-SS effectively ceased to exist except on paper and only a handful of members. At the subsequent Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, when the SS was judged a criminal organization, the Tribunal made a special note that this distinction did not include members of the "Rider-SS" due to the Reiter-SS having insignificant involvement with the activities contributed to the SS as a whole. Germanic-SS The Germanic-SSGermanic-SS The Germanic SS was the collective name given to paramilitary groups which arose in conquered and subject nations of Nazi Ge... was an SS-modeled structure formed in occupied territories and allied countries. The main purpose of the Germanic-SS was enforcement of Nazi racial doctrine and anti-semitic policies. DenmarkFacts About Denmark The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest and southernmost of the Nordic countries.... and BelgiumBelgium The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is... were the two largest participants in the Germanic-SS program. Germanic-SS members wore their own uniforms with a modification of SS rank titles and insignia. All Germanic-SS units answered to the SS headquarters in Germany. Concentration camp service After 1934, the running of Germany's concentration camps was placed under the total authority of the SS and an SS formation known as the SS-TotenkopfverbändeSS-Totenkopfverbände *SS-Totenkopfverb?nde* was a German Nazi formation of concentration camps guards.... (SS-TV), under the command of Theodor EickeTheodor Eicke Theodor Eicke was a Nazi official, SS-Obergruppenfhrer, commander of the SS-Division Totenkopf of the Waffen-SS and ... . Known as the "Death's Head Units", the SS-TV was first organized as several regiments, each based at one of Germany's major concentration camps, the largest of which was at DachauDachau concentration camp Dachau is the name of a Nazi concentration camp, constructed in a disused gunpowder factory and completed on March 21, 1933.... . In 1938, the Totenkopfverbände expanded into a military division with the establishment of the Totenkopf division, which by 1941 would become a full division within the Waffen-SSFacts About Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... . In 1939, with the start of World War II, the Totenkopfverbände began a large expansion that eventually would develop into three branches covering each type of concentration camp the SS operated. By 1944, there existed three divisions of the SS-TV, those being the staffs of the concentration camps proper in GermanyGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe.... and AustriaAustria Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe.... , the labor camp system in occupied territories, and the guards and staffs of the extermination camps in PolandFacts About Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe.... that were involved in the HolocaustThe Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as Ha-Shoah and the Porajmos or Samudaripen in Romani, is the name applied to th... . In 1942, for administrative reasons, the guard and administrative staff of all the concentration camps became full members of the Waffen-SS. In addition, to oversee the large administrative burden of an extensive labor camp system, the concentration camps were placed under the command of the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt (WVHA)SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt The SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt or WVHA was the Economics and Administrative Department of the SS.... . Oswald PohlOswald Pohl Oswald Pohl was a Nazi official and member of the SS, involved in the mass murders of Jews in concentration camps, the End... commanded the WVHASS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt The SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt or WVHA was the Economics and Administrative Department of the SS.... , while Richard GlücksRichard Glücks Richard Gl?cks was a high-ranking Nazi official.... served as the Inspector of Concentration Camps. By 1944, with the concentration camps fully integrated with the Waffen-SS and under the control of the WVHASS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt The SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt or WVHA was the Economics and Administrative Department of the SS.... , a standard practice developed to rotate SS members in and out of the camps, based on manpower needs and also to give assignments to wounded Waffen-SS officers and soldiers who could no longer serve in front-line combat duties. This rotation of personnel is the main argument that nearly the entire SS knew of the concentration camps, and what actions were committed within, making the entire organization liable for war crimeWar crime In the context of war, a war crime is a punishable offense under International Law, for violations of the laws of war by any... s and crimes against humanityFacts About Crime against humanity A crime against humanity is a term in international law that refers to acts of murderous persecution or any large scale atro... . Death squads The EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen Overview Einsatzgruppen were paramilitary groups operated by the SS before and during World War II.... were special units of the SS that were formed on an 'as-needed' basis under the authority of the SicherheitspolizeiFacts About Sicherheitspolizei The *Sicherheitspolizei* was a term used in Nazi Germany which described the combined forces of the Gestapo and Sicherheit... and later the RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... , whose Supreme Commander was Himmler. The first Einsatzgruppen were created in 1938 for use during the AnschlussAnschluss The Anschluss , also known as the Anschluss sterreichs, was the 1938 annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the... of Austria and again in 1939 for the annexation of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia Czechoslovakia was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until early 1993 .... . The original purpose of the Einsatzgruppen was to 'enter occupied areas, seize vital records, and neutralize potential threats'. In Austria and Czechoslovakia, the activities of the Einsatzgruppen were mainly limited to Nazification of local governments and assistance with the establishment of new concentration camps. In 1939, however, the Einsatzgruppen were reactivated and sent into PolandPoland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe.... to exterminate the Polish elite, so that there would be no leadership to form a resistance to German occupation. In 1941, the Einsatzgruppen reached their height when they were sent into RussiaRussia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... to begin large-scale extermination and genocide of "undesirables" such as JewJew Jews are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno-religious group descended from th... s, GypsiesRoma people The Roma People , sometimes "Romany Folk" in the British Isles, often referred to as Gypsies , are a heterogeneous eth... , and communists. Order Police In 1936, the SS absorbed the regular German police forces and incorporated all local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies into the OrdnungspolizeiOrdnungspolizei The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the regular German police force that existed in Nazi Germany between the years of 1936 ... . SS-OberstgruppenführerOberstgruppenführer *Oberstgruppenf?hrer* was the highest commissioned SS rank with the exception of Reichsf?hrer-SS, which was a special... Adolf Von Assenbach became commander of the Ordnungspolizei (known as the Orpo), and Heinrich Himmler became Chief of the German Police. By 1944, the Orpo had also absorbed minor law enforcement agencies such as the Postal Police, Railway Security Police, Water Protection Police, and even night watchmen who were considered state employees. The Ordnungspolizei had a separate system of Orpo ranks and it was possible for Orpo members to hold dual status in both the SS and the Orpo. In 1944, all Orpo Police Generals gained equivalent Waffen-SSWaffen-SS Overview The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... rank so that they would be treated as military officers, instead of police officials, if captured by the Allies. The Orpo also maintained a military division, considered part of the Waffen-SS as well as a number of Police Regiments which performed security duties under the authority of the RSHARSHA The RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt, was a subordinate organization of the SS created by Heinrich Himmler on Septem... . SS Medical Corps The first units of the SS Medical Corps began to appear in the 1930s. Within each SS-Sturmbann (battalion), there existed one company of SS personnel whose duty was to serve as medical support personnel to the rest of the SS battalion. Known as the Sanitätsstaffel, these formations were originally small units under the command of local SS leaders. After 1931, however, the SS formed a headquarters office known as Amt V, which was the central office for SS medical units. At this same time, a special SS unit was formed known as the Röntgensturmbann SS-HA, or the Hauptamt X-Ray Battalion. This formation comprised 350 full time SS personnel who toured Germany offering X-rayX-ray X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in the range of 10 to 0.01 nanometres, corresponding to fre... diagnostics to any SS member. While the Röntgensturmbann was an independent office, the local Sanitätsstaffel were under dual command of both the SS Medical Office (Amt V), and the leaders of the various SS-Sturmbann and Standarten. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the SS was reorganized and an office of the SS Surgeon General was established. Commanding by an SS-ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer *Obergruppenfhrer* was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it... , the SS Surgeon General was a member of the personal staff of the Reichsführer-SSReichsführer-SS Sorry, no overview for this topic , with the SS Medical Corps, as a whole, losing the status of a headquarters office. This was an important development in changing the nature of service for members of the SS Medical Corps. By 1935, the SS Medical Corps was considered an 'auxiliary duty', and all members of the medical corps were also attached to regular SS formations. To denote medical corps status, the SS authorized a serpent crest to be worn on the collar patches of SS unit insigniaSS unit insignia SS unit insignia was a form of uniform insignia used by the S.S.... . Since SS Medical Corps members could now serve in any branch of the SS, this expansion allowed medical professionals to join every SS office and participate in a variety of duties. Between 1935 and 1938, the SS Medical Corps began to serve a more sinister purpose, with SS doctors serving in concentration camps and engaging in a variety of human medical experiments. SS doctors were also called upon, in 1936, to assist with Germany's euthanasiaEuthanasia Euthanasia is the practice of terminating the life of a person or an animal because they are perceived as living an intol... program against the mentally disabled and physically handicapped. When World War II began in 1939, the SS Medical Corps extended itself in the Armed wing of the SS which would, by 1941, be known as the Waffen-SS. Waffen-SS doctors were highly trained both in medical skills and combat tactics with many such doctors receiving high combat awards. It was also during World War II that SS doctors reached their height with human medical experiments, the most notorious of which occurred at Dachau concentration campFacts About Dachau concentration camp Dachau is the name of a Nazi concentration camp, constructed in a disused gunpowder factory and completed on March 21, 1933.... and Auschwitz. Such experiments ranged from vivisectionVivisection Etymologically, vivisection refers to the dissection of, or any cutting or surgery upon, a living animal.... s, sterilizationSterilization (surgical procedure) Sterilization is a surgical technique leaving a male or female unable to procreate.... experiments, infectious disease research, freezing experiments, as well as many other excruciating medical procedures often performed without anesthetic. This period of time also saw the work of one of the most notorious SS doctors in history, Doctor Josef MengeleJosef Mengele Josef Mengele was a Nazi German SS officer and a physician in the concentration camp Auschwitz.... , who served as Head Medical Officer of Auschwitz and was responsible for daily gas chamber selections as well as brutal experiments on human twins. In 1945, after the surrender of Germany, the SS was declared an illegal criminal organization by the Allies. SS doctors, in particular, were marked as war criminals due to the wide range of human medical experimentation which had been conducted during World War II as well as the role SS doctors had played in the gas chamber selections of the HolocaustThe Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as Ha-Shoah and the Porajmos or Samudaripen in Romani, is the name applied to th... . Relatively few SS doctors, however, were ever brought to justice with such figures as Josef Mengele escaping to ArgentinaArgentina Argentina is a country in southern South America.... while still other SS doctors returned to civilian practice in Germany under assumed names or, in some cases, even their original identities. Auxiliary SS The Auxiliary-SS (SS mannschaft or "wiking") was an organization that arose in 1945 as a last ditch effort to keep concentration camps running. Auxiliary-SS members were not considered regular SS personnel, but were conscripted members from other branches of the German military, the Nazi Party, and the VolkssturmVolkssturm The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of Germany's Third Reich.... . Such personnel wore a distinctive twin swastika collar patch and served as camp guard and administrative personnel until the surrender of Germany. Helferinnen Corps The SS-Helferinnenkorps, translated literally as 'Women Helper Corps', comprised women volunteers who joined the SS as auxiliary personnel. Such personnel were not considered actual SS members, since SS membership was closed to women. The Helferin Corps maintained a simple system of ranks, mainly SS-Helfer, SS-Oberhelfer, and SS-Haupthelfer. Members of the Helferin Corps were assigned to a wide variety of activities such as administrative staff, supply support personnel, and female guards at concentration camps. Waffen-SS The organization of Waffen-SS had three suborganizations: Hitler's personal bodyguard The Death's-Head Battalions that administered the concentration camps. The Combat Support Force, Up to 39 divisions in World War II that served as elite combat troops alongside the regular army WehrmachtWehrmacht Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces of Nazi-Germany from 1935 to 1945.... . In 1941 the overall commander of the SS, Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germa... , announced that additional Waffen-SS Verfügungstruppe units would be raised from non-German foreign nationals. The goal was to acquire additional manpower from occupied nations. Some of these foreign legions included volunteers from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, and the Netherlands. The military component of the Waffen-SS was formed in 1940. Since the Waffen-SS was formally considered a branch of the German military, it was financed by the German government while remaining under the command of the SS headquarters. During WWII, the Waffen SS grew to 38 divisions, the most famous of which are Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), the SS Division Das Reich, the SS Division Totenkopf3rd SS Division Totenkopf Not related to the character Totenkopf from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.... and the 12th SS Panzerdivision Hitlerjugend. The Waffen-SS also maintained several "Foreign LegionForeign legion A foreign legion is a regular military force consisting of foreigners who are not normally subjects of the country that empl... s" made up of personnel from conquered territories and countries allied to Germany. The majority of such personnel wore distinctive a national collar patchSS unit insignia Summary SS unit insignia was a form of uniform insignia used by the S.S.... and preceded their SS rank titles with the prefix Waffen instead of SS. The racial restrictions were relaxed for these soldiers to the extent that UkrainianUkrainians Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine. ... SlavSlavic peoples The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe.... s, AlbaniansAlbanians The Albanians are an ethnic group generally associated with Albania, Kosovo including the Preevo Valley, the Republic of Ma... from KosovoKosovo Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999.... , and TurkicTurkic peoples Turkic peoples are Northern and Central Eurasian peoples who speak languages belonging to the Turkic family, and who, in var... TatarsTatars Tatars , often misspelled Tartar, is a collective name applied to the Turkic speaking people of Eastern Europe and Cen... ' units were recruited. The Ukrainians and the Tatars had both suffered persecution under Stalin and their motive appeared to be hatred of CommunismCommunism Summary Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization, based upon common owners... rather than belief in National Socialism. One year of Soviet occupation of Baltic countriesBaltic countries The terms "Baltic countries", "Baltic Sea countries", "Baltic states", and "Balticum" refer to slightly di... at the beginning of World War II produced enough volunteers to form EstoniaEstonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe.... n and LatviaLatvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in Eastern Europe.... n SS formations. However, occupied countries as GreeceGreece Overview GreeceGreece lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia, and Africa.... , LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania , is a country in northern Europe.... and PolandPoland Summary Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe.... never formed any Waffen-SS legions (in Greece, the Fascist organisation ESPOEspo ESPO is a graffiti writer and artist.... was creating one Greek division, but the plans were abandoned after its leader was assassinated). A similar formation was the Indische Freiwilligen Infanterie Regiment 950 (also known at various stages as the Indische Freiwilligen-Legion der Waffen-SS and Azad Hind Fauj.) See also the Tiger Legion and Indian National ArmyIndian National Army The Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj was the army of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind which fought along with ... . The Legion Freies Indien, or Indische Freiwilligen Infanterie Regiment 950 was created in August 1942, chiefly from disaffected Indian soldiers of the British Indian ArmyBritish Indian Army The British Indian Army was the name of the army of India in the time of the British Raj.... , captured by the AxisAxis Powers The Axis Powers were those nations opposed to the Allies during the Second World War.... in North AfricaNorth Africa North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent.... . Many, if not most, of the Indian volunteers who switched sides to fight with the German Army and against the British were strongly nationalistic supporters of the exiled, anti-British, former president of the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress Indian National Congress is a major political party in India.... , Netaji (the Leader) Subhash Chandra BoseSubhash Chandra Bose Subhash Chandra Bose,, also known as Netaji, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement... . Ahnenerbe SS The Scientific Branch of the SS that was used to provide scientific and archeological proof of AryanAryan Aryan is an English language word derived from the Iranian and Sanskrit terms ari-, arya-, arya-, and/or the ex... supremacy. The society had deep roots in both the Thule SocietyFacts About Thule Society The Thule Society, originally the Studiengruppe fr germanisches Altertum 'Study Group for Germanic Antiquity', was a Ger... and the Vril Society. Formed in 1935 by Himmler and Herman Wirth, the society did not become part of the SS until 1939. SS and police courts Background Situations arose early in the Nazi regime of SS activities coming into conflict with German law. The first recorded instances, of SS personnel charged with breaking the law through the performance of their duties, was in 1934 at the Dachau concentration campDachau concentration camp Dachau is the name of a Nazi concentration camp, constructed in a disused gunpowder factory and completed on March 21, 1933.... , when the local town magistrate charged several SS guards with murder after several prisoners were executed without cause or trial. The SS response to the German legal establishment was to petition the Reich Ministry of Justice to pass an act that removed the SS, and all of its members, from the jurisdiction of the civilian courts. This effectively placed the SS 'above the law', and its members could break regular German law without fear of penalty. For those SS personnel who committed acts that were illegal even by SS standards, the SS established a series of SS and Police Courts. The SS and Police Courts were the only authority that could try SS personnel for criminal behavior and were under the authority of the Hauptamt SS Gericht. Court types The different SS and Police Courts were as follows: SS- und Polizeigericht: Standard SS and Police Court for trial of SS officers and enlisted men accused of minor and somewhat serious crimes Feldgerichte: Waffen-SS Court for court martial of Waffen-SS military personnel accused of violating the military penal code of the German Armed Forces. Oberstes SS- und Polizeigericht: The Supreme SS and Police Court for trial of serious crimes and also any infraction committed by SS Generals. SS- und Polizeigericht z.b. V.: The Extraordinary SS and Police Court was a secret tribunal that was assembled to deal with highly sensitive issues which were desired to be kept secret even from the SS itself. The one exception to the SS and Police Courts jurisdiction involved members of the Allgemeine-SS who were serving on active duty in the regular WehrmachtWehrmacht Wehrmacht was the name of the armed forces of Nazi-Germany from 1935 to 1945.... . In such cases, the SS member in question was subject to regular Wehrmacht military law and could face charges before a standard military tribunal. See also List of SS personnelList of SS personnel Between 1925 and 1945, the German SS grew from a mere 8 members to over a quarter of a million Waffen-SS members and well over a m... Das Schwarze KorpsDas Schwarze Korps *Das Schwarze Korps, was the official newspaper of the SS.... , the official newspaper of the SS ODESSAOdessa name = Odessa\| coa = Odesa emblem.gif\| motto =... , the SS secret network SS ranks and insigniaRanks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel The ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel* were a paramilitary rank system used by the German SS, to differentiate the grou... SS marschiertSS marschiert "SS marschiert" was a marching song of the German military unit "Schutzstaffel" .... - March-song Wenn alle untreu werdenWenn alle untreu werden "Wenn alle untreu werden, so bleiben wir doch treu" is the opening line of a famous patriotic German popular song writt... , das SS Lied Further reading Robert Lewis Koehl, 1989, "The SS A History 1919-1945", Tempus Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7524-2559-5 Sven HasselSven Hassel Sven Hassel is a Danish-born soldier and writer who has written pseudo-autobiographical novels based on his experiences in W... , 1969, "SS General", Corgi Books. (Based on the authors World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... experiences. The story takes place in the Russian front esp. during the siege of Stalingrad) External links Personal website from Sweden. In English. German military history research site. Website in English about the Norwegian SS volunteers serving under German command during WWII. In Polish. Many graphics on units, insignia and maps. from Das Schwarze Korps, No. 47, November 24, 1938. from the Jewish Virtual Library from Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression, Volume II Chapter XV, Criminality of Groups and Organizations from the Nuremberg Trial.