Adolf Hitler founded the SS in April 1925, as a personal guard unit. With time, a small guard unit has grown from 300 members in 1925 to 50,000 in 1933 when Hitler came to power.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdiJmHtE1Sw

The person responsible for this development is Heinrich Himmler, who led the SS from 1929 until 1945. The members considered the Nazi SS as an elite unit "Praetorian Guard", with officers selected on the basis of racial purity and a very high loyalty to the Nazi Party.

Between 1934 and 1936 the SS was divided into two main sub-units, the Allgemeine-SS (General SS), political wing of the SS, and Waffen-SS (Armed SS), its military wing.

Waffen-SS was then evolved into a second German army in the Wehrmacht, which are both fighting alongside the regular German army, Heer. Waffen-SS combat fighting known as a great ability, but other than that, they are also known for his cruelty toward civilians and prisoners of war.

With the growing strength of the Nazi Party, government functions like national defense and security was taken over by the SS, and many SS organizations that are de facto a government agency.

To maintain the political power of the Nazi Party, the SS is authorized to establish and run the SD (SD), which is the security and intelligence agencies. Then also Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo), the SS secret police. All this makes the SS can walk above the law.

Heinrich Himmler, the SS leader, was one impetus Last Solutions. SS Einsatzgruppen were assigned to kill civilians, particularly Jews, in countries controlled by Germany during World War II.

SS is also responsible for the conduct of the concentration camps, where many prisoners were killed. After the war, the Nuremberg Court stated that the SS was a criminal organization responsible for war crimes  against humanity.

Formed: 1925
Preceding Agencies: Sturmabteilung, Stabswache
Dissolved: May 8, 1945
Jurisdiction: Germany, German-occupied Europe
Headquarters: SS-Hauptamt, Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, Berlin
Employees: 1,250,000 (c. February 1945)
Minister responsible: Adolf Hitler, Führer of Germany
Agency executives: Julius Schreck, Reichsführer-SS (1925–1926), Joseph Berchtold, Reichsführer-SS (1926–1927), Erhard Heiden, Reichsführer-SS (1927–1929), Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer-SS (1929–1945), Karl Hanke,  Reichsführer-SS (29 April – May 1945)
Parent agency: NSDAP
Child agencies: Allgemeine SS, Waffen-SS (SS-Verfügungstruppe), SS-Totenkopfverbände, RSHA - Sicherheitspolizei (SP) and Sicherheitsdienst (SD), Ordnungspolizei

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The unit is made up of three parts of SS, namely:

• Leibstandarte (Hitler's personal bodyguard forces)
• SSVT (SS-Verfuegungstruppe, or special forces SS)
• SSVT (SS-Totenkopfverbaende, units of the SS concentration camp guards)

All three, along with a police unit that demilitarized, combined under the banner of the Waffen-SS in December 1940.

During World War II, the Waffen-SS forces swelled to approximately 40 divisions. However, not all members of Germany. As the number of victims increases, the Waffen-SS accepting foreign volunteers to fight under his banner.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6m_pvDV4JI

Starting from the people of Western Europe are considered to be allied with the Germans (Scandinavia, Belgium, France, and Netherlands), an armed SS line was then inundated by volunteers Ukraine, Russia, Cossacks, Baltic, Balkan Muslims, Union and India).

In the war, the Waffen-SS, especially panzernya divisions, is very respected by opponents and friends. However, most other units, especially those from volunteers in the Balkans and the Soviet Union is not trusted most.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfhyUn_ezqw

After the war, this unit is punished by the Nuremberg Court as a criminal organization. This is not only due to its relevance to the concentration camps and murderers units SS cars but also because the act of violence against civilians and prisoners of war who made a number of combat units.

Reff:

• George H. Stein, Waffen-SS: Hitler Elite Guard's at War
• Heinz Hoehne, The Order of the Death's Head: Hitler's SS Story

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