Waffen Ss

The Waffen-SS ("Armed SS") was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel . Headed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler , the Waffen-SS saw action throughout the Second World War.

After humble beginnings as a protection unit for the NSDAP leadership, the Waffen-SS eventually grew into a force of thirty-eight combat Divisions comprising over 950,000 men, and including a number of elite units. In the Nuremberg Trials , the Waffen-SS was condemned as part of a Criminal Organisation due to overwhelming participation in atrocities, and Waffen-SS veterans were denied many of the rights afforded other German combat Veterans . Conscripts, however, were exempted from that judgment, as many of them were forced to join the organisation by German authorities.

BASIC BACKGROUND

The origins of the Waffen SS (Armed SS) can be traced back to the creation of a select group of 200 men who were to act as Hitler's body guard. This "body guard" was created by Hitler in reaction to his unease at the size and strength of the SA (Sturmabteilung or Storm Troopers). The SA had grown so large that Hitler felt he needed an armed escort that was totally dedicated to him. Thus the Schutzstaffel (SS) or protection squad was created. After Hitler's imprisonment (and subsequent release) in the wake of the failed Munich Putsch in 1923 Hitler saw even further need for a body guard and the place of the SS was solidified in the Nazi hierarchy.

Until 1929 , the SA was still the dominant force in the Nazi Party, however, the SS was growing in strength and importance. In January, 1929 Hitler appointed Heinrich Himmler to lead the SS (his rank was Reichsführer) and it was Himmler's goal to create an elite corps of armed soldiers within the party. However, the SS was still a very small organization and Hitler wanted an effective force by 1933. Himmler set out to recruit men who represented the elite of German society, both in physical abilities and political beliefs. Through his active recruitment, Himmler was able to increase the size of the SS to about 52,000 by the end of 1933.

Although the SS was growing exponentially, the SA had mirrored the growth of Hitler's private army. The SA had over 2 million members at the end of 1933. Led by one of Hitler's old comrades, Ernst Röhm, the SA represented a threat to Hitler's attempts to win favour with the German army. As well, the SA threatened to sour Hitler's relations with the conservative elements of the country, whose support Hitler needed to solidfy his position in the German government. Hitler decided to act against the SA and the SS was put charge of eliminating Röhm and several other high ranking officers in the SA. The " Night Of The Long Knives " on June 30, 1934 also saw the execution of thousands of SA men and effectively ended the power of the SA.

During the "Night of the Long Knives", the SS had performed precisely as Hitler had envisioned and from that point on Himmler and his SS would be only responsible to Hitler and would be the dominant force in the N.S.D.A.P. With his new-found independence, Himmler expanded the SS and created several new departments within the existing infrastructure. In particular, Himmler created the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) which was to act as the Reich's security service. The SS was expanded to include the German police service in 1936. Himmler then reorganized the Reich's police service to include the Ordnungspolizei (regular police), and the Sicherheitspolizei (security police). The Sicherheitspolizei was further divided into the Kriminalpolizei or Kripo (Criminal police) and the Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo (secret police). All of these various elements were headquartered at the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (Main office of Reich Security). The RSHA was under the direction of Reinhard Heydrich and later Ernst Kaltenbrunner.

In addition to controlling the German police force, the SS comprised a group of armed men that were used for security and ceremonial puroposes. This organization was called the SS Verfügungstruppe. Included in this group was Hitler's protection squad, known as the Stabwache. This protection squad had been created in March 1933 and would be the foundation for the 1st SS Panzer Division " Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler ". Leibstandarte was different from other SS formations in that they had sworn an oath directly to Hitler and thus effectively removed them from control of Himmler.

When Hitler reintroduced conscription in 1935, he also mandated that the SS Verfügungstruppen would be fully formed as a military unit. SS Verfügungstruppen would be the cornerstone of future Waffen SS divisions. Special schools at Bad Tölz and Braunschweig were created to train future SS men. Himmler selected former Lieut. General Paul Hausser to oversee the training and schooling of the SS. Hausser also created two new SS regiments. "Deutschland" and "Germania" were formed from various battalions of the Verfügungstruppe and would be the foundation for 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" and 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking". After the annexation of Austria another regiment composed of Austrian Nazis named "Der Führer" was created. Thus at the outbreak of hostilities there were four SS armed regiments (although "Der Führer" was not ready for combat).

After the conclusion of the campaign against Poland, the three regiments of the Verfügungstruppe were joined to form the Verfügungsdivision and Leibstandarte was transformed into a motorized regiment. Also two other divisions were created, the SS Totenkopfdivision and Polizeidivision. In March 1940, after an agreement between the Army and the SS, the title of Waffen SS was officially given. The Waffen SS took part in almost every major battle and were shifted from front to front, depending on the severity of the situation. In the end the Waffen SS would total 38 divisions (although some of these formations were divisions in name only). Their importance in the history of World War Two cannot be overlooked and their effectiveness as fighting units coupled with the atrocities that were committed by some of its members make the Waffen SS one of the most infamous military organizations in history.

EARLY HISTORY; LSSAH, SS-VT,SS-TV

The original cadre of the Waffen-SS came from the Freikorps and the Reichswehr along with various right-wing Paramilitary formations. Formed at the instruction of Adolf Hitler in 1933, the Leibstandarte SS ''Adolf Hitler'' was the first formation of what was to become the Waffen-SS. When the SA was rendered powerless in the Night Of The Long Knives , many ex-SA men requested transfer to the SS, swelling its ranks and resulting in the formation of several new units including the SS-Verfügungstruppe , SS-VT (to become the SS Division ''Das Reich'' ) and the SS-Totenkopfverbände , SS-TV, the Concentration Camp guard unit (to become the SS Division ''Totenkopf'' ).

The majority of the Waffen-SS men originally received second rate weapons and equipment with many formations receiving Czech and Austrian weapons and equipment. With the exception of a select few of the 'Germanic' SS Divisions, this policy was continued throughout the war. The majority of the best equipment went to the Heer 's elite divisions ( Panzergrenadier-Division ''Großdeutschland'' and Panzer-''Lehr''-Division )

The premier Waffen-SS divisions began to receive standard equipment once they proved themselves in the Eastern front and were upgraded to panzergrenadier and later panzer divisions. The remainder of the SS Divisions made do with either standard or second rate equipment.

CONCEPT, TRAINING

SS combat training consisted primarily of several months of intensive Basic Training with three objectives; Physical Fitness , Small-arms proficiency and Political Indoctrination . The training was so intensive that one in three potentials failed to pass the course, which becomes more significant when we consider the context of their "application;" they were selected individuals, not volunteers. After this basic training, the recruits would be sent to specialist schools (see Panzertruppenschule I ) where they received further training in their chosen combat arm. As the war progressed and replacements were required more frequently, particularly after the expansion of the Waffen-SS following the success of the SS-Panzerkorps at Kharkov, the intensity of the training was relaxed somewhat.

For officers, the focus was on leadership and combat command, usually at the SS-Junkerschule at Bad Tölz . The principle of ''Auftragstaktik'' (see Mission-type Tactics ) which underpinned Wehrmacht and SS training is standard in all armies today, although the concept was invented by Heer theorists rather than the SS. A strong emphasis was placed on creating a bond between the officers and men, and officer candidates were made to pass through basic training alongside the enlisted candidates. This created a mutual trust and respect between the officers and men, and meant that the relationship between these groups was very relaxed, unlike the Heer (German Army), where strict discipline and a policy of separation between the officers and enlisted men existed.

During the war the organization was presented as a multinational force protecting Europe from the evils of Communism (see Black Edelweiss ). In addition, training emphasised unit cohesion and mutual respect between officers and men, rather than strict discipline. In the Waffen-SS, it was not a requirement to salute officers and a more casual salute was adopted (the right arm raised vertically from the elbow - a relaxed version of the ''Heil'' salute. This salute is portrayed in many war films). Added to this, the practice of addressing a superior as ''Herr'' ("Sir") was also forbidden, with everyone up to Himmler being addressed simply by their rank.

TRIAL BY FIRE

As the outbreak of war neared, Himmler ordered the formation of several combat formations from the ''SS-Standarten'' (units of Regimental size). The resulting three formations (the LSSAH, SS-VT and SS-TV) took place in the Invasion Of Poland as well as Fall Gelb . During the campaign in the West, both the ''Totenkopf'' and ''LSSAH'' were implicated in atrocities. The overall performance of the Waffen-SS had been mediocre during these campaigns.

The poor initial performance of the Waffen-SS units was mainly due to the emphasis on political indoctrination rather than proper military training before the war. This was largely due to the shortage of experienced NCO s, who preferred to stay with the regular army. Despite this, the experience gained from the Polish, French and Balkan campaigns and the peculiarly egalitarian form of training soon turned the best Waffen-SS units into elite formations.

On several occasions, the Waffen-SS was criticised by Heer commanders for their reckless disregard for casualties while taking or holding objectives (See ''Totenkopf's'' actions during the early months of the Russian Campaign). However, the Waffen-SS divisions eventually proved themselves to a skeptical Heer as capable soldiers, although there were exceptions such as ''Kampfgruppe Nord'''s rout from the town of Salla during its first engagement in Karelia .

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The Waffen-SS truly proved their worth during the Third Battle Of Kharkov , where the II.SS-Panzerkorps under SS-Brigadeführer Paul Hausser recaptured the city and blunted the Soviet offensive, saving the forces of Erich Von Manstein's Army Group South from being cut off and destroyed.

In Mid 1943, the II.SS-Panzerkorps took part in Operation Citadel and the ''Leibstandarte'', ''Das Reich'' and ''Totenkopf'' (all now Panzergrenadier divisions) took part in the immense armour battles near Prokhorovka on the southern flank of the Kursk Salient .

As the fronts began to crumble, the Waffen-SS divisions began increasingly to be used in a "fire-brigade" role. Held back behind the line, the divisions would be committed to counter enemy breakthroughs. As the success of the divisions increased, so too did the difficulty of the missions assigned them. In the closing months of the war, Waffen-SS formations were assigned impossible missions by Hitler, who saw them as not only exceptionally effective in combat, but also politically reliable. The ''Konrad'' operations to relieve Budapest and the ''Frühlingserwachen'' operation to recapture the Hungarian oilfields were doomed to defeat from the beginning. After the failure of ''Frühlingserwachen'', Hitler proclaimed that the Waffen-SS had let him down, and ordered the removal of honorary cuff-titles "Adolf Hitler". The commander of VI.SS-Panzer-Armee and also the former divisional commander of SS-Division (mot.) "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler", SS-Oberstgruppenführer 'Sepp' Dietrich , was disgusted by the order and did not pass it on to his troops.

MIXED QUALITY AND IMAGINED QUALITY

Several divisions are seen by historians/hobbyists as being elite, notably those with higher proportions of ethnic Germans in them. These divisions were characterised by extremely high unit morale and combat ability, as well as commitment to the ideals of the self-styled ''Crusade Against Bolshevism'' . In practical terms, they frequently benefited from the best available equipment and were also viewed by German commanders at the time as being a cut above either Heer formations or even other formations of the Waffen SS.

These "elite" divisions included the ''LSSAH'', ''Das Reich'', ''Totenkopf'', the multi-national ''Wiking'' , the ''Hohenstaufen'' and ''Frundsberg'' , and the ''Hitlerjugend'' .

These "elite" formations, as was the case with the Grossdeutschland Division of the Army, were often called on to act as "fire brigades", or moved from hotspot to hotspot along the front, making counterattacks or local defensive actions where necessary to bolster other, less motivated and more poorly equipped, formations.

Tangible evidence of their "elite" status was the award of named Cuff Title s to units of the Waffen SS; while the use of cuff titles was common in many military and paramilitary organizations in the Third Reich, there were few combat units permitted to wear them as a means of identification. Their status was exemplified in April 1945 when Adolf Hitler personally ordered SS units he felt had failed in their duty to launch a counterattack to remove their titles from their uniform.

In spite of heavy casualties, many of the Waffen-SS units retained their reputations as crack formations until the end of the War, though the quality of formations raised late in the war was often execrable, and some of the ''Freiwillige'' troops were prone to mutiny (see, for instance, 13.Waffen-Gebirgs-Division Der SS ''Handschar'' (kroatische Nr.1) ).

FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS AND CONSCRIPTS

Himmler, wishing to expand the Waffen-SS, advocated the idea of SS controlled Foreign Legion s. The Reichsführer, with his penchant for medieval lore, envisioned a united European ' Crusade ', fighting to save old Europe from the 'Godless bolshevik hordes'. While volunteers from regions which had been declared Aryan were approved almost instantly, Himmler eagerly pressed for the creation of more and more foreign units.

In late 1940, the creation of a multinational SS division, the ''Wiking'' , was authorised. Command of the division was given to SS-Brigadeführer Felix Steiner . Steiner immersed himself in the organisation of the volunteer division, soon becoming a strong advocate for an increased number of foreign units. The ''Wiking'' was committed to combat several days after the launch of Operation Barbarossa , proving itself an impressive fighting unit.

Soon Danish, French, Azeri , Armenian, Flemish, Norwegian, Finnish and Dutch ''Freiwilligen'' (volunteer) formations were committed to combat, gradually proving their worth.

Among the more unusual units to exist in the Waffen SS was the American Free Corps or or "George Washington Brigade". Its most famous member was Second Lieutenant Martin James Monti , who worked as a propaganda broadcaster as well. The "American Free Corps" consisted of no more than 5 members. Another unit, the Britisches Freikorps , a unit composed of citizens of the British Commonwealth, was led by John Amery and had a strength of no more than 60 men. Still another unit, the Indian National Army was composed of Indian troops, mostly prisoners of war recruited by the Germans.

Hitler however, was hesitant to allow foreign volunteers to be formed into formations based on their ethnicity, preferring that they be absorbed into multi-national divisions. Hitler feared that unless the foreign recruits were ''committed to the idea of a united Germania'', then their reasons for fighting were suspect, and could damage the German cause.

Himmler was allowed to create his new formations, but they were to be commanded by German officers and NCO s. Beginning in 1942-43, several new formations were formed from Bosnians , Latvians , Estonians , and Ukrainians . The Reichsführer had sidestepped the race laws by ordering that Waffen-SS units formed with men from non-Aryan backgrounds were to be designated ''division der SS'' (or Division of the SS) rather than SS Division. The wearing of the SS Runes on the collar was forbidden, with several of these formations wearing national insignia instead.

All non-germanic officers and men in these units had their rank prefix changed from ''SS'' to ''Waffen'' (e.g. a Latvian ''Hauptscharführer'' would be referred to as a ''Waffen-Hauptscharführer'' rather than ''SS-Hauptscharführer''). An example of a division der SS is the Estonian 20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division Der SS (estnische Nr.1) . The combat ability of the divisions ''der SS'' varied greatly, with the Latvian, French and Estonian formations perfoming exceptionally whilst the Albanian units perfoming poorly.

While many adventurers and idealists joined the SS as part of the fight against Communism, many of the later recruits joined or were conscripted for different reasons. For example, Dutchmen who joined the 34.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division ''Landstorm Nederland'' were granted exemption from forced labour and provided with food, pay and accommodation. Recruits who joined for such reasons rarely proved good soldiers, and several units composed of such ''volunteers'' were involved in atrocities.

Towards the end of 1943, it became apparent that numbers of volunteer recruits were inadequate to meet the needs of the German military, so conscription was introduced. The Estonian 20.Waffen-Grenadier-Division Der SS (estnische Nr.1) is an example of such a conscript formation, which proved to be outstanding soldiers with an unblemished record.

Not satisfied with the growing number of volunteer formations, Himmler sought to gain control of all volunteer forces serving alongside Germany. This put the SS at odds with the Heer , as several volunteer units had been placed under Heer control (e.g. volunteers of the Spanish Blue Division ). Despite this, Himmler constantly campaigned to have all foreign volunteers fall under the SS banner. In several cases, like the ROA and the 5.SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade ''Wallonien'' he was successful, and by the last year of the war, most foreign volunteers units did fall under SS command.

While several volunteer units performed poorly in combat, the majority acquitted themselves well. French and Spanish SS volunteers, along with remnants of the 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ''Nordland'' formed the final defence of the ''Reichstag'' in 1945.

After the surrender, many volunteers were tried and imprisoned by their countries. In several cases, volunteers were executed. Those volunteers from the Baltic States and Ukraine could at best look forward to years spent in the Gulag s. To avoid this, many ex-volunteers from these regions joined underground resistance groups (see Forest Brothers ) which were engaged fighting the Soviets until the 1950s.

Many other Waffen-SS volunteers, including many ''Wiking'' veterans, avoided punishment by joining the French Foreign Legion , and many ex-SS men fought and died at the Battle Of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Helped by ODESSA network, Walloon volunteer leader Leon Degrelle escaped to Spain, where, despite being sentenced to death ''in absentia'' by the Belgian authorities, he lived in comfortable exile until his death in 1994 . John Amery , the leader of the Britisches Freikorps , was tried and convicted of Treason by the British government. He was executed in December 1945. Martin James Monti was charged with treason and sentenced to 25 years and was paroled in 1960.

In Estonia and Latvia , the majority of Waffen SS veterans were conscripts who were at least partly considered freedom fighters. In an April 13, 1950 message from the U.S. High Commission in Germany (HICOG), signed by General Frank McCloy to the Secretary of State, clarified the US position on the "Baltic Legions": they were not to be seen as "movements", "volunteer", or "SS". In short, they were not given the training, indoctrination, and induction normally given to SS members. Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared that

The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States.

Still, much debate is continuing on this issue and because of general condamnation of Nazi regime across the globe, official statements of the position of Estonian and Latvian Waffen SS veterans remain ambiguous. The Latvian parliament Saeima declared "the day of the Legion" (16 March ) as a national holiday, but under pressure from the European Union , reversed its decision in 2000 .

Overall, around 60% of Waffen-SS members were non-German {Link without Title}

WAR CRIMES AND ATROCITIES

Many formations within the Waffen-SS were proven to have committed War Crime s, most notoriously at Oradour-sur-Glane , Marzabotto , against Canadian soldiers in the Battle Of Normandy and in the Malmedy Massacre .

Perhaps the most infamous of all SS formations were the ''Dirlewanger'' and ''Kaminski'' Brigades (later to become the 36.Waffen-Grenadier-Division Der SS and 29.Waffen-Grenadier-Division Der SS (russische Nr.1) respectively. These formations, composed mostly of ex- Einsatzgruppen , released criminals and Russian Prisoners Of War and commanded by the fanatical Nazis Oskar Dirlewanger and Bronislaw Kaminski , were engaged in numerous atrocities throughout their existence. After their actions in putting down the Warsaw Uprising , Heer complaints resulted in these units being dissolved and several members (including Kaminski) being tried and executed for their role in several incidents.

Similarly, the Waffen-Sturm-Brigade ''RONA'' has a "combat" record riddled with atrocities as well as abysmal conduct when faced with front line service.

While divisions like the ''Nordland'' and ''Nord'' have virtually spotless records, most Waffen-SS divisions were involved in at least some questionable actions. The debate over the culpability of the organisation is the center of much so-called 'revisionist' thinking (see Holocaust Denial and Historical Revisionism ).

On one end of the debate, in addition to documented atrocities, certain Waffen-SS units did assist in rounding up Eastern European Jewry for deportation, SS-Division ''Totenkopf'' personnel convalesced at concentration camps by serving routine guard duties, and utilised ''Scorched-earth'' tactics during anti-partisan operations.

On the other end, some assert that with over 900,000 men serving in its ranks from 15 nationalities, the Waffen-SS was a pan-European military formation embedded with a socio-political ideology, similar in composition to the 19th-century Napoleonic forces or even modern-day NATO military organization.

Regardless of the record of individual combat units within the Waffen-SS, the entire organisation was declared a criminal organization by the International Military Tribunal during the Nuremberg Trials , except conscripts, who were exempted from that judgment due to being forcibly mobilized. The actions of Himmler and the Nazi hierarchy in attaching the SS combat divisions to the same overall command of as the Allgemeine SS , Concentration Camps and Einsatzgruppen meant that such a decision was inevitable.

SEE ALSO

List Of German Divisions In WWII (with links to articles on individual units)

Comparative Military Ranks Of World War II

Finnish Waffen SS Volunteers

REFERENCES

EXTERNAL LINKS

Das Reich Homepage – By Dan Reinbold - apolitical history site on 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"

Axis History Factbook; Waffen-SS part – By Marcus Wendel and contributors; site also contains an apolitical forum about the Axis nations

Feldgrau.com – By Jason Pipes, Stanford University / University Of California At Berkeley ; research on the German armed forces 1918–1945

Waffen-SS.com – By Thomas Wilhelm (webmaster) et.al.; a site exploring the combat role of the Waffen-SS in WWII; also includes forum

''Germanic Volunteers of the Waffen-SS'' (excerpt) – Translated from the German WWII-era original (''Germanische Freiwillige im Osten'')

Camouflage uniforms of the Waffen-SS – From Brad Turner's website kamouflage.net; also includes similar information for ''Heer'', ''Luftwaffe''

Waffen-SS from TM-E 30-451 Handbook on German Military Forces (U.S. WWII manual, March 1945)

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Waffen Ss