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Waffen
The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's '' Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands. The grew from three regiments to over 38 division (military), divisions during World War II, and served alongside the German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army (''Heer''), ''Ordnungspolizei'' (uniformed police) and other security units. Originally, it was under the control of the (SS operational command office) beneath Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS. With the start of World War II, tactical control was exercised by the (OKW, "High Command of the Armed Forces"), with some units being subordinated to (Command Staff Reichsführer-SS) directly under Himmler's control. Initially, in keeping with the racial policy of Nazi Germany, membership was open only to people of Germanic origin (so-called "Nazi racial theories#Racial hierarchy, Aryan ancestry"). T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waffen-SS Foreign Volunteers And Conscripts
During World War II, the Waffen-SS recruited significant numbers of non-Germans, both as volunteers and conscripts. In total some 500,000 non-Germans and ethnic Germans from outside Germany, mostly from German-occupied Europe, were recruited between 1940 and 1945. The units were under the control of the ''SS Führungshauptamt'' (SS Command Main Office) beneath ''Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich Himmler. Upon mobilization, the units' tactical control was given to the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (High Command of the Armed Forces). History of the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS (Armed SS) was created as the militarized wing of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; "Protective Squadron") of the Nazi Party. Its origins can be traced back to the selection of a group of 120 SS men in 1933 by Sepp Dietrich to form the ''Sonderkommando'' Berlin, which became the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'' (LSSAH). In 1934, the SS developed its own military branch, the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT), which together w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
