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The Waffen-SS (German for "Armed SS", literally "Weapons SS") was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron") or SS. In contrast to the Heer, Germany's regular army, the Waffen-SS was a group of combat units composed of volunteer troops, with its members partially having strong personal commitments to Nazi ideology and also partially selected on a racial basis. The Heer was itself often mistakenly referred to as the Wehrmacht, however the term Wehrmacht actually referred to the combined armed forces, including the Heer, Kriegsmarine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force). The Waffen-SS was not an official part of the Wehrmacht. It was founded in Germany in 1939 after the SS was split into two units[1] but the title of Waffen-SS only became official on 2 March, 1940.[2] Although nominally under the leadership of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, a political and internal security appointee, the Waffen-SS saw action throughout the Second World War under de facto operational control of the Wehrmacht. During the war it grew to 39 divisions, which served as elite combat troops alongside the regular army.[1][3] After the war, at the Nuremberg Trials the Waffen-SS was condemned as a criminal organisation due to its political connections to the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party or NSDAP), and involvement in war crimes and The Holocaust. As a result, Waffen-SS veterans were denied many of the rights afforded to other German combat veterans who had served in the Heer, Luftwaffe or Kriegsmarine, except conscripts sworn in after 1943, who were exempted from the judgment on the basis of involuntary servitude. [4] Waffen-SS soldiers were held in separate, more rigorous confinement by the Western Allies and were punished severely by the Soviet Union. As well, many Waffen-SS men recruited from German-occupied countries in Europe were punished by their home countries. In the 1950s and 1960s Waffen-SS veteran groups successfully fought numerous legal battles in the newly founded West Germany to overturn the Nuremberg ruling and win pension rights for their members.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agohe was a member of a very elite German military unit. he faught to the death.
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What does death's head look like on the soldiers uniforms in the holocaust?
a skull, but it was not on soldier's uniforms, it was on the uniforms of a divivsion of the SS.
What is the difference between the luftwaffe the SS and gestapo?
Originally organised by Hermann Goering, the gestapo was Prussia's secret state police. However, it eventually became part of the SS and operated throughout Germany and in occupied areas. Members of the Gestapo generally operated in civilian clothing but, in occupied areas, often wore SS uniform with police-style (rather than SS) rank insignia. Membership of the Gestapo didn't necessarily mean membership of the SS.
What did SS officers do?
An SS officer was an officer in the SS.SS stands for Schutzstaffel. Literally it means 'protective squad', but it should be left untranslated as SS.The SS was originally set up as Hitler's personal bodyguard and was a sub-division of the SA (brownshirts, stormtroopers). In 1934 it became fully independent of the SA and was commanded by Himmler (with Heydrich as his deputy). It became the core of Nazi terror apparatus and ran the concentration camps and by about 1936 assumed control of the entire terror apparatus.In the late 1930s, various additional SS units were set up as a kind of supplementary army alongside the main German army, which some of the top Nazis didn't quite trust. This SS "army" was called the "Waffen-SS" and was distinct from the "Totenkopfverbaende" ("Death's Head Units") that ran the concentration camps.All sections of the SS liked to look on themselves as an elite ... During World War 2 the SS accepted foreign volunteers as the German regular army wasn't keen on accepting foreigners. So there were, for example, Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Bosnian Muslim and other SS units.In general, the SS had a reputation for fanatical devotion to Nazism. It was officially ranked as racially one notch above ordinary Germans ...!Like all larger military outfits, the SS had officers, NCOs and ordinary soldiers.Note that the SS had its own designation for ranks. These almost entirely avoided rank designations borrowed from foreign languages, so for example, the SS equivalent of a "Major" was a "Sturmbannführer" a full "General" was an "Obergruppenführer" and so on.See the Related Link for "Wikipedia: SS Ranks" to the bottom for the answer.
What ranks did Rudolf Hoess achieve during his services in the SS?
In General Rudolf Hoess was the first and last Camp Commandant of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.Here are the Following ranks he achieved in the SS and when:20th September 1933 - SS aspirant1st April 1934 - SS-Mann20th April 1934 - SS-Sturmmann28th November 1934 - SS-Unterscharführer1st April 1935 - SS-Scharführer1st July 1935 - SS-Oberscharführer1st March 1936 - SS-Hauptscharführer13th September 1936 - SS-Untersturmführer11th September 1938 - SS-Obersturmführer9th November 1938 - SS-Hauptsturmführer30th January 1941 - SS-Sturmbannführer18th July 1942 - SS-ObersturmbannführerFor an SS Personal, to achieve SS-Oberstumbannfuhrer within 8 Years and 10 Months is very impressive, That is the 3rd Highest Rank someone in the SS could Achieve unless if your in the Waffen SS then it's 7th Highest. Less than 75 People in the entire SS including Waffen-SS Achieved this rank.e
What did the ukranian SS do?
normal SS duties. There was a detachment of Ukranian SS at Auschwitz, working at the krematoria.
A German troop was called a?
German Soldier or an Waffen SS Soldier.
What actors and actresses appeared in The Rise of Valhalla - 2015?
The cast of The Rise of Valhalla - 2015 includes: Sebastian Badenberg as Viking 4 Marc Bluhm as Paul Daniel Denecke as SS Soldier 4 Jan Haake as Viking 1 Markus Hettich as SS Soldier Josef Mario Kas as Wilhelm Andreas Konze as SS Soldier 2 Martin Krawinkel as SS Soldier 7 Robin Metz as SS Soldier 6 Thomas Pill as SS General Wolff Fabio Sorgini as Ludwig Pas van Deyck as SS-Officer Schmitz Javier Wolf as Gustav
Who would win between a Nazi SS or a Vietcong soldier?
Nazi
What is the differnece between a ss soldier and a gypsy?
A soldier fights for his Country, while a gypsie works to engage the members of the country
What actors and actresses appeared in Escape to Gossau - 2013?
The cast of Escape to Gossau - 2013 includes: Michael Koltes as Sgt. Bob Rainer Dan Styles as SS-Soldier 1 Dan Vernan as SS-Soldier 2
What does death's head look like on the soldiers uniforms in the holocaust?
a skull, but it was not on soldier's uniforms, it was on the uniforms of a divivsion of the SS.
Can aluminum and ss be kept together?
If you want to keep your SS soldier intact, you shouldn't keep aluminum aroud him. Actually, I have a few SS soldiers that are missing an arm or a foot for that reason. SS soldiers melt when they come in contact with aluminum, which is why allied soldiers used aluminum bullets during WW2.
How many soldier a ran the camp named Auschwitz?
None. Auschwitz was run by the SS, a paramilitary organisation independent of the army.
What ranking would a soldier have been if his job was to remove Jews from their homes and transport them to concentration camps?
For an Waffen-SS soldier any Soldier could remove Jews from their homes and put them on trains to the concentration camps but the orders must come from at least a SS- Sturmbannführer: SS-Storm Command leader or a anyone who has a high power of authority For the German Soldiers, Only soldiers with the rank of Obergefreiter could do the job of evacuating Jews from their homes but only can be done from a military personal with the rank of Major
What actors and actresses appeared in Experiment 17 - 2005?
The cast of Experiment 17 - 2005 includes: Justin Boss as Actor playing Helmut Koch James Colston as SS Soldier Andrew Leman as Narrator Christian Matzke as Helmut Koch Byron Nilsen as Actor playing SS Officer Rob Pellerin as Wehrmacht Soldier Sarah Tarling as Frau Koch Rob Wilber as Karotechia Soldier
What does the skeleton head on the SS men's hats represent?
The symbol on the SS black cap is called a Totenkopf, German word for dead man's head or "skull". The Skull represents the willingness of a soldier to risk his life for the sake of their cause.
What actors and actresses appeared in The Way Out - 2012?
The cast of The Way Out - 2012 includes: Alexander Alexeyev as Gustav - a theater director Elina Amromina as Edith Goldschmidt Aleksandr Cherednik as SS Soldier Artur Kharitonenko as Commandant Anatoly Kondyubov as SS Soldier Alexey Morozov as Tenor Marina Nikolya as Concert-master Tatyana Ryabokon as Make-up Artist
