home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
United Public Domain Gold 2
/
United Public Domain Gold 2.iso
/
education
/
pe026.dms
/
pe026.adf
/
texts
/
ss.text
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-07-17
|
4KB
|
72 lines
THE SS AND THE WAFFEN SS
`Loyalty is my honour`
The double lightning flash runes of the Schutzstaffel or
as it is more popularly known, the SS struck fear and
resepect throughout Europe, both in the occuiped terratories
and on the battle front.
At its height the SS was a vast military and commercial
empire ruled by Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler.
The SS was originally the special elite protection squad
of the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and when it was founded in the
early 1920 and was originally subservient to the much large
SA or Brownshirts. In 1934, however after the `Night of
Long Knives` when the rebellious SA leaders who had been
leaning towards the left, were eradicated - by the more
loyal SS, the SS were given their independence and were
soon to eclipse their former comrades, the SA.
In 1933, the bodyguard section of the SS, the Liebstandarte
Adolf Hitler became full time troops and the foundations
of the Waffen or armed SS was born. By the outbreak of the
war, the Liebstandarte SS had achieved regimental strength
and distinguished itself in the fighting in Poland and
France, eventually it was to become 1st SS Panzer Division
and under its General, Sepp Dietrich was to take part in
just about every major battle in the war.
The Waffen SS expansion during the course of the war was
very rapid and the 1st SS was soon joined by a number of
other elite armoured formations, the most outstanding of which
were SS Viking,SS Das Reich and SS Hitler Jugend.However,
many of the later divisons such as SS Handschar were divisions
in name only and were but pale shadows of the original big
SS divisions. In the end , the SS had well over a million men
under arms.
The General SS, as opposed to the Waffen SS was a part time
NSDAP organisation and functioned still as part of the Nazi
Party. Its members were drawn from all walks of life and it was
from these that the Totenkopf Guards (not to be confused with
the Totenkopf Panzer Division) which guarded the concentration
camps were drawn.
Many people in different social circles in National Socialist
circles held honorary SS rank both as a mark of support for
the regime and as an aide to climbing up the rapidly expanding
SS social ladder.
The SS was also a big industrial employer running through labour
camps and projects.
One of the main features of the Waffen SS was the large number
of foreign nationals in its ranks.By the end of the war, the SS
had Dutch,French,Spanish,Italian,British,Norwegian,Russian,
Baltic,Ukranian,Croatian,Slovenia elements in it. In the Battle for
Berlin (April 1945), the French SS of the Regiment Charlemagne
particularly distinguished themselves, the unit of 1500 Frenchmen
fighting to the last against the Bolsheviks.
Though the SS will always remain the centre of a controversial
storm and was indeed branded a `criminal organisation` by the
occupying powers after the war, Allied troops who fought
against its soldiers all testify to the courage and tenacity
of the ordinary SS soldier.In later years, they were scattered
to the four corners of the earth. Many never returned from
Russian captivity, other with names changed fought on in the
French Foreign legion and other elite organisations.