Waffen-SS



The Waffen-SS was the military arm of the Schutzstaffel, (Protection Squad in German). Starting from humble orgins as a paramilitry police force, it rose to be one of the most fearsome organzations of history, and was infamous for its brutality and war crimes throught the 1930's and 40's.

Motto
Meine Ehre heißt Treue ("My Honor is called Loyalty")

Unifrom
The SS unifrom was an all-black, including a black tie and boots.

Beginnings
The Waffen-SS was the armed portion of the SS and its main purpose was to fight the Reich's enemies and invade and occupy countries. It started out as several loyal bodyguards to Adolf Hitler, that threated the oppenents of the Nazi party. The SS was the main force in The Night of the Long Knives, in which they killed over 80 SA leaders, ending the presence of the SA. To join the SS, men had to meet the criteria of the Nazi racial standards. Some of them were that you had to be at least 5'11, have no defective teeth, and no disibilities. They would also have to trace their Aryan heritge back to the 1700's. In addition to all of this, members had to pledge loyalty to Hitler himself.

WWII
The Waffen-SS was the spearhead of most of the Panzer(armoured) assults during the war. They lead the assulult across the border into the countries of Poland, France, the Soviet Union. Their loyalty and determination for victory matched those of their Asian allies, the Japanese. According to a military historian, "The SS didn't take prisoners. The Russians didn't take SS prisoners." This lead to horrific battles to the last man.

Battle of the Bulge
The SS was the main force in Operation Wacht am Rhein(Operation Watch on the Rhein), or the Battle of the Bulge. Elite units, such as the newly reformed 6th Panzer Army, thrust into the Allied lines in attemp to reach the port-city Antwerp. The German nearly succeded, and were pushed back after about a month of heavy fighting. The Waffen-SS is blamed for the Malmadey Massacre, where about 150 American POW's were shot. Casualty rates on both sides were high.

Aftermath
The Waffen-SS suffered about 315,000 killed or missing in action, with about 400,000 wounded. Most of the war crimes at the Numernburg trials were committed by SS troopers and officers. The Waffen-SS was known to be one of the fiercest fighting groups in history.