SS people: photo, shape, sign, fate after the war. SS men are ...

After the surrender of Germany at the end of the First World War, the country fell into a deep crisis. The result was the spontaneous formation of nationalist organizations that wanted to purge the state of "traitors" who welcomed communist views. It was on this basis that the NSDAP party emerged, the ideological leader of which was Adolf Hitler. Later, on his orders, paramilitary SS detachments were formed, whose members initially played the role of personal bodyguards of those in power.

Who are these SS men? Photos, insignia, uniform, appointment of the specified structures will be considered further in the material.

Who are the SS men?

The SS men are special fighting units of the Nazi troops, which were formed in the early 30s of the last century. These paramilitary squads belonged to the so-called reinforcement troops. Officially, the name Waffen-SS began to be used in 1939.

During the Second World War, the SS men were subordinate to Himmler, who bore the title of Reichsfuhrer. Soldiers SS had the primary right to receive better equipment and innovative weapons.

The SS men are detachments that were formed in 1933 from Hitler's personal bodyguards. At that time, there were about 120 people. Later, such detachments began to select the most loyal to the Nazi movement and the most skillful infantry.

Formation of military units SS

As of 1935, the number of soldiers in the regiment of personal protection of Hitler increased from 120 to 2600 people. Soon the Fuhrer announced the introduction of compulsory military service in the country. The result was the transformation of soldiers, who were involved in the protection of the top of government, into special forces - SS-Verfugungstruppe. In peacetime, such units were required to engage in combat training under the vigilant supervision of the flight officer, and in the course of the war to fully transfer to his disposal.

Initially, soldiers of the land forces were registered in the SS units on a voluntary basis. In order to train officers, special schools were organized in Braunschweig and Bad Tölz. Here, the military was devoted to the Nazi beliefs. It is noteworthy that everyone who wanted to join the SS ranks had to meet certain parameters, in particular, to have a height of at least 175 cm.

Special parts SS

In the second half of 1939 the following SS troops were organized:

1. The motorized infantry regiment includes several motorized, reconnaissance, artillery and anti-tank battalions under the command of General Sepp Dietrich, Hitler's closest associate.
2. The Deutschland regiment is formed from 4 battalions of reconnaissance and artillery units. The members of the militarized structure took part in the occupation activity aimed at seizing the Sudetenland in 1938.
3. The regiment "Germania" - according to the structure, had a device similar to a motorized infantry regiment. Soldiers that were included in its number, were involved in the occupation of Austria.
4. "Dead Head" - five regiments SS, whose soldiers did not have a significant combat experience. The latter played the role of the internal police, were responsible for the security of the representatives of the country's top leadership, and later were involved as security guards of the concentration camps.

First participation in hostilities

Despite the fact that the SS men are special purpose regiments, in September 1939 there was a need for their use in the course of military operations. The motorized infantry regiment and the Germania division were sent to Poland. The latter became part of the 10th and 14th armies. The regiment of Deutschland was involved in defensive operations on the Western Front.

The occupation campaign in Poland proved that SS men are brave, skillful and well-trained warriors. At the same time, some soldiers of this kind of troops behaved somewhat self-confidently and even recklessly, as evidenced by the reports of the command. The reason was the reluctance of SS officers to obey the usual field commanders. For this reason, Himmler achieved that the SS regiments fought autonomously, regardless of common forces.

A uniform

The SS uniform consisted of elegant enough black trousers and a tunic. Both items were made from natural wool with the addition of viscose. This allowed to extend the life of the uniform. Pants with a high belt combined with suspenders. SS men wore a single-breasted tunic, which contained four large pockets that were intended for personal belongings and storage of ammunition.

The members of the units wore gray wool shirts. The latter were cut quite freely, which made it possible to ensure the comfort of movement and keep the heat.

SS soldiers wore a cotton cap in black. On the top and bottom of the headdress there was a piping, the shade of which corresponded to the kind of troops. Generals wore caps of similar design, but made of black velvet.

Insignia

In contrast to other Nazi militarized units, SS soldiers did not wear the state emblem of the Wehrmacht on the uniform. Instead of it, a special sign of the SS was used, where the eagle's wings were more rectilinearly spread out to the sides. The very image of the bird of prey was placed above the laurel wreath with a swastika in the center. The emblem was sewn onto a sleeve of military uniform with silk or aluminum thread. A similar sign was on the pilot's cap.

In the right buttonhole of the SS troop tunic there was a symbol of the rune "Zig" in the form of a schematic image of two lightning bolts. These symbols could be embroidered on the form or have the appearance of a metal badge.

Soldiers who belonged to a special division of the "Dead Head", instead of the traditional for the SS runes "Zig" wore a badge in the form of a skull with crossed bones.

Female escorts

To realize their insane ideas, Hitler needed loyal and ruthless executors of orders. These Fuhrer sought not only among men. One of the most famous women in the SS was Ilsa Koch. In her youth she was a diligent student and enjoyed the respect of others. In 1939, Ilsa decided to join the ranks of NSDAP. A few years later she became the wife of Karl Koch, who organized the concentration camp Buchenwald. The great ambitions of the young SS were combined with the hidden perversion of her husband.

In 1936, Ilsa Koch found a job in a concentration camp. At that time, her husband reveled in power over prisoners of war. Watching the destruction of innocent people, soon the woman discovered her hidden sadistic inclinations. In the camp, they began to fear her no less than the commandant.

There is evidence that Frau Koch sent intractable concentration camp prisoners to tearing wild animals at the zoo. However, her real passion was tattoos. By her order, the skin of the murdered prisoners, decorated with drawings, was made for decoration of various household utensils.

In April 1945, during the liberation of Buchenwald by Allied forces, Karl Koch was killed in the middle of the camp, where he had not recently disposed of the destinies of people. However, Ilze managed to escape in time and avoid punishment.

In 1947, the Ministry of Justice of Germany sent forces to search for former prisoners Buchenwald. Thus, irrefutable evidence of war crimes by Ilsa Koch against prisoners of war appeared. The SS was seized and sent to the prison cell until the end of its days. Soon the former leader of the concentration camp hanged herself on a sheet in the Bavarian prison.

The fate of the SS after the war

According to historical information, in the course of hostilities during the Second World War, about 180,000 SS soldiers were killed. About 400,000 members of the organization were injured. Another 40,000 soldiers are listed as missing.

How did the fate of the SS turn out to be? During the Nuremberg trial of crimes against humanity, all the military belonging to the SS detachments were accused. Most of them recognized their involvement in the Holocaust. The only exception were people who were called into the ranks of the organization by state structures on a compulsory basis and in fact had no choice. The charges were dropped from SS men who proved their innocence of war crimes.

Finally

As can be seen, the SS men were a special group of Wehrmacht troops, which was initially used as personal protection for Hitler and the top leadership of the NSDAP party. Later SS soldiers began to participate in the implementation of special military assignments. In the conduct of the structure over time, concentration camps were found, where the SS men were engaged in the extermination of prisoners on political and racial grounds. At the end of the war, the Nuremberg Tribunal declared members of the SS organization guilty of crimes against humanity.