History 06/03/20 What tasks actually performed the Waffen-SS
Despite the frequent mention of the fact that Heinrich Himmler was the Creator of SS, this is incorrect. However, without his guidance, this structure would not be as influential and well-known. For Himmler, this organization was the favorite child.
the Real architect of the SS, the political and military head of the Association, was Hitler. The famous Otto Skorzeny, former SS obersturmbannführer post, wrote that Hitler’s SS soldiers swore an oath of allegiance. Himmler was after Hitler first officer.
besides the post Himmler took at once: the part with which we began the organization, was established in 1925, Initially it was called the “security team”, and then Goering suggested the abbreviation SS (Schutzstaffel die). The term in aviation meant the squadron cover. Further in the documents of the SS could not decipher.
In 1927, Himmler was Deputy Reichsleiter of the NSDAP propaganda. In the spring of that year he was asked to take the post of Deputy reichsführer-SS Heiden. And only a year and a half in January 1929 he became the Reichsfuhrer-SS. Then number of personnel of the organization amounted to about three hundred people, but within a year had grown to thousands and continues to grow.
“Personal troops” Fuhrer
Originally, the SS was designed for the protection of premises belonging to the party, meetings, creating a cordon at the rally. In addition, there was also a part devoted to the protection of party leaders. In particular, these belonged to the Leibstandarte Hitler. Officially the SS was subordinated to the SA (storm troops), but in fact strongly demonstrated the independence of this structure: since 1930, members of the SS were a special form of black, none of the command of the SA could not give orders to the members of the SS. In 1930, Hitler established the SS police functions.
in Parallel, under the leadership of Himmler, the organization has turnedcamping in the internal army, obeying Hitler personally. On the buckles of the SS bore the motto, is a quotation from the speech of Hitler: “SS! Your honor is loyalty”. The implication was that “loyalty” means loyalty to the party and the führer. The loyalty of the compounds of the SS was demonstrated by them during the “night of the long knives”, when he was defeated stormtroopers Remus and killed many political opponents of Hitler. For that, the führer declared the SS an independent organization within the NSDAP. Reorganized the SA and SS became enemies.
After the organization of the troops SS (Waffen-SS) among the internal enemies of the organization increased and regular army formations. Until 1942, the Waffen-SS backing officially belonged to the police. In fact, however, their task was to ensure the safety of Hitler and the willingness, if necessary, to suppress attempts at rebellion. In this division of the SS were often armed and better prepared than the formation of the Wehrmacht.
Before 1939, Himmler saw the SS only political instrument of power – its forces had to keep the Wehrmacht in fear and to eliminate it in the event of a coup. However, the war has made adjustments and forced the SS to send troops to the front. But even formally submitting on the front of the military command, the SS was guided not combined Charter and private. And the percentage of casualties was higher.
Also, the SS was to become the ideological elite of the Third Reich and to maintain his authority in Germany itself and occupied territories.
the Elite guard
Himmler played a major role in shaping the image of the SS. Immediately after taking office, he banned to accept to the SS, not members of the party and has set strict requirements for candidates. Successfully developed a form of the additionally attracted new recruits. The SS began to join the German aristocracy, for example, the Prince von Waldeck, Prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince von Mecklenburg. In the compounds of the SS operated a special code of honor, was declared the ideals of camaraderie and supportkey.
the SS became an experimental ground for testing the ideas of Himmler about maintaining racial purity. In 1931 he signed the SS law on marriage. It was stated that members of the SS are required to enter into marriage only after obtaining the marriage certificate of the reichsführer. “The departed” excluded from the ranks of the organization, but they were allowed to annul the marriage.
Himmler emphasized that the processing of the petition will be Racial service of the SS. Also, “Racial service of the head of the clan Book of the SS, which will be made to the family members of the SS after the issuance of the marriage certificate”. Late for future wives of SS members was created of the school of brides, where girls were taught household and how to properly educate children in the spirit of the party and of loyalty to Hitler.
In 1934, Himmler began “cleansing” the ranks of the SS, ordered to investigate everyone who joined the party after 1933 as a result of the SS were excluded tens of thousands of people. In the mid-30s in the SS took only those who could show a certificate from the police about good behavior. Did not take the unemployed or those who worked in good faith is not enough. Other criteria included good health, good teeth, good physical training and, of course, the purity of the blood to the fifth generation inclusively. The directives proclaimed “Chronic drinkers, talkers, and people with other vices, it is absolutely useless”.
the plans of Himmler to transform the SS into a perfect structure that continue the legendary tradition of chivalry. Many of the attributes of the SS were sent to the “glorious past” in Germany: the famous “double lightning” is the identification of the SS – runes were, acorns and oak leaves on the uniforms were the first emblems of the German Empire.
Religious and mystical painting accompanied many SS units long. Himmler did not approve when his subordinates went to Church, believing that Christian humanism has a negative effect on “true Aryans”. For example, future officers in training wrote essays on the theme “Wine of Christianity in the lossand East Goths and the vandals”. By 1938, nearly 54% of the soldiers from the special forces of the SS left the Church.
the guards of the concentration camps and the foreign Legion
However, with the growth in the number of SS and the complexity of the structure of “elitism” and “purity” managed to save only some groups. Himmler tried to keep a separate SS units behind. Among these were the divisions division “Dead head”, who is even at the front were not subordinate to military command, and to him personally. But the number of regiments was reduced with each passing month of the war.
later, Himmler had to go to the division of the Waffen SS and the “General SS” (Allgemeine-SS). Originally declared “elitism” is preserved only in the “General SS”. They included units engaged in the issues of race, the Imperial security service, the leadership of the Gestapo, criminal police and police. There is continued requirement of racial purity and partisanship.
In the Waffen SS, the situation was different. Them in military terms, it was needed to replenish. And Himmler went to the ranks of the organization began to take Volksdeutsche – Germans who were citizens of other States. At the end of 1943 their number was a quarter of the Waffen-SS, and by the end of the war became even more. With the approval of the Himmler, Gottlob Berger, who was the real Creator of the Waffen SS, also began to agitate to join the SS and “almost German”: Belgians, Norwegians, Dutch. But it was not enough. At once elitist and “pure German” troops began to enter the Croatian, Italian, Hungarian, Russian division.
To combat political opponents of the regime in 1934 was established the camp of Dachau, which controlled the SS units. Further protection of this and other camps was carried out by the parts division “Dead head”. This division carried out a punitive operation, embodying the Directive of Himmler on combating the Nations to be destroyed.
Despite the fact that Himmler failed to create a “perfect organization” composed of Aryans United by loyalty to the führer and the party, by the end of the war, the SS were the largest service of the Third Reich. Himmler became the second most powerful man after Hitler.
Russian Seven
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