History of the Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS were the armed units of the Schutzstaffel, better known as the SS.
The SS were the protective guards of the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) - or
the "Nazis." Many soldiers in the Waffen-SS distinguished themselves in combat,
and in a small number of cases, became notorious for their atrocities.
However, these crimes against humanity should not label the entire Waffen-SS as an
organization of hate. The vast majority of soldiers were combatants, not criminals.
In 1933, the Schutzstaffel organized a
full-time armed branch called the SS-Verfügungstruppen
(SS-VT). These units were placed at Hitler's disposal, and
were intended to be special purpose troops for such duties as putting down
counter revolutions and strikes, conduct purges, and quell riots. By
1939, the size of the SS-VT expanded to four regiments
(Standarten), due to the usefullness of having combat units outside
the control of the German military. These soldiers were carefully
selected, and the requirements to join were very strict.
The role of the SS-VT was eventually
expanded. Himmler desired to have a military force that rivalled
that of the German Army, and equipped these troops with the most modern
weapons and vehicles. The training was considered tougher than that
of the Army's, since Waffen-SS training involved the use of live
ammunition. When the Germans annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, there
were SS-VT troops right along side those of the Army. Before
the invasion of Poland, the SS-VT was given extensive military
training in the tactics of warfare, and formed into units similar to those
of the Army. These troops were exposed to combat, giving the
SS-VT a root cadre of experienced soldiers to build upon.
After the Polish campaign, three SS-VT regiments who had seen
combat were expanded into Brigades, and later Divisions (the Standarte
Der Führer did not participate in Poland since they were stationed at
the West Wall, and was completing training).
The Waffen-SS continued to expand their
numbers, but competed for recruits with all the other military
services. The strict requirements for membership decreased the pool
of potential recruits even further. In an attempt to bolster their
numbers, the Waffen-SS began recruiting for non-german, "nordic"
peoples who lived outside the German border. This gave the Waffen-SS an
advantage over the army, who were prevented by law from recruiting from
conquered territories. The Standarte Nordland and the
Standarte Westland were formed and combined with the Standarte
Germania, forming the Wiking Division.
By 1943, the strict recruiting requirements of the
Waffen-SS were too cumbersome. With the mounting losses in
the war, the reduced number of potential recruits, and escalation of the
war onto multiple fronts, the Waffen-SS was forced to lower the
requirements necessary to join. This permitted the
Waffen-SS to muster 31 Divisions, of which consist of 7
Panzer Divisions by 1945. However, about a third of these
Divisions were classified as "non-Germanic," (composed primarily of
non-Germanic personnel), and rarely had enough soldiers to deserve the
classification of "Division". At the end of the war, ethnic germans, or volkdeutsch,
actually outnumbered Germans in the Waffen-SS. The 11.SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Division
"Nordland", composed of both Germans and non-Germans, fought to the
bitter end in Berlin, defending the Reichschancellory and the
Führerbunker.