"II. Though largely recruited from occupied countries, they also came from co-belligerent, neutral, and even active enemy nations. From April 1940 forward, Himmler began recruiting men for the Waffen-SS from among the West and Northern European people of Norway and the Low Countries. In 1941, the SS-Viking Division composed of Flemish, Dutch, Danish, and Norwegian volunteers was formed and placed under German command. Shortly thereafter, Waffen-SS troops were added from Latvia, Estonia, and elsewhere. When Red Army soldiers were captured by the invading German forces for instance, significant numbers of the POWs began immediately aiding the Wehrmacht. Along with the"
"of ""Reichsführer-SS"" was the designation for the head of the ""Allgemeine-SS"" (General-SS). In this capacity, the SS Reich Leader was the direct commander of the SS Senior District Leaders (""SS-Oberabschnitt Führer""); by 1936, the ""Reichsführer-SS"" was head of the three main SS branches: the ""Allgemeine-SS"", ""SS-Verfügungstruppe"" (SS-VT; Political Action Troops), and the ""SS-Totenkopfverbände"" (SS-TV; Concentration Camp Service). During the Second World War, the ""Reichsführer-SS"" in effect held several additional roles and wielded enormous personal power. He was responsible for all internal security within Nazi Germany. He was overseer of the concentration camps, extermination camps (through the Concentration Camps Inspectorate and"
"Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary. He was leader of the Nazi Party (""Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei""; NSDAP), and rose to power in Germany as Chancellor in 1933 and Führer (""Leader"") in 1934. During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in Europe by invading Poland in September 1939. He closely supervised military operations during the war and by December 1941 had full control of all strategic decisions, especially on the Eastern Front. He was central to the perpetration of the Holocaust. Hitler"
"Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS (, ""Reich Leader-SS"") was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the ""Schutzstaffel"" (SS). ""Reichsführer-SS"" was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest serving and most noteworthy ""Reichsführer-SS"" was Heinrich Himmler. ""Reichsführer-SS"" was both a title and a rank. The title of ""Reichsführer"" was first created in 1926 by the second commander of the SS, Joseph Berchtold. Julius Schreck, founder of the SS and Berchtold's predecessor, never referred to himself as ""Reichsführer"". Yet,"
"SS leader in April 1945, but not informed until early May. He was killed on June 8, 1945, while attempting to escape a Czech POW camp. Historians have often speculated that Reinhard Heydrich would have eventually held the rank had Himmler in some way been killed or removed from his position earlier in World War II, and indeed Heydrich was often seen as Himmler's heir apparent by senior SS leaders. However, at a diplomatic function in Italy in 1941, Heydrich was reported as stating that he had no desire to succeed Himmler. The rank of ""Reichsführer-SS"" has also appeared in"
"of the genocide program in place there. Senior chain of command ""Reichsführer-SS"" Heinrich Himmler (Supreme Commander of the SS) SS-""Obergruppenführer"" Oswald Pohl (Commander, ""SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt"") SS-""Gruppenführer"" Richard Glücks (Concentration Camps Inspectorate) Lateral senior commands SS-""Obergruppenführer"" Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger SS-""Obergruppenführer"" Wilhelm Koppe SS-""Oberführer"" Julian Scherner The camp commander of Auschwitz, as well as the senior camp officers and non-commissioned officers, were all members of the ""SS-Totenkopfverbände"", or SS-TV. Due to a 1941 personnel directive from the ""SS Personalhauptamt"", members of the SS-TV were also considered full members of the Waffen-SS. Such personnel were further authorized to display the Death's Head Collar Patch, indicating"
"with Steiner's works being important in stressing the theme of the purely military Waffen-SS. A second book was published in 1963 under the title ""Die Armee der Geächteten"" (English: ""The Army of the Outlaws"") and was equally tendentiously received. Steiner died on 12 May 1966, 11 days before his 70th birthday. He never married. Felix Steiner Felix Martin Julius Steiner (23 May 1896 – 12 May 1966) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was"
"fiction with the following some of the more notable examples: Reichsführer-SS Reichsführer-SS (, ""Reich Leader-SS"") was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the ""Schutzstaffel"" (SS). ""Reichsführer-SS"" was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest rank of the SS. The longest serving and most noteworthy ""Reichsführer-SS"" was Heinrich Himmler. ""Reichsführer-SS"" was both a title and a rank. The title of ""Reichsführer"" was first created in 1926 by the second commander of the SS, Joseph Berchtold. Julius Schreck, founder of the SS"
"SS-""Obergruppenführer"". As Hitler disliked change in personnel and liked to keep familiar faces around him, Schaub remained in Hitler's staff for 25 years. Later during World War II, with Germany suffering major defeat on all fronts, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators decided to eliminate Hitler and the Nazi leadership, establish a new government and save Germany from total destruction. Stauffenberg had his opportunity on 20 July 1944 at a military briefing at Hitler's East Prussian headquarters known as the Wolf's Lair ""(Wolfsschanze)"". He managed to get through security and plant a briefcase bomb under the conference table."
"Karl Wolff Karl Wolff (13 May 1900 – 17 July 1984) was a high-ranking member of the Nazi SS who held the rank of SS-""Obergruppenführer"" in the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler) and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943. He ended World War II as the Supreme Commander of all SS forces in Italy. Wolff evaded prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials, apparently as a result of his participation in Operation Sunrise. In 1964, Wolff was convicted of war crimes in West Germany; he was released in 1969. Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff"
"unit was handed over to the Soviet Red Army. In November 1947, he was put on trial before a Soviet military court in Poltava and sentenced to 25 years forced labor for war crimes. While serving his sentence, Becker ""tried his jailers' patience"" by attempting to manufacture explosives, leading to his retrial. ""The personification of the brutal Landsknechts who formed the high-ranking officers of the Waffen-SS"", he was convicted and executed in February 1953. Hellmuth Becker Hellmuth Becker (12 August 1902 – 28 February 1953) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. In World War II, he led"
"SS members belonged to the ""Allgemeine SS"", but this statistic changed during the later stages of the war when the Waffen-SS opened up membership for non-Germans. Further, with Himmler as Chief of the German Police, the SS also controlled the uniformed ""Ordnungspolizei"" (Order Police). The term ""Allgemeine-SS"" referred to the ""General-SS,"" meaning those units of the SS considered ""main, regular, or standard."" By 1938, the Allgemeine-SS was administratively divided into several main sections: After World War II began, the lines between the ""Allgemeine-SS"" and the Waffen-SS became increasingly blurred, due largely to the ""Allgemeine-SS"" headquarters offices having administrative and supply"
"(the strange title of the division comes from the date when Adolf Hitler, became the chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933), SS-Standartenführer Hans Kempin surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945. After the war he worked in agriculture and owned one of the most technically advanced farms in Germany. Hans Kempin died on 30 November 1992 at the age of 79. (?) indicates date unknown Hans Kempin SS-Standartenführer (Colonel) Hans Wilhelm Kempin (7 June 1913 – 30 November 1992) was a German Waffen-SS combat and training officer who served in the SS-Standarte ""Deutschland"", SS-Regiment ""Der Führer"" and later"
"Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was ""Reichsführer"" of the ""Schutzstaffel"" (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and among those most directly responsible for the Holocaust. As a member of a reserve battalion during World War I, Himmler did not see active service. He studied agronomy in university, and joined the Nazi Party in 1923 and the SS in 1925. In 1929, he was appointed ""Reichsführer-SS"" by Hitler. Over the next 16 years, he"
"Felix Steiner Felix Martin Julius Steiner (23 May 1896 – 12 May 1966) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II, he served in the Waffen-SS, the combat branch of the SS, and commanded several SS divisions and corps. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Together with Paul Hausser, he contributed significantly to the development and transformation of the Waffen-SS into a combat force made up of volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and un-occupied lands. Steiner was chosen by Heinrich Himmler to oversee the creation"
"January 1945. Fewer than 800 were ever tried for war crimes, the most notable of which were the trials of camp commanders Rudolf Höss and Robert Mulka, as well as several others tried between 1946 and 1948. The commander of the SS, ""Reichsführer-SS"" Heinrich Himmler, was the highest SS official with knowledge of Auschwitz and the function which the camp served. Himmler was known to issue direct orders to the camp commander, bypassing all other chain of command, in response to his own directives. Himmler would also occasionally receive broad instructions from Adolf Hitler or Hermann Göring, which he would"
"substantial use of personnel from the Soviet Union, including the Caucasian Muslim Legion, Turkestan legion, Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians and Russians, Cossacks, and others who wished to fight against the Soviet regime or who were otherwise induced to join. A few thousand White émigrés joined the ranks of the ""Wehrmacht"" and ""Waffen-SS"", often acting as interpreters. Legally, the Commander-in-Chief of the ""Wehrmacht"" was Adolf Hitler in his capacity as Germany's head of state, a position he gained after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934. In the reshuffle in 1938, Hitler became the Supreme Commander of the"
"Axis leaders of World War II The Axis leaders of World War II were important political and military figures during World War II. The Axis was established with the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1940 and pursued a strongly militarist and nationalist ideology; with a policy of anti-communism. During the early phase of the war, puppet governments were established in their occupied nations. When the war ended, many of them faced trial for war crimes. The chief leaders were Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussolini of Italy and Emperor Hirohito of Japan. Unlike what happened with the Allies, there"
"Ernst-Heinrich Schmauser Ernst-Heinrich Schmauser (18 January 1890 – 10 February 1945) was a commander in the SS of Nazi Germany who was the Higher SS and Police Leader in Breslau during World War II. Later in the war, he was responsible for the death march from Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, in which upwards of 25 percent of the prisoners were killed. Schmauser was also a member of the German Reichstag representing the Nazi Party. Schmauser was born the son of a businessman. He attended elementary school and junior high school in Hof an der Saale, then the secondary school in Bayreuth."
"had no contact with this military branch. Heydrich received a number of Nazi and military awards. These included the German Order, Blood Order, Golden Party Badge, Luftwaffe Pilot's Badge, bronze and silver Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for combat missions, and the Iron Cross First and Second Classes. Informational notes Citations Bibliography Further reading Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German Nazi official during World War II, and a main architect of the Holocaust. He was an SS-""Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei"" (Senior Group Leader and General"
"members but not members of the SS-TV camp service, were usually ""out of the way"" of the more horrific activities of the camp. Oskar Gröning is one such well known Auschwitz clerk, who has appeared on several documentaries speaking about life in Auschwitz for the SS, and how living in the camp was in fact an enjoyable experience. Garrison commanders SS-""Obersturmbannführer"" Rudolf Höss (1940 - 1943/1944) SS-""Obersturmbannführer"" Arthur Liebehenschel (1943–1944) SS-""Sturmbannführer"" Richard Baer (1944–1945) Senior adjutant officers SS-""Hauptsturmführer"" Josef Kramer (Auschwitz I) SS-""Hauptsturmführer"" Robert Mulka (Auschwitz I and II) Junior adjutant officers SS-""Obersturmführer"" Karl-Friedrich Höcker (Auschwitz I) Headquarters staff SS-""Hauptscharführer"""
"who had been responsible for so much of the SS doctrine and that of the Nazi state, committed suicide after he was captured by the Allies. Other senior members of the SS fled. Chief of the Reich Main Security Office, SS-""Obergruppenführer"" Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who was the ranking member of the SS upon Himmler's suicide, was captured in the Bavarian Alps and tried at the Nuremberg Tribunal along with other leading Nazis like Hermann Göring, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, among others. Kaltenbrunner was convicted of crimes against humanity and executed on 16 October 1946. Other SS intellectuals and"
"were ""Italien"" (1943–1945) and ""Ukraine"" (1943–1944), both of which had various HSSPF and SSPF reporting to them. The SS and police leaders directly commanded a headquarters staff with representatives from almost every branch of the SS and the uniformed police. This typically included the ""Ordnungspolizei"" (Orpo; regular police), Gestapo (secret police), ""Totenkopfverbände"" (SS-TV; Nazi concentration camps), SD (intelligence service), and certain units of the Waffen-SS (combat units). Most of these SS and Police Leaders normally held the rank of SS-""Gruppenführer"" or above and answered directly to Himmler in all matters pertaining to the SS within their area of responsibility. Their"
"military and political problems. The SS stressed total loyalty and obedience to orders unto death. Hitler used this as a powerful tool to further his aims and those of the NSDAP. The SS was entrusted with the commission of atrocities, illegal activities, and war crimes. Himmler once wrote that an SS man ""hesitates not for a single instant, but executes unquestioningly ..."" any ""Führer-Befehl"" (Führer order). Their official motto was """"Meine Ehre heißt Treue"""" (My Honour is Loyalty). As part of its race-centric functions during World War II, the SS oversaw the isolation and displacement of Jews from the populations"
"death. As second in command of the SS and then Reichsführer-SS, Himmler was in regular contact with Hitler to arrange for SS men as bodyguards; Himmler was not involved with Nazi Party policy-making decisions in the years leading up to the seizure of power. From the late 1930s, the SS was independent of the control of other state agencies or government departments, and he reported only to Hitler. Hitler's leadership style was to give contradictory orders to subordinates and to place them into positions where their duties and responsibilities overlapped with those of others. In this way, Hitler fostered distrust,"
"of the office was SS-""Gruppenführer"" Walter Schmitt until 1942, followed by SS-""Obergruppenführer"" and General of the Waffen-SS Maximilian von Herff. The office was supervised closely by the ""Reichsführer-SS"" Heinrich Himmler. The office consisted of two main departments: SS Personnel Main Office The SS Personnel Main Office () was responsible for the administration of personnel matters regarding all leaders and officers of the ""Schutzstaffel"" (SS) of Nazi Germany. This included the ""Allgemeine SS"" (General SS), Waffen-SS and ""Sicherheitsdienst"" (SD; Security Service), specifically those matters regarding admission, promotion and dismissal, but also organisational matters, transfers, and training. It was responsible for processing"
"the ""Norges SS"" was now renamed the ""Germanske SS Norge"", the ""Nederlandsche SS"" the ""Germaansche SS in Nederland"" and the ""Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen"" the ""Germaansche SS in Vlaanderen"". The men of these groups no longer swore allegiance to their respective national leaders, but to the ""germanischer Führer"" (""Germanic Führer""), Adolf Hitler: This title was assumed by Hitler on 23 June 1941, at the suggestion of Himmler. On 12 December 1941 the Dutch right-wing nationalist Anton Mussert also addressed him in this fashion when he proclaimed his allegiance to Hitler during a visit to the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. He had wanted"
"SS and police leader The title of SS and police leader ("" SS- und Polizeiführer"") was used to designate a senior Nazi official who commanded large units of the SS, Gestapo and the German uniformed police (""Ordnungspolizei""), prior to and during World War II. Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title: The first Higher SS and Police Leaders were appointed in 1937 from the existing ""SS-Oberabschnitt"" ""Führer"" (leaders of the main districts). The purpose of the Higher SS and Police Leader was to be a direct command authority for every SS and police unit in a"
"Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German Nazi official during World War II, and a main architect of the Holocaust. He was an SS-""Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei"" (Senior Group Leader and General of Police) as well as chief of the Reich Main Security Office (including the Gestapo, Kripo, and SD). He was also ""Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor"" (Deputy/Acting Reich-Protector) of Bohemia and Moravia. Heydrich served as president of the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC; later known as Interpol) and chaired the January 1942 Wannsee Conference, which formalised plans for"
"from the military cavalry terms of the Waffen-SS. The Waffen-SS used standard Army military unit titles, in the following hierarchy. By the mid-1930s, the SS leadership had grouped itself into two major senior commands which would last throughout World War II. The two most senior positions in the SS, apart from the ""Reichsführer-SS"", were the SS and Police Leaders and the SS Main Office Commanders. A wartime office which was granted considerable power was that of the SS and Police Leader. This unique position was a command authority of every SS unit in a given geographical area. SS and Police"
"under the command of Himmler who, in his position as ""Reichsführer-SS"", issued directives and orders to SS-VT commanders. Hold-outs existed for some aspects of the armed SS however, as well as within the special bodyguard unit known as the ""SS-Leibstandarte"". Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Sepp Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration. The Waffen-SS eventually grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions and served alongside the German Army, but was never formally part of it. During World War II, the authority of the ""Reichsführer-SS"" over the Waffen-SS was mainly administrative in that certain General-SS"
"defended it and put the attack down. Sometime afterwards in an open letter to Daluege, Adolf Hitler proclaimed """"SS Mann, deine Ehre heißt Treue!"""" (""SS man, your honour is loyalty""); and ""Meine Ehre heißt Treue"" (My honour is loyalty) was duly adopted by the SS as its motto. Hitler promoted both Daluege and Heinrich Himmler to SS-""Obergruppenführer"", with Daluege the SS leader of northern Germany while Himmler controlled the southern SS units out of Munich in addition to serving as national leader for the entire SS. In 1932 Daluege became a Nazi Party delegate in the Prussian state parliament, and"
"contact with a group of former adjutants, secretaries and other staffers who continued to have a favourable view of Hitler following the end of the war. Schulze-Kossens died of lung cancer on 3 July 1988. More than 100 former SS members attended his funeral, with many wearing the insignia of an SS veterans association, and his casket was draped with tributes from former SS units. Werner Grothmann and two former Nazi officers provided eulogies. Richard Schulze-Kossens Richard Schulze-Kossens (2 October 1914 – 3 July 1988, born ""Richard Schulze"") was an SS commander during the Nazi era. During World War II,"