SS

It is a combination of the German skoss (guard, protection and pro-guard) and the German staffel (team, group and squad). Generally called SS in English. It was one of the preparations for the German Nazi Party to fulfill its public security responsibilities, and it was also another intelligence, surveillance and torture project of the Nazi Party.

Originally it was a private escort group set up by the Nazi Party for Hitler outside the SA, and later it belonged to the SA. It became independent from the SA in 1925 and specialized in protecting all high-ranking officials of the Nazi Party, collecting counter-assassination intelligence, and monitoring political style. After 1929, it evolved into a security force that carried out Nazi party investigations, interrogations, security maintenance and patrols. The most important thing was to monitor the interior of the Nazi party itself and the SA. Later, with the establishment of the National Security Service through SS Himmler as the German Interior Minister, the SS essentially became Germany's national public security unit and developed into a "surveillance" agency for espionage activities. Public security organizations.

Two lightning bolts symbolize the team emblem, and one lightning bolt (which means the sun) symbolizes victory in Norse mythology. Its lightning bolt logo was designed by Walter Heck in 1932.

The SS was reorganized into the Waffen SS. Previously, the paramilitary department formed and trained with the approval of the German Wehrmacht was called the SS Special Mobile Forces.

The Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht was the official military force of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It was renamed from the German Wehrmacht, which was established on January 1, 1921.

On May 9, 1945, Germany was disarmed after its defeat and surrender. The Wehrmacht was disbanded, leaving only a small border guard and minesweeper units for defense. It was not until November 12, 1955 that the new Bundeswehr was officially established.

Military Faith

Bloomberg, then Secretary of Defense, began political reforms in the military in 1934. After the military began to adopt a new enlistment oath in September 1935, the reforms reach climax. Since then, the Wehrmacht has been directly responsible to the leaders of the three armies of the German Empire rather than to the German Constitution. This partly explains why when several Wehrmacht officers led by Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1944, there was considerable Some Wehrmacht officers viewed him as a mutiny.

Oath

I solemnly swear before God that I will obey without reservation the orders of Adolf Hitler, the Head of the Reich and the Supreme Commander of the Defense Forces, and as a brave I will abide by my oath in the name of a soldier, even if it means sacrifice.

Why were the German troops during World War II called the SS?

In World War II, the German army had to be divided into the SS and the Wehrmacht because the Nazi Party could better consolidate its power and status in the country. The nature of these two services is different. The Wehrmacht is the basic armed force of the country, and the SS is an armed force composed entirely of Nazi party personnel. Their purpose was to defend the dictatorship of the Nazi Party in Germany. Of course, their various responsibilities and primary clients are slightly different.

The German Wehrmacht is a relatively regular national armed force. Prussia, the predecessor of Germany, once had a famous saying that other countries controlled the army, while Prussia was a country controlled by the army. This shows that German militarism is deeply rooted. This army has long been controlled by Junker nobles. This hereditary class, similar to the Japanese samurai, has monopolized almost all promotion channels in the military through intermarriage for hundreds of years.

After the end of World War I, the Wehrmacht gradually declined. At this time, Hitler knew that what he needed was an armed force that was completely subordinate to him. With the further rise of the Nazis, Hitler found that although he was the head of state, he could not easily control the Wehrmacht. In fact, Hitler did not fully control the Wehrmacht until the death of the Nazis. Various assassination plans against Hitler and private contacts with the Allies were carried out within the Wehrmacht, but Hitler had no way of knowing.

At this time, Hitler may have some intuition, or it may be that in order to realize his grand strategy, he needs an army that is completely obedient to his will. The Wehrmacht obviously can't do it, and the only way is to reorganize a force. Therefore, Hitler showed a strong military color on the basis of the former SS and formed the SS. The former SS could be said to be the elite of the elite, with its members being Nazi fanatics.

Summary: The purpose of the establishment of the SS was to protect the top leaders of the Nazi Party. To put it simply, it was to protect Hitler's Nazi regime. However, after the outbreak of World War II, Hitler incorporated these SS troops into the Wehrmacht. Within, they were allowed to fight together with the Wehrmacht. They became the elite troops of the German army with their strong combat effectiveness, so they were regarded as the "main body" of the German army. Of course, the German Wehrmacht and the SS fought together, and their goal was to protect Hitler. This is one of the reasons why people called the German army during World War II the SS.