THE SS AND THE WAFFEN SS
                          `Loyalty is my honour`
               
      The double lightning flash runes of the Schutzstaffel or
      as it is more popularly known, the SS struck fear and
      resepect throughout Europe, both in the occuiped terratories
      and on the battle front.
      At its height the SS was a vast military and commercial
      empire ruled by Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler.
      
      The SS was originally the special elite protection squad
      of the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and when it was founded in the
      early 1920 and was originally subservient to the much large
      SA or Brownshirts. In 1934, however after the `Night of
      Long Knives` when the rebellious SA leaders who had been
      leaning towards the left, were eradicated - by the more
      loyal SS, the SS were given their independence and were
      soon to eclipse their former comrades, the SA.
      
      In 1933, the bodyguard section of the SS, the Liebstandarte
      Adolf Hitler became full time troops and the foundations
      of the Waffen or armed SS was born. By the outbreak of the
      war, the Liebstandarte SS had achieved regimental strength
      and distinguished itself in the fighting in Poland and
      France, eventually it was to become 1st SS Panzer Division
      and under its General, Sepp Dietrich was to take part in
      just about every major battle in the war.
      
      The Waffen SS expansion during the course of the war was
      very rapid and the 1st SS was soon joined by a number of
      other elite armoured formations, the most outstanding of which
      were SS Viking,SS Das Reich and SS Hitler Jugend.However,
      many of the later divisons such as SS Handschar were divisions
      in name only and were but pale shadows of the original big
      SS divisions. In the end , the SS had well over a million men
      under arms.
      
      The General SS, as opposed to the Waffen SS was a part time
      NSDAP organisation and functioned still as part of the Nazi
      Party. Its members were drawn from all walks of life and it was
      from these that the Totenkopf Guards (not to be confused with
      the Totenkopf Panzer Division) which guarded the concentration
      camps were drawn.
      
      Many people in different social circles in National Socialist
      circles held honorary SS rank both as a mark of support for
      the regime and as an aide to climbing up the rapidly expanding
      SS social ladder.
      
      The SS was also a big industrial employer running through labour
      camps and projects.
      
      One of the main features of the Waffen SS was the large number
      of foreign nationals in its ranks.By the end of the war, the SS
      had Dutch,French,Spanish,Italian,British,Norwegian,Russian,
      Baltic,Ukranian,Croatian,Slovenia elements in it. In the Battle for
      Berlin (April 1945), the French SS of the Regiment Charlemagne
      particularly distinguished themselves, the unit of 1500 Frenchmen
      fighting to the last against the Bolsheviks.
      
      Though the SS will always remain the centre of a controversial
      storm and was indeed branded a `criminal organisation` by the
      occupying powers after the war, Allied troops who fought
      against its soldiers all testify to the courage and tenacity
      of the ordinary SS soldier.In later years, they were scattered
      to the four corners of the earth. Many never returned from
      Russian captivity, other with names changed fought on in the
      French Foreign legion and other elite organisations.