The Waffen-SS was the military branches of '' [[Schutzstaffel]] '' (S), of which it constituted one of the components with of '' [[Allgemeine S]] '' and of '' [[Sicherheitsdienst]] '' (SD).
It was conceived at the origin by Heinrich Himmler like a political army, only made up of convinced national-Socialists, subjected to severe selection criteria in particular based on the racial theories Nazis. Into the wire of time, and especially starting from the end of the year 1942, it integrated troops of any origines, Volksdeutsche (people of Germanic origin but out of Reich) of Slovakia to the Albanian. These non-German units were largely majority as from 1944, with close to: 700000 men on a total of almost a million members of Waffen-SS throughout all conflict. With various motivations, energy of engagement Nazi to the local ethnic conflicts, the foreign units of Waffen-SS were an important supplement with German military operations.
Present on all fronts of 1939 at 1945, except for the North Africa, the units of Waffen-SS appeared of variable quality: number of them showed a great combativeness, primarily on the face of the East, as from 1943. They made conspicuous by the number of their exactions on all their theaters of operation.
Birth of Waffen-SS
In the weeks which follow the accession of the Nazis to the capacity, the S is equipped armed commandos, of '' Politische Bereitschaften ''. , in particular intended to pursue the democrats and to counterbalance the troops of '' [[Sturmabteilung]] '' (SA).Verfügungstruppe is organized to take share with the war and to fight on the battle fields. By pouring its blood on the face, it will gain the moral right kill the cowards and the saboteurs of the interior|Heinrich Himmler, November 8th, 1938 1.After the Night of the Long Knives, in which these units serve executants, Adolf Hitler accepts, on March 16th, 1935 1 in spite of the reserves of '' [[Reichswehr]] '', to melt them in only one unit, of '' Verfügungstruppe '' (VT), deprived of units of genius and artillery.
From 1934 to 1939, the VT coexist with the close guard of '' Führer '', of '' Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler '', created in 1933 the, strong one of a hundred men primarily resulting from SA and ordered by Sepp Dietrich. This Praetorian guard receives a military training given by the 9th regiment of '' [[Reichswehr]] ''.
The third pillar of what will become of '' Waffen-SS '' is consisted of the SS-Totenkopfverbände in charge of the guard of the Concentration camps and ordered by Theodor Eicke, the assassin of Ernst Röhm.
By a decree of August 17th, 1938, after the setting with the variation of the Minister for the war Werner von Blomberg, Hitler sweeps the reserves of the army, accepts to equip the VT with heavy weapons, to increase its troops, in particular via the incorporation of part of the members of '' Totenkopfverbände '' and to raise it with the row of division. May 18th, 1939 1, it authorizes Heinrich Himmler to be poured in the VT: 50000 men of '' Allgemeine S '': from '' Waffen-SS '' was born, even if this name becomes official only on March 2nd, 1940 1.
At first sight, one can be astonished by the favorable answer brought at the request of Himmler and by the S to obtain military units: it was precisely the request of Ernst Röhm and SA before the Nuit of the Long Knives. But the context changed: Hitler ensured its capacity, in particular on Reichswehr which does not have any more, as in 1934, the means of being opposed to him, more especially as it removed the army from the ambitions of SA; the S does not have the will to influence the program and the action of the NSDAP and it gave to Hitler of serious pledges of fidelity at the time of the night of the long knives and the Nuit of crystal. Himmler, which does not have the charisma of Röhm is of an absolute fidelity in Führer and cannot in no case to be regarded as a potential rival. Moreover, thanks to the action of Reinhard Heydrich, the S proved reliable in persecution of the opponents, then in and the settlement installation of the first concentration camps.
Formation and recruitment
Military formation and political endoctrination
In 1934, the lieutenant-general with the retirement of the Reichswehr, Paul To raise, joined the S, in order to ensure a true military formation the units of the VT. Traditional, elegant and cultivated Prussian officer, it does not have anything commun run with the companions of Bavarian brewery, the hooligans of SA or the Nazis of the first days like Sepp Dietrich. He does not put of them less all his competences at the training service of the VT, future of '' Waffen-SS ''.To raise aims to equip the VT with all competences of a traditional military unit. Its personality, the quality of the training given in the military academies of Bad-Tölz and of the castle of Brunswick contribute to attract novel members in the VT.
With Felix Steiner, Hausser finds at the same time an assistant and a rival. Steiner does not share indeed the traditional designs To raise and privileges a more original training, inspired of the commandos of shock of the First World War, stressing the body at body, the use of automatic weapons and grenades.
The recruitment and the training of the future officers also break with the military traditions. In order to avoid the development of a spirit of caste, the future officers must at least be used for two years in the row before entering of '' Junkerschule '', school of officers of '' Waffen S ''.
The recruits of '' Waffen-SS '' and particularly their officers also receive an ideological formation on the guiding lines and the ideology of the party, impregnated of an anticommunism and an anti-semitism radicals; this aspect of the formation causes strong reserves To raise and Steiner, Nazis convinced who want to give a high level military training without being encumbered political aspects too much.
If of '' Waffen-SS '' do not adhere masses some with the expensive mystical theories with Heinrich Himmler, they are numerous to forsake the Church, with the greatest satisfaction of '' Reichsführer ''.
Then, we undertook most important, the ideological formation, as of the first day also. We absolutely did not tackle the religious question in the many young people of Westphalia, of brave men young people, catholics, of good race, but infinitely churchgoers. In these two divisions, I expressly authorized all those which wanted it with going to the church the effect was of first order: six weeks afterwards, none went there more|Heinrich Himmler in front of Reichsleiter and Gauleiter, Posen, October 6th, 1943 1.
Apart from this formation, political character from '' Waffen-SS '', which makes its soldiers of the fanatic Nazis who never discuss an order, rises owing to the fact that the majority of its recruits and especially of its officers are volunteers and Nazis convinced before entering of '' Waffen-SS ''. It is besides with these young officers that Himmler entrusts the mission of taking care of political education, with the endoctrination of their men.
In their quasi totality, they will go until the end of the logic of their oath: of '' Meine Ehre heisst Treue '' ( My honor names fidelity ).
Recruitment
In the beginning, the criteria of recruitment defined by Heinrich Himmler for of '' Waffen-SS '' as for the S are particularly severe and translate its will to accommodate only the Germanic elite .
Never let us succumb to the madness of the number. If we maintain our requirements current will maintain we and make them still more severe, we will be able to use to the more 10% of German youth. Never bend, please, neither for the admission requirements nor for the admission itself, even if sometimes you do not have as many candidates and candidates you would wish it|Heinrich Himmler in front of generals S, November 8th, 1937 1.
To be allowed, the candidates must prove to them “'' racial quality ''” with dimensions according to a scale of five degrees, their Aryan ascent '' '' since 1800 for the privates and 1750 for the officers, the absence in their family of mental diseases or hereditary.
They must be old less twenty-three years, measure 1,74 m or more, not carry glasses, pass from the very thorough sporting tests and a test of intelligence reduced to its more simple expression They also must and especially to prove their engagement Nazi without fault.
The members of '' Waffen-SS '' come primarily from the campaigns and families without tradition military. 90% of the officers of '' Waffen-SS '' are of country origin, against 2% in of '' [[Reichswehr]] '', 5% come families where one is soldier of wire father, against 49% in of '' Reichswehr ''.
These criteria know a first easing as of the end of the year 1938; progressively of the increase in manpower of '' Waffen-SS '', incorporation of nonGerman units, they will be diluted little by little, then will disappear completely.
Expansion of Waffen S
The development: Germans and Volksdeutschen
Shortly after the arrival To raise, the VT increases via the creation of Ier Régiment S “Deutschland” with Munich and of IIe Régiment “Germania” with Hamburg. After the Anschluss, creates for itself IIIe Régiment S, “Der Führer”, composed Austrian Nazis. These three regiments are gathered in October 1939 to constitute the S Division Verfügunstruppe , future the 2 {{E}} panzerdivision S Das Reich.
The “Leibstandarte”, guard personal of Hitler, is transformed into motorized regiment but preserves through detachments, its mission traditional of protection of Führer. It then it is also transformed into division, the 1 {{Re}} division S Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.
Under the impulse of Gottlob Shepherd, lieutenant during the First World War, fanatic Nazi and right-hand man of Himmler, person in charge of SS-Hauptamt under the direct authority of Reichsführer S, the VT transforms himself into Waffen-SS and begins his real expansion. Initially, Berger opens offices of recruitment in all Reich, which causes conflicts with the local managers of Allgemeine-SS, who want to keep their men under their only authority. In 1938, it recute: 32000 new recruits in eight month, 1940, close to: 50000. In spite of the importance of his role of recruiter, Berger will never be appreciated by the generals of Waffen-SS.
With: 56000 men of the fine VT 1936, are added the 3 {{E}} Panzerdivision S Totenkopf, made up guards of the concentration camps, then the 4 {{E}} division S Polizei, resulting from manpower of the Ordnungspolizei (ORPO).
This first expansion of Waffen-SS is slowed down by the OKW, whose central service of recruitment must give its authorization for the recruitment of German citizens. Hitler is not opposed to this attitude of the high command of the German army, undoubtedly fearing to see being diluted the political aspect of Waffen-SS.
An agreement however made with the military high command and the chief of the German Front of work, Robert Ley, to exempt to service of work the young people from eighteen to twenty years which voluntarily begin in the Totenkopfverbände and the units of police force or in the combat units of the S.
Since the army opposes the recruitment of German citizens or limits it, Berger turns his glances towards the “Volksdeutschen”, populations of German or Germanic origin disseminated through Europe. The first volunteers come from Slovakia: in January 1940, they are 109 to present itself of which 58 are accepted. From March in May 1942: 16000 Hungarian volunteers join Waffen S. In 1943, the “Volksdeutschen” constitute the quarter of the troops of Waffen-SS, at the end of the war, they are with the number of: 310000. Engagement in Waffen-SS enables them to obtain German nationality immediately.
Rise to power: a mixture of nationalities
Its efforts concentrate then towards the Netherlands (23 {{E}} division Nederland and 34 {{E}} division Landstorm), the Belgium (28 {{E}} division Wallonia and 27 {{E}} division S Langemarck), the France (Brigade Frankreich, 33 {{E}} division Charlemagne) , the Norway and the Denmark (5 {{E}} division Wiking and 11 {{E}} division Nordland). After the invasion of the Soviet Union, Waffen-SS becomes a patchwork of nationalities: one assists with the creation of Russian divisions (29 {{E}} and 30 {{E}} divisions S of pomegranates), Bosnian (13 {{E}} division Handschar), Croatian (23 {{E}} division Kama), Ukrainian (14 {{E}} division Galicie), Albanian (21 {{E}} division Skanderbeg) and Hungarian (25 {{E}} division Hunyadi, 26 {{E}} division Hungaria ).At the end of the war, the nonGerman units represent nearly 70% of manpower of Waffen-SS. Less and less Germanic, the troops of Waffen S are also increasingly young: in September 1943, Berger incorporates some seventeen years recruits; in 1944, it calls upon the class of 1928, i.e. with young people some sixteen year old
The progression of the number of men of Waffen-SS is exponential: : 100000 men in July 1940: 220000 at the end of 1941: 330000 at the end of 1942: 540000 at the end of 1943: 910000 men at the end of 1944. On 38 divisions, two thirds are create during the two last years of the conflict including 15 after the assassination attempt of July 20th, 1944, Hitler defying Wehrmacht more and more. With reduced manpower, equipment and drive, the majority of these divisions of late creation will play only one minor part, even non-existent.
Evolution of the criteria of recruitment and the motivation
This increase makes disappear the initial criteria of recruitment: as example, it is difficult to the Bosnian Moslems of Handschar division or to the Albanians of Skanderberg division to prove their Aryan ascent since 1800. Himmler however also sticks to their ideological framing:
There is a Imam in each battalion. But it is the only division of this kind. The catholic or different prêtraille does not exist at home. In this case, I have in each battalion a iman which serves of director for the ideological formation near the Bosnians and as the Albanians. I have interest so that they are very believers|Heinrich Himmler in front of Reichsleiter and Gauleiter, Posen, October 6th, 1943.
This widening of recruitment has also consequences on the motivation of the troops and their political profile. If incorporation in Waffen-SS of 179 units of the Allgemeine S, whose staffs and troops of monitoring of the concentration camps do not dilute the politization of Waffen-SS, it goes from there well differently for the majority of the non-German recruits.
From the winter 1943, the “Volksdeutschen” are purely and simply built-in of office, like many Alsaciens; part of the personnel of divisions Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg is recruited of force in the camps of work; many foreign volunteers fight in the name of the antibolchevism, of a canted nationalism, but without necessarily adhering to all the aspects of the ideology Nazi; certain Baltic and Ukrainian think that their engagement will give access to them independence; some others Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Ukrainian, seem also carried by the anti-semitism: in the days which follow the arrival of the German troops, certain inhabitants of these areas take part in the progroms spontaneous or caused by the Einsatzgruppen or collaborate in the massacres made by those; the Bosnian of Handschar Division hope for the support of Germany in their fight against the Tchetniks, Serb and catholics.
The diversity of the origins and the motivations does not decrease of anything the atrocities made by the units Waffen-SS, almost all confused origins. Besides among the authors of the Massacre of Oradour-on-Glane appeared many Alsatian “In spite of us”. But this aspect of Waffen-SS is too often occulted with the profit of the legend of a disciplined and politicized black Order, of a troop of elite of which actually of many units were ineffective on the face or underwent desertions in mass, like Handschar division.
It is also necessary to underline porosity, the exchanges continuous between Waffen-SS and the device of concentration or extermination: more: 60000 guards of camps are incorporated in the combat units of Waffen-SS which, in its turn, pours in the personnel of the camps of the men not being able to fight; a significant proportion of the Einsatzgruppen is made up starting from members of Waffen-SS who regain their units of origin at the end of their exterminating mission. As example, Einsatzgruppe has comprises during its creation 340 Waffen-SS out of its 990 members.
On the face
If recruitment, promotions and the ideological formation of Waffen-SS concern only the S, their action on the face depends on the high command of the German army, OKW, and of the persons in charge of the theaters of operation. On the plan of military operations. divisions of Waffen-SS do not have any independence and their room for maneuver is the same one as those of the units of the Wehrmacht.
Military operations
Campaigns of Poland and France
After having taken part in the Anschluss, then with the occupation of the provinces Sudètes of Czechoslovakia, yielded to Reich following the Agreements of Munich, the Waffen S starts its military operations in 1939.August 19th, 1939, them: 18000 members of Verfügungstruppe and: 8000 men of the Totenkopf formations receive their order of mobilization: September 1st, the regiments of Verfügungstruppe, distributed in four divisions of the Army, take part in the countryside of Poland, the Totenkopf units being in charge of operations of cleaning to the back of the face. For the general of the Wehrmacht, Johannes Blaskowitz, the motorized regiment of Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler is “ an average unit, still inexperienced , does not have nothing extraordinary ”. ; he also protests against the exactions of the Totenkopf , which massacre thousands of people: “ the feelings of the troop towards the S and the police force oscillate between the repulsion and hatred. All the soldiers are taken of dislike and loathing in front of the crimes committed in Poland ”.
According to Georges H. Stein, the contribution of the S to this countryside is “modest but considerable”; the recorded heavy losses are charged, by the Wehrmacht, with the insufficiency of the training of the officers S
At the time of the countryside of France, Waffen-SS, officially recognized as such by the OKW since March 8th, 1940 1 aligns three divisions and half against 157 for the army. Contrary to a tough legend, divisions of Waffen-SS do not have the best material, like the guns of attack, but they have the advantage of being entirely motorized. They owe part of their armament with the operations of the Oberführer Gärtner, which acts as regards equipment like Gottlob Berger for recruitment. To ignore the reserves of the OKW, it circumvents the services of the army and exchange, with Fritz Todt, weapons and ammunition against: 20000 Polish forced workers. A new agreement of the same order made between Heinrich Himmler and the successor of Todt, Albert Speer in 1942: in exchange of labor coming from the concentration camps, the S can have 5 to 8% of the production of the factories of armement.
If Waffen-SS undergoes heavy losses, in particular because of deficiencies of command of Theodor Eicke with the head of the Totenkopf division, for which the losses do not have any importance , it does not take part in any decisive action. As in Poland, it is pointed out by its cruelty, in particular while assassinating nearly two hundred British prisoners of war in France, with the Paradise, close to Béthune, then with Wormhout.
On the face of the East: offensive and defensive
June 22nd, 1941, five divisions of Waffen-SS take share to the invasion of the Soviet Union. Entirely motorized, it do not have armoured tanks. As in France, it lack of experience and the deficiencies of command are felt: in Finland, in September 1941, two regiments of Totenkopf division flee in front of a Soviet attack; always under the command of Eicke, completely opposed to the more traditional formation To raise, Totenkopf division is bled with white: on its: 17000 soldiers at the beginning of the offensive: 12000 are out of combat in March 1942. In 1941-1942, Waffen-SS is not distinguished particularly from the regular units, except by its brutality. Its performances and its losses are comparable with those of Werhmacht.In 1942, divisions Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Totenkopf and Wiking are transformed into divisions armor-plated and equipped with the best material. They appear particularly useful and combative until the end of the conflict, while taking part in the majority of major engagements. On the other hand, Polizei divisions and Prinz Eugen are almost committed only in the fight against the partisans. Because of her bad equipment, the latter is regarded as an assignment punitive. Under the command Paul To raise, divisions Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich and Totenkopf take part in the attempt fallen through to release Stalingrad of Russian surrounding, in December 1942. This same armor-plated body takes an active share with the German counter-offensives of February and March 1943 and with the reconquest of Kharkov, then with the Bataille of Koursk. On a more general level, as in 1941, the successes and the failures of Waffen-SS are of the same order as those of the army; as in 1941 still, it is characterized by the number of its war crimes and by the fanaticism of the major part of its troops.
Last combat: from the Ardennes in Berlin
During the battles of Normandy, Waffen S constitutes the framework of German defense, with divisions Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Hitlerjugend, Götz von Berlichingen, Hohenstaufen and Frundsberg. These two last divisions block the English and Polish parachutists with Arnhem, during the Opération Market Garden, with the Netherlands, in September 1944. At the time of this battle, the commander of Hohenstauffen division, Wilhelm Bittrich grants a two hours truce to the English parachutists to allow the evacuation of: 2000 wounded, that it makes look after in the German military hospitals.With its four divisions, in particular equipped with Panzerkampfwagen VI Königstiger, the armor-plated armed Life S is the spearhead of the Bataille of the started Ardennes on December 16th, 1944.
After the Ardennes, Hitler sends the formations of Waffen S in Hungary, to help the troops taken with the trap in Budapest by the Red Army . Attempts at release of divisions Totenkopf and Wiking échouent. It is still in Waffen-SS that Hitler entrusts, in March 1945, its last “offensive miracle”, the operation Frühlingsewachen (“awakening of spring”), aiming at crushing the Russian forces close to the Lac Balaton. Steiner refuses to attack, which starts a true fit of rage at Hitler
Losses and military value
For certain authors, whose Heinz Höhne, Waffen-SS underwent losses definitely more important than Werhmacht and showed a greater military value. According to other more recent works, like that of Guido Knopp, the assessment of military operations of Waffen-SS is mitigated and overall comparable with that of Wehrmacht and the levels of losses are of the same order. This second analysis seems confirmed by studies like those of Omer Bartov and Christian Ingrao. With regard to the military prowesses, the most effective divisions of Waffen-SS, primarily its armor-plated divisions, which keep their combative spirit in all the circumstances and until the last day of the conflict (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich…), are extremely close to those carried out by best divisions of Wehrmacht, like division Gross Deutschland or Panzerlehr. If one counts members of Waffen-SS in the last square of the defense of Berlin, one finds there also soldiers of Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, members of youths hitlériennes or Volkssturm.With regard to the figures of the losses, those of the Totenkopf division which on its: 17000 statesmen to fight at the end of June 1941 lost some: 12000 in March 1942, or of Hitlerjugend division with: 8000 soldiers out of combat in September 1944 on a starting manpower of: 20000, is a rate of losses similar to that of the Panzerlehrdivision of the army, are indeed impressive. The same applies to the losses of Wehrmacht on the face of the East: the twelfth division of infantry loses a third of her manpower, that is to say: 4200 men between June and December 1941; eighteenth Panzerdivision loses more half of its initial manpower and the four-fifths of its officers starting of June 1941 in March 1942; at the end of 1943, within division Grossdeutschland, a second lieutenant chief of the sixth pomegranate company has one effective duration of command of a little more than one week, before being put out of combat due to wound or to died at the face. With regard to the losses of 36 German divisions committed in the battle of Normandy, the rates of divisions S oscillate between 22 and 46% of their initial manpower; those of the units of Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe enters 14 and 100%; among 14 divisions having undergone rates of loss higher than 50%, there is no division of Waffen S.
On the other hand, with regard to the exactions against the civil populations, the massacres of prisoners or the wild repression of the partisans, Waffen-SS is distinguished clearly from Wehrmacht, even if this one also committed many war crimes, primarily on the face of the East.
War crimes
During the engagements for the catch of Kharkov, our reputation preceded us: we had indeed the reputation to wake up the fear and to sow terror: it is an extraordinary weapon, and one should not let it weaken, it always should on the contrary be reinforced|Heinrich Himmler in front of officers S, Kharkov, April 24th, 1943
Invasion of the Poland at the last days of the Battle of Berlin, Operation Barbarossa with the Battle of Normandy, Waffen-SS shows of a generalized brutality and a brutality, whose systematic character is not found in the many war crimes committed by the regular army.
As opposed to what affirm Paul Hausser and Felix Steiner in their memories, even if these two generals were not condemned for war crimes, and taking into account the list below, far from being exhaustive, which take again some well documented war crimes, Waffen-SS was not soldiers like the others .
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1 {{Re}} division S Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, murder of 85 prisoners with Wormhoudt in May 1940 and Massacre of Baugnez at the time of the Battle of the Ardennes,
- 2 {{E}} panzerdivision S Das Reich, participation in slaughters of the Einsatzgruppe B on the face of the East, assassinations in the Batch and in Tarn-et-Garonne in May and June 1944, Massacre of Oradour-on-Glane and Massacre of Tulle,
- 3 {{E}} panzerdivision S Totenkopf, massacre of 100 British prisoners, with the Paradise, close to Béthune, on May 27th, 1940, atrocities during the retraire of Karkov in autumn 1943,
- 4 {{E}} division S Polizei, with 223 civilian victims with Klissura and 300 in Bistrono, in Greece, from April in June 1944,
- 5 {{E}} Panzerdivision S Wiking, assassination of 600 Galician Jews in Ukraine,
- 7 {{E}} division S of volunteers of mountain Prinz Eugen, assassination of: 2000 Croats in Dalmatie on March 28th, 1944. ,
- 8 {{E}} division S of cavalry Florian Geyer: 14000 victims in the marshes of Pripet in August 1941.
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12 {{E}} Panzerdivision S Hitlerjugend, Massacre of Ascq, close to Lille on April 2nd, 1944, under the orders of the Obersturmführer Walter Hauck and assassination of 115 Canadian prisoners in Normandy in June 1944,
- 13 {{E}} division S of mountain Handschar: many exactions in Croatia, whose probably extermination of all the inhabitants of the orthodoxe village of Bleated Crkva,
- 14 {{E}} division S of pomegranates Galicie: massacre: 1000 inhabitants of the Polish village of Huta Pieniacka (Ukraine), on February 28th, 1944.
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This fact is disputed by certain Ukrainians. A Canadian board of inquiry into the war crimes affirmed in his final report, in 1986, that the charges of war crimes committed by the 14th division S had never been proven.
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the Polish institute of the memory, as for him estimated, via an analysis published on November 18th, 2003 1, that it was well the 4th regiment of the Galicie division which was responsible for the massacre, and this on the basis of documents exhumed in 1999, is after the Canadian investigation.
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the controversy on this subject is always in hand.
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16 {{E}} Panzergrenadierdivision S Reichsführer-SS, with more: 2000 victims in Italy, whose 560 in Sant' Anna di Stazzema at summer 44 and 770 in Marzabotto at the end of September 1944, massive shootings several thousands of Italian civilians on the face of the Arno in August 1944,
- 21 {{E}} division S of mountain Skanderbeg, massacre of the 800 inhabitants of the village of Velika, on July 28th, 1944 and of 673 civilians in the hamlets of the neighborhoods,
- 29 {{E}} division S of pomegranates, brigade RONA, more known under the name of brigade Kaminski, repression of the Insurrection of Warsaw,
- 36 {{E}} division S of pomegranates, more known under the name of Brigade Dirlewanger , 200 villages Belorusse know the same fate as Oradour
- 1st brigade of infantry S motorized, composed of 8th and 10th regiments of infantry: massacres of tens of thousands of Jews with Kamenets-Podolski, Dniepropetrovsk and Rovno,
- 51e brigade S: massacre of 68 people, 6 months old to more than 70 years, on August 24th, 1944 with Buchères (France).
Post-war period
At the time of the Lawsuit of Nuremberg, the S, of which Waffen-SS forms integral part, is condemned like criminal organization. No member of Waffen-SS appears among 24 marked first lawsuit of Nuremberg, nor among the following and no legal action is carried out against Waffen-SS as such or its principal leaders. In the years which follow shell the lawsuits of the persons in charge of the various massacres, of that of Baugnez in 1946 with Oradour in 1953. For Baugnez, 43 death sentences and 22 custodial sentences with perpetuity are marked in 1946. In particular following defects of form, all condemned are free in 1956. Both condemned to died of Oradour are released in 1959, the killers of Ascq, are condemned to dead or with perpetuity are all free in 1957; the person in charge of the Massacre of Marzabotto, condemned to perpetuity by the Italy in 1951 is quickly grâcié following the intervention of the Austrian government .The heaviest sorrows are those which were marked at the time of the lawsuit of massacre of Baugnez, lightest those of the lawsuit of Oradour. As Claudia Moisel underlines it, it is in the immediate future post-war period that the sorrows are heaviest whereas the lawsuits carried out in the years 1950, within the framework of the Dénazification, lead to verdicts much more lenient for reason of a political nature and in a context of Cold war.
The little of continuations against members of Waffen-SS is also explained by the will of the soldiers and many German politicians to turn the page, in particular in the optics of the creation of the Bundeswehr . One year after the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany, the former dignitaries of Wehrmacht publish the proclamation of Himmerod which poses like condition with rearmament the rehabilitation of the soldiers of Wehrmacht and the adoption of the continuations against the pseudo-criminals of war which had done nothing but obey the orders of their superiors . This climate explains the remarks of the chancellor Konrad Adenauer who declares in August 1953 with Hanover that “the units of Waffen were soldiers like the others”.
“The majority of the members of Einsatzgruppen, the police force of the order, the Totenkopf commandos, Waffen-SS and other organizations S, culprits of slaughter in the East during the second world war, neither were put in charge, nor condemned and, in all impunity, they remained in freedom”
At the end of the Fifties, the Bundestag allows 159 officers until the rank of Obersturmführer, 330 warrant officers and 210 troops of Waffen-SS to integrate Bundeswehr being born.
Founded in 1951, by Paul Hausser, Felix Steiner, Sepp Dietrich and Kurt Meyer, the Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit DER ehemaligen Angehörigen der Waffen-SS (HIAG) done all that is possible for to rehabilitate the memory of Waffen-SS and its members. Strong, in years 1960 of: 70 00 members on: 250000 veterans of Waffen S in FRG, it organizes many meetings of war veterans and has several periodic publications. At the time of one of his meetings, in Karlberg (Bavaria), Kurt Meyer declares in 1957 front: 8000 members of association whom “the troops of the S made no crime except the massacre of Oradour and this one was not that the act of only one man”. The HIAG is dissolved in 1992.
The works written by former members of Waffen-SS, like Otto Skorzeny, Kurt Meyer, condemned like or war criminal Saint-Wolf contribute to maintain the legend Waffen-SS troop of elite . The title of the book Paul Hausser summarizes well the aim had by this literature: Soldaten wie ander auch (We were also soldiers).
See too
- S
- Units of Waffen S
- List of ranks of Schutzstaffel
- War crimes of Wehrmacht
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