'Protection Squadron'; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ᛋᛋ) was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.

Combining combat and police functions, it served alongside the German Army (Heer), Ordnungspolizei (Order Police), and other security units. Originally, it was under the control of the SS Führungshauptamt (SS operational command office) beneath Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS.

Dec 18, 2009 · Founded in 1925, the “Schutzstaffel,” German for “Protective Echelon,” initially served as Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler’s (1889-1945) personal bodyguards, and later became one of the most...

Apr 9, 2025 · SS (abbreviation of Schutzstaffel [German: ‘Protective Echelon’]), the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described ‘political soldiers’ of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in 1925 as a small personal bodyguard, the SS grew with the success of the Nazi movement and became virtually a state within a state.

Units and commands of the Schutzstaffel were organizational titles used by the SS to describe the many groups, forces, and formations that existed within the SS from its inception in 1923 to the eventual fall of Nazi Germany in 1945.

Formed in 1934 the SS Verfügungstruppe, known as SS-VT, was the armed force of the Nazi Party. It was separate from the main German army, the Wehrmacht. Members of the SS-VT were often men who failed to meet the strict criteria for entry to the Leibstandarte SS.

Sep 2, 2017 · The Nazis were, by 1933 the official German government. Hitler created a new unit of the SS to protect him and the Reichschancellery in Berlin. Known as the SS Headquarters Guard Dietrich after their leader, Sepp Dietrich, it contained 117 men.

Nov 7, 2011 · The relationship between the German Army and the Waffen-SS reached the rock bottom during the German operations in Yugoslavia in 1941 when SS troops threatened to open fire on army columns.

Aug 23, 2022 · Some of the most notorious Nazi leaders were SS chief officers, or were members of one of the SS branches. The Schutzstaffel and its sub-units killed millions of Jews and other individuals who did not align with Hitler’s “ideal race.”

Dec 16, 2024 · Originally formed as a paramilitary bodyguard unit for Adolf Hitler, the SS evolved into a multifaceted organization responsible for some of the most heinous crimes in human history, including the orchestration of the Holocaust.