Abstract In 1925, Adolf Hitler formed his own personal bodyguard unit and called it the Schutzstaffel (S.S.). Four years later Heinrich Himmler was appointed its leader. This paper looks at the history of one of the world's most feared military units during WWII. It also looks at the structure of the group, its three branches and their roles within the organization. Finally, the paper looks at the downfall of the S.S. with the fall of the Third Reich.
From the Paper "Despite the almost mythical reputation of the S.S., (at least in the eyes of Germans), when the Third Reich fell, the S.S. fell with it. By mid-1943, more than 100,000 Waffen S.S. recruits died in during battle in Russia. ?"We weren"t outfought?, wrote Kurt Meyer, ?but we were outnumbered, overwhelmed, pushed to the wall by sheer weight.?? (Constable, 172) Yet, the Waffen S.S. units continued to fight to "stave off the end of nazism". The attack of Kharkov was Germany's last won battle. "Hitler was ecstatic because his faith in the S.S. panzer corps had been validated"Himmler, too, brimmed with pride.? (Constable, 174)"
