Criminal
04-11-2004, 08:35 AM
Just some random thoughts on a book I am reading on the Waffen SS. Its rather interesting to note a few things. The term "Waffen SS" actually refers collectively to any members of the SS selected for fighting in combat units under the command of the Army. It came to inclued the Totenkampf or death heads units. They also included various "police" and Panzar units as well.
The origin of the SS was that they were Hitler's own body guard. They were from the very begininning under the control of Heinrich Himmler. Himmler was a dull witted and unimaginative leader, and may have been selected because of his subservence to the Furher. After the night of the long knives, when rival Storm troopers were murderd by Hitler (as a way of appeasing the Army and conservative elements in Hitlre's government), Hitler needed to rely on those whose loyalty to him was absolute.
Incidently, The SA or Stormtroopers did continue to exist, but only as an auxiliary police force. Some of its membership were drafted in the army but few enlisted in the SS, being bitter over the SS's usurption of its authority.
The SS took over many primary functions in Hitler's state. They were palace guards, guarded concentration camps, acted as state police and guarded party leaders. But their function as a military unit was not to come until later.
The comming war meant that the Army would be given great powers. There was fear among the Party leaders that the Army would see the Nazi party as shirking responsibility in fighting the war. After all, when people start dying in the armed services, won't there be some resentment for those who stay at home? For this reason the party authorized the creation of military units within the SS. This marked the beginning of the Waffen SS.
The Waffen SS units were trained under conditions that even the army would not. They trained under live fire and often had high casualties even before being dispatched to the front.
A rivalry grew between the Warmacht and the SS over the recruitment of young Germans. The SS was a totally voluntary unit. But the Army grew angry over the acceptance of young Germans of constription age and sought to bar those subject to the draft from joing. For this reason the SS began recruiting Germans above the age of consription and also accepted young Germans as well. It also began recruiting Volksdeuch or ethnic Germans from ouside the Reich. In the end the need for more men led to the recruitment of non-Germans as well.
At first the non-Germans were those considered "Racially preferred", which is to say, Norweigian, Danish, Flemish, and Dutch. It also included many recruits from neutral countries such as Sweeden and Switzerland. Later other people were admitted, Finnish, Belgen-Waloon, French, Italian, Spanish, East Indian and there was even an unsuccessful attempt to recruit British and Americans. As the war turned East, Bosnian Muslems (muslemen, as the Germans called them), Ukrainian, Croation, Latvian, Estonian and Russians were recruited.
The end result of this was the establishment of a "German Foreign Legion".
The stories of these units were often tragic. The story of the Flemish recurits was particulary sad. Recruited under the false pretense of working in the war industries in the Reich, Flemish recruits were forced into uniform. They were treated with open contempt by their German officers and called cowards and scum. They were often beaten. They were forced into all German units, a difficult assignment as many did not even speak German. In the end, they finally were assembled into their own unit and fought alongside Dutch units. Many of these Flemish and Dutch were killed on the Russian front later in the war.
Much has been said about the conduct of the SS. While their valor in battle is undisputed (SS casualties greatly exceeded that of the Army, Navy or Luftwaff), they were also impressed into the Einsgruppe or execution squads which followed the conquests throughout Europle. The first great atrocity was the execution of British prisoners in Belgium by men of the SS. Later, wholesale executions of Jews took place.
Also, SS were often sent to staff the network of concentration camps throughout the reich.
Mostly those who did the dirty deeds were wounded or old soldiers, considered unfit for combat duty. But they could also be troops returning from the front awaiting further assignment.
After the war many SS men denied involvement in the horrible attrocities like Babi Jar, near Kiev where thousands of Jews were murdered in mass or service in the many death camps. But this could be taken with a grain of salt.
The reasoning for service in such repugnant actions as the mass killing of innocent people may be stemmed in the psychological conditioning that many recruits undergone. It was thought that this duty, as difficult as it was, was a necessary part of the war. To destroy enemies of the reich, both real and potential was part of the duty of the SS man. Often, men returning from the front were desensatized from the carnage they saw. The killing of innocent civilians was all part of the same war, so they were led to believe.
Even those whose guilt in the crimes were obvious had answered when asked that it was their duty to do these deeds. "I was following orders. I had no choice".
It often seems that when the worst crimes are committed in a war, those who do the killing will blame their superiors.
What the Nuremburg trials taught was "I was following orders" is no longer a valid excuse. Soldiers are still human beings and endowed with a capacity for reason. Perhaps you will die for refusing an order. But its better to die as a human being than to live on as a mass murderer.
The origin of the SS was that they were Hitler's own body guard. They were from the very begininning under the control of Heinrich Himmler. Himmler was a dull witted and unimaginative leader, and may have been selected because of his subservence to the Furher. After the night of the long knives, when rival Storm troopers were murderd by Hitler (as a way of appeasing the Army and conservative elements in Hitlre's government), Hitler needed to rely on those whose loyalty to him was absolute.
Incidently, The SA or Stormtroopers did continue to exist, but only as an auxiliary police force. Some of its membership were drafted in the army but few enlisted in the SS, being bitter over the SS's usurption of its authority.
The SS took over many primary functions in Hitler's state. They were palace guards, guarded concentration camps, acted as state police and guarded party leaders. But their function as a military unit was not to come until later.
The comming war meant that the Army would be given great powers. There was fear among the Party leaders that the Army would see the Nazi party as shirking responsibility in fighting the war. After all, when people start dying in the armed services, won't there be some resentment for those who stay at home? For this reason the party authorized the creation of military units within the SS. This marked the beginning of the Waffen SS.
The Waffen SS units were trained under conditions that even the army would not. They trained under live fire and often had high casualties even before being dispatched to the front.
A rivalry grew between the Warmacht and the SS over the recruitment of young Germans. The SS was a totally voluntary unit. But the Army grew angry over the acceptance of young Germans of constription age and sought to bar those subject to the draft from joing. For this reason the SS began recruiting Germans above the age of consription and also accepted young Germans as well. It also began recruiting Volksdeuch or ethnic Germans from ouside the Reich. In the end the need for more men led to the recruitment of non-Germans as well.
At first the non-Germans were those considered "Racially preferred", which is to say, Norweigian, Danish, Flemish, and Dutch. It also included many recruits from neutral countries such as Sweeden and Switzerland. Later other people were admitted, Finnish, Belgen-Waloon, French, Italian, Spanish, East Indian and there was even an unsuccessful attempt to recruit British and Americans. As the war turned East, Bosnian Muslems (muslemen, as the Germans called them), Ukrainian, Croation, Latvian, Estonian and Russians were recruited.
The end result of this was the establishment of a "German Foreign Legion".
The stories of these units were often tragic. The story of the Flemish recurits was particulary sad. Recruited under the false pretense of working in the war industries in the Reich, Flemish recruits were forced into uniform. They were treated with open contempt by their German officers and called cowards and scum. They were often beaten. They were forced into all German units, a difficult assignment as many did not even speak German. In the end, they finally were assembled into their own unit and fought alongside Dutch units. Many of these Flemish and Dutch were killed on the Russian front later in the war.
Much has been said about the conduct of the SS. While their valor in battle is undisputed (SS casualties greatly exceeded that of the Army, Navy or Luftwaff), they were also impressed into the Einsgruppe or execution squads which followed the conquests throughout Europle. The first great atrocity was the execution of British prisoners in Belgium by men of the SS. Later, wholesale executions of Jews took place.
Also, SS were often sent to staff the network of concentration camps throughout the reich.
Mostly those who did the dirty deeds were wounded or old soldiers, considered unfit for combat duty. But they could also be troops returning from the front awaiting further assignment.
After the war many SS men denied involvement in the horrible attrocities like Babi Jar, near Kiev where thousands of Jews were murdered in mass or service in the many death camps. But this could be taken with a grain of salt.
The reasoning for service in such repugnant actions as the mass killing of innocent people may be stemmed in the psychological conditioning that many recruits undergone. It was thought that this duty, as difficult as it was, was a necessary part of the war. To destroy enemies of the reich, both real and potential was part of the duty of the SS man. Often, men returning from the front were desensatized from the carnage they saw. The killing of innocent civilians was all part of the same war, so they were led to believe.
Even those whose guilt in the crimes were obvious had answered when asked that it was their duty to do these deeds. "I was following orders. I had no choice".
It often seems that when the worst crimes are committed in a war, those who do the killing will blame their superiors.
What the Nuremburg trials taught was "I was following orders" is no longer a valid excuse. Soldiers are still human beings and endowed with a capacity for reason. Perhaps you will die for refusing an order. But its better to die as a human being than to live on as a mass murderer.