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Flag of Waffen-SS

Flag of the Waffen-SS.

The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the SS, and a multi-national paramilitary force that was founded in 1933. The Waffen-SS had 1,400,000 troops at its height, not only German, but also Dutch, Belgian, French, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarussian, Norwegian, Albanian, and other nationalities.

History[]

Waffen-SS soldiers

SS Honor Guard soldiers, infamous for their defense of the Reichstag.

The Waffen-SS was founded as the armed wing of the SS, and was led by Heinrich Himmler. The Waffen-SS fought in World War II during the Polish Campaign of 1939, the Fall of France in 1940, and other conflicts, recruiting people from occupied countries as members of the SS. The Waffen-SS were comparable to the Einsatzgruppen, who were a branch of the SS who served as execution squads on the Eastern Front.

The Waffen-SS fought on the front lines as elite infantry, famous for their role in the Third Battle of Kharkov in 1943, the Battle of Caen in 1944, and the Battle of Berlin in 1945. During the final battle, the SS Honor Guards defended the Reichstag with their last breaths, and all of the SS troops were killed in the capital building. The Waffen-SS's famous field commanders included Kurt Meyer, Sepp Dietrich, Paul HausserFelix Steiner, and Theodore Eicke.

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