Established to honor and promote awareness of the sacrifices made by the common soldier who served in the Armed Forces during WWII.

    

The Schutz-Staffel translates to "Protection Squad" for the leader Adolf Hitler, but reporting directly to Heinrich Himmler as the commander of the SS.

 

Initially formed of 8 men acclaimed to be superiorly bred, with unwavering loyalty and great abilities.

 

The SS units operated alongside the German Army (Heer) through the majority of WWII. The SS were regarded with great reverence on the field of battle.

 

There is a political wing of the SS, the Allgemeine-SS, typically portrayed in black uniforms. There is also the military wing of the SS, the Waffen-SS (Armed-SS) acting as a second German army under the German Military system (Wehrmacht).

 

The SS distinguished itself from the Heer (Army) by establishing its own rank system and uniforms.

 

The majority of the volunteers for the Waffen-SS came from rural areas and were used to working in the field, living off the land, and adept at field craft. This was especially helpful in the harsh conditions in Russia.