Waffen-SS
E18212
The Waffen-SS was the combat branch of Nazi Germany’s SS organization, serving as an elite but ideologically driven military force involved in major World War II battles and numerous war crimes.
Aliases (3)
Statements (78)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Nazi paramilitary organization
→
armed wing of the SS → military organization → |
| classifiedAs |
criminal organization
→
|
| classifiedBy |
International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg
→
|
| composedOf |
SS divisions
→
armored divisions → cavalry divisions → infantry divisions → |
| conflict |
World War II
→
|
| country |
Nazi Germany
→
|
| demobilized |
after German surrender in May 1945
→
|
| dissolved |
1945
→
|
| distinctFrom |
Heer
→
Kriegsmarine → Luftwaffe → Wehrmacht → |
| foundedBy |
Heinrich Himmler
→
|
| hasPart |
Charlemagne Division
→
Das Reich Division → Handschar Division → Hitlerjugend Division → Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler → Nordland Division → Totenkopf Division → Wiking Division → |
| headquartersLocation |
Berlin
→
|
| ideology |
German nationalism
→
Nazism → antisemitism → racism → |
| inception |
1939
→
|
| involvedIn |
Holocaust
→
anti-partisan warfare → crimes against humanity → ethnic cleansing → mass shootings of Jews → massacres of civilians → war crimes → |
| languageOfWork |
German
→
|
| legalStatusAfterWar |
declared criminal for its role in war crimes and crimes against humanity
→
|
| motto |
Meine Ehre heißt Treue
→
|
| notableCommander |
Felix Steiner
→
Heinrich Himmler → Paul Hausser → Sepp Dietrich → |
| notableFor |
fanatical loyalty to Adolf Hitler
→
high combat effectiveness in some operations → systematic participation in atrocities → |
| numberOfPersonnel |
over 900000 at peak strength
→
|
| participatedIn |
Battle of France
→
Battle of Kursk → Battle of the Bulge → Invasion of Poland → Operation Barbarossa → defense of Berlin → |
| partOf |
SS
→
Schutzstaffel → |
| perpetrated |
Lidice massacre
→
Malmedy massacre → Oradour-sur-Glane massacre → massacres in Poland → massacres in the Balkans → massacres in the Soviet Union → |
| recruitment |
conscripts
→
foreign volunteers → volunteers → |
| role |
combat branch of the SS
→
elite military force of Nazi Germany → instrument of Nazi ideological warfare → |
| subordinateTo |
Reichsführer-SS
→
|
| theatreOfOperations |
Balkans
→
Eastern Front → Italy → North Africa → Western Front → |
| trainingEmphasis |
ideological indoctrination
→
military discipline → |