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The Waffen-SS (German language for "Armed SS", literally "Weapons SS") was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel. It was founded in Germany in 1939 after the SS was split into two organisations: Allgemeine-SS and the Waffen-SS. Waffen-SS, Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed 17 July 2007. The title of Waffen-SS became official on 2 March, 1940. Background to the SS and the Waffen SS, Valour and Horror. Accessed 17 July 2007.

Headed by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, the Waffen-SS saw action throughout the Second World War. It had three sub-organisations:

1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Adolf Hitler's bodyguard regiment.
SS-Totenkopfverbände, that administered the concentration camps.
SS-Verfügungstruppe, up to 39 divisions in World War II that served as elite combat troops alongside the regular army Wehrmacht. The three formations that were to make up the original core of the Waffen SS. These were the SS Verfügungstruppe (SSVT), the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and the Totenkopfverbände concentration camp guards.

Matthew Thomas, National Maritime Museum, London. Accessed July 17 2007.

In the testimony given at the Nuremberg Trials, the Waffen-SS was condemned as a criminal organisation due to their involvement with the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), except conscripts sworn in after 1943, who were exempted from the judgment on the basis of involuntary servitude. Therefore Waffen-SS veterans were denied many of the rights afforded to other German combat veterans who had served in the German Army, History of the Luftwaffe during World War II or Kriegsmarine. Waffen-SS, Jewish Virtual Library. Accessed July 17 2007. Waffen-SS soldiers were held in separate, more rigorous confinement by the Western Allies and were punished severely by the Soviet Union, which held some Waffen-SS prisoners until 1956. As well, many Waffen-SS men recruited from German-occupied countries in Europe were punished by their home countries.

In the 1950s and 1960s Waffen-SS veteran groups fought legal battles in the newly founded West Germany to overturn the Nuremberg ruling and won pension rights for their members. The judgment of Nuremberg could not be overturned, but many of the former enemies of the Waffen-SS appeared to question the black-and-white assessment of the German elite troops during World War II. Waffen-SS, German War Machine. Accessed July 17 2007.

Origins of the SS-Verfügungstruppen, a pre-war Waffen-SS organisation.

The origins of the Waffen-SS can be traced back to the creation of a group of 322 men who were to act as Hitler's body guard. This body guard was created by Hitler in reaction to his unease at the size and strength of the Sturmabteilung (SA). Whilst the SA was part of the party, the fact that it pre-dated Hitler's leadership and had ambitions of its own meant that its loyalty to Hitler was not assured. The SA had grown so large that Hitler felt he needed an armed escort that was totally dedicated to him, thus the Schutzstaffel (SS) was created. After Hitler's imprisonment and subsequent release in the wake of the failed Munich Putsch in 1923, he saw an even greater need for a body guard, and the place of the SS was solidified in the Nazi hierarchy.

Until 1929 (the SA was still the dominant force in the Nazi Party, however) the SS was growing in strength and importance. In January 1929, Hitler appointed Heinrich Himmler to lead the SS (his rank was Reichsführer), and it was Himmler's goal to create an elite corps of armed soldiers within the party. However, the SS was still a very small organization, and Hitler wanted an effective force by 1933. Himmler set out to recruit men who represented the elite of German society, both in physical abilities and political beliefs. Through his active recruitment, Himmler was able to increase the size of the SS to about 52,000 by the end of 1933.

Although the SS was growing exponentially, the SA mirrored the growth of Hitler's private army. The SA had over 2 million members at the end of 1933. Led by one of Hitler's old comrades, Ernst Röhm, the SA represented a threat to Hitler's attempts to win favour with the German army. The SA threatened to sour Hitler's relations with the conservative elements of the country as well, people whose support Hitler needed to solidify his position in the German government. Hitler decided to act against the SA, and the SS was put in charge of eliminating Röhm and the other high ranking officers of the SA. The Night of the Long Knives on 30 June 1934 saw the execution of officially 82 SA men, including almost the entire leadership, and effectively ended the power of the SA.

During the Night of the Long Knives, the SS performed precisely as Hitler had envisioned, and from that point on, Himmler and his SS would be only responsible to Hitler becoming a major force in the NSDAP second only to the Politisch Organisation (PO), the party cadre organisation. With his new-found independence, Himmler expanded the SS and created several new departments within the existing infrastructure. In particular, Himmler created the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) which was to act as the Reich's security service. In 1936, Himmler was appointed Chief of the German police. It is often mistakenly understood that this appointment gave him command authority over the police. In fact, he was merely granted most, though not all, of the supervisory powers over the police hitherto exercised by the Ministry of the Interior. Himmler was never able to gain command authority over the uniformed Ordnungspolizei in areas where a civilian administration existed, both within and without the Reich proper. Himmler then reorganized the Reich's police service to include the Ordnungspolizei, and the Sicherheitspolizei (security police - in effect, the detective force). The Sicherheitspolizei was further divided into the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo) and the Gestapo (Gestapo), respectively the criminal police and the secret police. Only the Gestapo was under Himmler and the SS operational control in the Reich proper (including Austria, the sudetans and the "Polish" gaue), elsewhere however, the fusion of Kripo and Gestapo into the Sicherheitspolizei was mostly successful. By September 1939, Kripo, Gestapo and the SD were headquartered at the RSHA (RSHA), Reich Security Main Office. The RSHA was under the direction of Reinhard Heydrich and later Ernst Kaltenbrunner.

In addition to its police powers, the SS comprised a group of armed men that were used for security and ceremonial purposes. This organization was called the SS-Verfügungstruppe. Included in this group was Hitler's protection squad, known as the Stabwache. This protection squad had been created in March 1933 and would be the foundation for the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). Leibstandarte was different from other SS formations in that they had sworn an oath directly to Hitler and thus effectively removed them from control of Himmler. Later, Hitler would form the Reichssicherheitsdienst (RSD) to provide him and other senior officials with personal security, whereupon the Leibstandarte would merge back completely into the SS. The RSD, though recruited from SS and police (mostly Gestapo) personnel, and though it used the SS table of ranks, was an entirely separate agency.

When Hitler reintroduced conscription in 1935, he also mandated that the SS-Verfügungstruppen would be fully formed as a military unit. SS-Verfügungstruppen along with the Totenkopf formations would be the cornerstone of future Waffen-SS divisions. Special schools at Bad Tölz and Braunschweig were created to train future SS officers. Himmler selected former Lieut. General Paul Hausser to oversee the training and schooling of the SS. Hausser also created two new SS regiments. Deutschland and Germania were formed from various battalions of the Verfügungstruppe and would be the foundation for the 2nd SS Division Das Reich and 5th SS Panzergrenadier Division Wiking divisions. After the annexation of Austria, another regiment composed of Austrian named Der Führer was created. Thus, at the outbreak of hostilities, there were four SS armed regiments (although Der Führer was not ready for combat).

After the conclusion of the campaign against Poland, the three regiments of the Verfügungstruppe were joined to form the Verfügungsdivision and Leibstandarte was transformed into a motorized regiment. Also, two other divisions were created, the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf and Polizeidivision. In March 1940, after an agreement between the Army and the SS, the title of Waffen-SS was officially given. The Waffen-SS took part in almost every major battle and were shifted from front to front, depending on the severity of the situation. In the end, the Waffen-SS would total 38 divisions (although some of these formations were divisions in name only).

Early history

The original cadre of the Waffen-SS came from the Freikorps and the Reichswehr along with various right-wing paramilitary formations. Formed at the instruction of Adolf Hitler in 1933, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was the first formation of what was to become the Waffen-SS. When the Sturmabteilung was rendered powerless in the Night of the Long Knives, many ex-SA men requested transfer to the SS, swelling its ranks and resulting in the formation of several new units including the SS-Verfügungstruppe, SS-VT (to become the SS Division Das Reich) and the SS-Totenkopfverbände, SS-TV, the concentration camp guard unit (to become the SS Division Totenkopf).

The majority of the Waffen-SS men originally received second rate weapons and equipment with many formations receiving Czechoslovakia and Austrian weapons and equipment. With the exception of a select few of the 'Germanic' SS Divisions, this policy was continued throughout the war. The majority of the best equipment went to the German Army's elite divisions (Grossdeutschland Division and Panzer Lehr Division)

The premier Waffen-SS divisions began to receive standard equipment once they proved themselves in the Eastern front and were upgraded to panzergrenadier and later panzer divisions. The remainder of the SS Divisions made do with either standard or second rate equipment.

SS combat training consisted primarily of several months of intensive recruit training with three objectives; physical fitness, Firearm proficiency and propaganda. The training was so challenging that two in three potentials failed to pass the course. After basic training, the recruits were sent to specialist schools (such as Panzertruppenschule I) where they received specific-to-trade training in their chosen combat arm. As the war progressed and replacements were required more frequently, the intensity of the training was relaxed somewhat. This was particularly true after the expansion of the Waffen-SS following the success of the II SS Panzer Corps at Kharkov.

For officers, the focus was on leadership and combat command, usually at the SS-Junkerschulen at Bad Tölz. The principle of Mission-type tactics which underpinned Wehrmacht and SS training is standard in all armies today, although the concept was invented by the Heer General Staff (and its precursors) rather than the SS. A strong emphasis was placed on creating a bond between the officers and men, and officer candidates were made to pass through basic training alongside the enlisted candidates. This created a mutual trust and respect between the officers and men, and meant that the relationship between these groups was very relaxed, unlike the Heer (German Army), where strict discipline and a policy of separation between the officers and enlisted men existed. In the Waffen-SS, it was not a requirement to salute officers and a more casual salute was adopted (the right arm raised vertically from the elbow - a relaxed version of the Heil salute. This salute is portrayed in many war films). Added to this, the practice of addressing a superior as Herr ("Mr.") was also forbidden, with everyone up to Himmler being addressed simply by their rank.

During the war the organization was presented as a multinational force protecting Europe from the terrible evils of Communism (see Black Edelweiss).

Trial by fire .

As the outbreak of war neared, Himmler ordered the formation of several combat formations from the SS-Standarten (units of regimental size). The resulting three formations (the LSSAH, SS-VT and SS-TV) took part in the Invasion of Poland (1939) as well as Fall Gelb. During this campaign, as for most of the war, Waffen SS units were operationally under the control of the OKW. This meant that they functioned completely as Army units but their parent was not the Army. During the campaign in the West, both the Totenkopf and LSSAH were implicated in atrocities. The overall performance of the Waffen-SS had been mediocre during these campaigns.

The poor initial performance of the Waffen-SS units was mainly due to the emphasis on political indoctrination rather than the long and effective military training achieved by the Army before the war. This was largely due to the shortage of experienced Non-commissioned officers, who preferred to stay with the regular army. Despite this, the experience gained from the Polish, French and Balkan campaigns and the peculiarly egalitarian form of training soon turned the best Waffen-SS units into elite formations.

On several occasions, the Waffen-SS was criticised by Heer commanders for their reckless disregard for casualties while taking or holding objectives (See Totenkopf's actions during the early months of the Russian Campaign). However, the Waffen-SS divisions eventually proved themselves to a skeptical Heer as capable soldiers, although there were exceptions such as SS Division Nord rout from the town of Salla during its first engagement in Lapland Province.

The Waffen-SS demonstrated their mature combat ability during the Third Battle of Kharkov, where the II SS Panzer Corps under SS-Brigadeführer Paul Hausser recaptured the city and blunted the Soviet offensive, saving the forces of Erich von Manstein Army Group South from being cut off and destroyed.

In mid 1943, the II.SS-Panzerkorps took part in Operation Citadel and the Leibstandarte, Das Reich and Totenkopf (all now Panzergrenadier divisions) took part in the immense armour battles near Prokhorovka on the southern flank of the Kursk salient.

Morale and discipline Several divisions are seen by historians as being elite, notably those with higher proportions of ethnic Germans in them. It is stated by various German military sources (Guderian and Manstein) that when first deployed some of these units were definitely not as combat effective as regular Army units. These divisions were characterised by extremely high unit morale and combat ability, as well as commitment to the ideals of the Eastern Front (World War II).

These divisions included the LSSAH, Das Reich, Totenkopf, the multi-national SS Division Wiking, the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen and 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, and the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend.

In spite of heavy casualties, some of the Waffen-SS units retained their reputations as crack formations until the end of the War, though the quality of formations raised late in the war was often execrable, and some of the Europäische Freiwillige troops were prone to mutiny (see, for instance, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)).

Foreign volunteers and conscripts !". Poster urging Netherlands to volunteer in the Waffen-SS at the Eastern Front.

Himmler, wishing to expand the Waffen-SS, advocated the idea of SS controlled foreign legions. The Reichsführer, with his penchant for medieval lore, envisioned a united European 'crusade', fighting to save old Europe from the Bolshevik hordes. While native Germanic-speaking volunteers were approved almost instantly, Himmler eagerly pressed for the creation of more and more foreign units.

In late 1940, the creation of a multinational SS division, the SS Division Wiking, was authorised. Command of the division was given to SS-Brigadeführer Felix Steiner. Steiner immersed himself in the organisation of the volunteer division, soon becoming a strong advocate for an increased number of foreign units. The Wiking was committed to combat several days after the launch of Operation Barbarossa, proving itself an impressive fighting unit.

Soon Danish, 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French), Azeri Waffen SS Volunteer Formations, Armenian, Belgian, Norwegian, Arab, Swedish, Finnish Waffen SS volunteers and Dutch Freiwilligen (volunteer) formations were committed to combat, gradually proving their worth. Hitler however, was hesitant to allow foreign volunteers to be formed into formations based on their ethnicity, preferring that they be absorbed into multi-national divisions. Hitler feared that unless the foreign recruits were committed to the idea of a united Germania, then their reasons for fighting were suspect, and could damage the German cause.

Himmler was allowed to create his new formations, but they were to be commanded by German officers and NCOs. Beginning in 1942–43, several new formations were formed from Bosnians, Latvians, Estonians, and Ukrainians. There were plans for a Greeks division, but the plan was abandoned after the Greek partisan resistance blew up the ESPO's headquarters. Many Greeks from Southern Russia, however, enlarged the divisions as Ukrainians. Himmler ordered that new Waffen-SS units formed with men of non-Germanic ethnicity were to be designated Division der SS (or Division of the SS) rather than SS Division. In some of these cases, the wearing of the SS runes on the collar was forbidden, with several of these formations wearing national insignia instead.

All soldiers of non-German citizenship in these units had their rank prefix changed from SS to Waffen (e.g. a Latvian Hauptscharführer would be referred to as a Waffen-Hauptscharführer rather than SS-Hauptscharführer). An example of a Division der SS is the Estonian 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian). The combat ability of the divisions der SS varied greatly. For example, the Latvian, French and Estonian formations performed exceptionally, while the Albanian units performed poorly.

While many adventurers and idealists joined the SS as part of the fight against Communism, many of the later recruits joined or were conscripted for different reasons. For example, Dutchmen who joined the 34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland were granted exemption from forced labour and provided with food, pay and accommodation. Recruits who joined for such reasons rarely proved good soldiers, and several units composed of such volunteers were involved in atrocities.

You will win!". SS poster promoting the Vichy France.

Towards the end of 1943, it became apparent that numbers of volunteer recruits were inadequate to meet the needs of the German military, so conscription was introduced. The Estonian 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) is an example of such a conscript formation, which proved to be outstanding soldiers with an unblemished record.

Not satisfied with the growing number of volunteer formations, Himmler sought to gain control of all volunteer forces serving alongside Germany. This put the SS at odds with the Heer, as several volunteer units had been placed under Heer control (e.g. volunteers of the Spanish Blue Division). Despite this, Himmler constantly campaigned to have all foreign volunteers fall under the SS banner. In several cases, like the Russian Liberation Army and the 5th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Wallonien he was successful, and by the last year of the war, most foreign volunteers units did fall under SS command. Still another unit, the Indian Legion was composed of Indian troops, mostly prisoners of war recruited by the Germans with help from a marginal Indian anti-colonial leader named Mohammed Shedai. The unit became a part of the political plans of another, more famous, Indian nationalist: Subhas Chandra Bose, who ousted Shedai from his position of favor with the German military authorities, and who wanted the Legion to participate in a German invasion of British India. After Bose left Germany for Japanese-controlled south-east Asia in 1943 to take charge of the Indian National Army (similar to the Indian Legion, but much larger), the Indian Legion was diverted from its original goal of fighting the British in India and absorbed into the German attempt to hold on to occupied Europe. Morale dropped sharply in consequence. The unit was deployed in France, where it earned a reputation for atrocities, although some individual members deserted to the French resistance. The Indian Legion disintegrated in the aftermath of D-Day.

While several volunteer units performed poorly in combat, the majority acquitted themselves well. French and Spanish SS volunteers, along with remnants of the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland formed the final defence of the Reichstag in 1945.

Among the more unusual units to exist in the Waffen SS was the British Free Corps, a unit composed of citizens of the British Commonwealth, was led by John Amery but never had a strength of more than 27 men at any given time. An attempt to use Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) agents to recruit an Ireland unit from among British Army POWs was a similar failure.

After the surrender, many volunteers were tried and imprisoned by their countries. In several cases, volunteers were executed. Those volunteers from the Baltic states and Ukraine could at best look forward to years spent in the gulags. To avoid this, many ex-volunteers from these regions joined underground resistance groups (see Forest Brothers) which were engaged fighting the Soviets until the 1950s.

Helped by ODESSA network, Walloons volunteer leader Leon Degrelle, who fought at the Battle of Berlin and was decorated by Hitler, escaped to Spain, where, despite being sentenced to death in absentia by the Belgian authorities, he lived in comfortable exile until his death in 1994. John Amery, the leader of the Britisches Freikorps, was tried and convicted of treason by the British government. He was executed in December 1945. Martin James Monti was charged with treason and sentenced to 25 years and was paroled in 1960.In Estonia and Latvia, the majority of Waffen SS veterans were conscripts who were at least partly considered freedom fighters. In an April 13, 1950 message from the U.S. High Commission in Germany (HICOG), signed by General Frank McCloy to the Secretary of State, clarified the US position on the "Baltic Legions": they were not to be seen as "movements", "volunteer", or "SS". In short, they were not given the training, indoctrination, and induction normally given to SS members. Subsequently the US Displaced Persons Commission in September 1950 declared that

The Baltic Waffen SS Units (Baltic Legions) are to be considered as separate and distinct in purpose, ideology, activities, and qualifications for membership from the German SS, and therefore the Commission holds them not to be a movement hostile to the Government of the United States. {{cite news

| title = Analysis: Estonian War Veterans Provoke Russian Reaction | publisher = [RFE/RL | date = 2004-07-22 | url = http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/07/33240e40-e844-436b-8351-e4579496c78d.html | accessdate = 2006-12-12 --> Still, much debate is continuing on this issue and because of general condemnation of Nazism regime across the globe, official statements of the position of Estonian and Latvian Waffen SS veterans remain ambiguous. Latvian Legion Day, commemorated on16 March, had been marked privately by Latvian veterans abroad since 1952, and and also in Latvia from the early 1990s. In 1998, the Latvian Saeima (Parliament) declared 16 March an official commemorative day, but chose to call it the more neutral-sounding "Remembrance Day for Latvian Soldiers" (Latviešu karavīru atceres diena). Law on State Holidays and Commemorative Days, 1998 redaction However, under pressure from the European Union, the members of the cabinet and personnel of National Armed Forces withheld their participation in commemorative events in 1999, {{cite press release | publisher = Press Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia | date = 1999-02-24 | url = http://www.am.gov.lv/en/news/press-releases/1999/feb/1738/ | accessdate = 2006-12-12 --> and the parliament eventually reversed its decision in 2000.

By the end of the war, around 60% of Waffen-SS members were non-German. "Col. Howard A. Buechner's account of execution of Waffen-SS soldiers during the liberation of Dachau". By the end of the war, 60% of the Waffen-SS consisted of volunteers from other countries; some of the soldiers at Dachau that day were Hungarian. Accessed July 2 2007.

War crimes The Waffen-SS because of close links to the Nazi party, was declared a criminal organisation after the war and there is undeniable evidence that some of its members perpetrated serious war crimes. However, with the exception of two units, the evidence in these cases is of individual rather than organisational culpability. Some of the serious evidence concerns two particular formations the Dirlewanger and Kaminski Brigades, though many others were involved - either in large-scale massacres or smaller scale attrocities such as the Houtman affair . As is explained below the very nature and composition of these units made them atypical of the Waffen-SS and therefore seen by those inside it as not part of it.

Many formations within the Waffen-SS were found guilty of war crimes in all of the theatres of war in which they served. What is not clear is whether the rate of actual war crimes was higher than in non-Waffen-SS units. In the West the most infamous incidents included:

Wormhoudt massacre by SS Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler, 1940, Belgium
Le Paradis massacre by SS Totenkopf, 1940, France
Oradour-sur-Glane by SS Das Reich, 1944, France
Tulle by SS Das Reich, 1944, France
Marzabotto massacre by Reichsführer-SS, 1944, Italy
Malmedy massacre by Kampfgruppe Peiper part of 1st SS Panzer Division, 1944, Belgium
Ardeatine massacre by two SS Officers, 1944, Italy
Distomo massacre by 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division, 1944, Greece

The fact that the Waffen-SS had been found to be part of a criminal organisation (the SS) may have encouraged greater intensity of search for, or attribution of, war war crimes to these units. For example, the Waffen SS murdered over 150 Canadian soldiers taken prisoner in the Battle of Normandy (see the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend article for details).In the ten or so years after the war it became possible to re-examine the facts in a 'cooler' environment and in some cases reverse the imposed penalties. For example, Major-General Kurt Meyer's death sentence was commuted following a review by Canadian military officials, although his conviction for inciting his men to 'give no mercy' remained intact. In the east, many of the premier combat divisions within the Waffen SS were tainted by numerous accusations of battlefield and civilian atrocities; however sources on that front remain fiercely contradictory.

The Dirlewanger and Kaminski Brigades (later to become the 36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS and 29th Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS (1st Russian) respectively) were notorious for their reputation in the east. These formations, composed mostly of ex-Einsatzgruppen, released criminals and Russian Prisoner of War and commanded by the fanatical Nazis Oskar Dirlewanger Nicolaus Uhl and Bronislaw Kaminski, were engaged in numerous atrocities throughout their existence. After their actions in putting down the Warsaw Uprising, complaints from the Wehrmacht resulted in these units being dissolved and several members (including Kaminski) being tried and executed for their role in several incidents.

Similarly, the Waffen-Sturm-Brigade RONA had a combat record riddled with atrocities as well as abysmal conduct when faced with front line service.

While some Waffen-SS divisions such as Nordland and Nord are not associated with battlefield atrocities, the debate over the culpability of the organisation as a whole is the center of much Historical revisionism (negationism).

On one end of the debate, in addition to documented atrocities, certain Waffen-SS units did assist in rounding up Eastern European Jewsfor deportation and utilised Scorched-earth tactics during anti-partisan operations. Also, some SS Division Totenkopf personnel convalesced at concentration camps, from which they were drawn, by serving guard duties. Other members of the Waffen-SS were more directly involved in genocide.

The entire organisation was declared a criminal organization by the International Military Tribunal during the Nuremberg Trials, except conscripts, who were exempted from that judgment as they were forced to join.

In 2003, the British government reported that over 1,400 former members of the Waffen SS were living in the UK. "Dateline World Jewry", April 2007, World Jewish Congress

Uniforms

Tangible evidence of the elite status of Waffen-SS units was the award of named cuff titles; while the use of cuff titles was common in many military and paramilitary organizations in the Third Reich, there were few combat units permitted to wear them as a means of identification.

Camouflage The Waffen-SS used different camouflage patterns to that of the German Army and used a variety of patterns. These varied from place to place but standard issue for the most part was "Oakleaf" a type of green/orange military camouflage which represented the leaves of an oak tree in either summer or autumn.Other famous patterns included Dot 44 peas pattern, planetree & Italian camouflage (the most conventional by modern standards).

Rank insignia Rank was displayed on the left lapel of the uniform (the right lapel holding the SS runes badge) and followed the same pattern of ranks as the German Army but with different names that usually ended with "führer" (e.g., "Gruppenführer").

References Literature