  the waffen-ss (, armed ss) was created as the armed wing of the nazi party's schutzstaffel (ss, "protective squadron"), and gradually developed into a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of nazi germany. the waffen-ss grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions during world war ii, and served alongside the heer (regular army) but was never formally part of it. adolf hitler resisted integrating the waffen-ss into the army, as it was to remain the armed wing of the party and to become an elite police force once the war was won. prior to the war, it was under the control of the ss fÃ¼hrungshauptamt (ss operational command office) beneath reichsfÃ¼hrer-ss heinrich himmler. upon mobilization its tactical control was given to the high command of the armed forces (oberkommando der wehrmacht). initially membership was only open to people of germanic "aryan" origin, who were said to be the herrenvolk (master race), according to nazi racial ideology. the rules were partially relaxed in 1940, although groups considered by nazis to be "sub-human" like ethnic poles or jews r
German_World_War_II_special_forces German_words_and_phrases Military_history_of_Germany_during_World_War_II Military_units_and_formations_of_the_Waffen-SS Military_wings_of_political_parties Nazi_SS