What is it with people wanting to serve in the Schutzstaffel?

I might be making some enemies here but here it goes. If you were a foreigner and wanted to join in the fight against Bolshevism, the only way was to join the Waffen SS. The Wehrmacht did not recruit non-german citizens. At least in the beginning.

Also, look at the period. Facism was becoming a growing force throughout Europe prior to WWII. As my grandfather described it. It was the Center of the New Order. Italy may have been the first Facist government but Germany's propaganda was more effective.

The Waffen SS did attract many professional soldiers like Paul Hausser, Felix Steiner and so on. They were not monsters. There are those who did not in fact know the details of what went on behind the death camps. Like my grandfather, they went straight from the junkerschule to the battlefield. He did witness and participate in wartime killings. He did describe the Germans as 'bloodthirsty' in one of his journal entries.

I am not defending what the totenkampfverbande did in the death camps. That is absolutely hideous and may they burn in hell and all those who organized this. But as far as the Waffen SS, I don't think that they deserved to be branded the same as the concentration guards. Yes, they did commit some atrocities in battle but so did the allied armies. They just didn't get the same attention.

The fighting SS were the elite and performed some amazing military feats. And like someone said earlier, there are some good with the bad and vice-versa. I hope I did not offend anybody but I don't agree with the general stereotyping of the Waffen SS probably because of my grandfather's membership. There are differences within the SS organization and not many people know those differences. Do I agree with the SS as a whole to be a criminal organization. Yes. My grandfather did his time as did many others who were lured into the fight and came out disillusioned. Many more got away.

I've done a lot of researching into the Waffen SS as part of my researching my grandfather's role. If I was there at the time, I would also have been one of those volunteers. They were the elite. Do we as men not want to be the best? Hindsight keeps us from answering some question accurately. Like, would we shoot prisoners? Would we shoot civilians? Would we kill just for the sake of killing? etc.

I think what bothers me more are the comments generalizing the SS soldiers as animals. To me that is like calling my grandfather one. A little too personal and I can't help it. Sorry for the ranting.

Cheers

 

A good friend only recently found out what her father did during the war years. He moved here (the states) & met her mother some time in the late 40's. All her life, she & her brother never knew, as he didn't offer to say. Of course his accent was apparent, but still the topic never came up, until a few years before his death they visited family in Germany together. Only then did he "admit" to what he did. He served in an SS tank unit (i asked, but she had no specifics). He didn't say much as he wasn't a man of many words but he did say in an emotional (rare for him) way he wasn't proud of his past & chose to hide from it as he was ashamed.

 

PzJgr - Your point has been taken by me, and I understand for that situation. However a lot of the people posting here have not explained why they would join the SS (and I doubt it's all for the same reason your Grandfather did), some even said the would willingly join the Gestapo which dosen't have a decent leg to stand on.

 

What would be the right answer for the "where would you serve" question then?
Becouse, in my book - there is none.
Who, and why in theire clear mind would wish to live and experience WWII
with their own eyes?
Our grandparents did, becouse they HAD to! They had no choice. Just made input where they could best, or where they were ordered to.

 

That is a separate topic.

 

I understand where you are coming from PzJgr. But there others who do not have a history like yours and are from other countries that would choose a orginization noted for its misdeeds and bad reputation. And are perfectly willing to fight against thier own country and countrymen. And certainly not just to fight the Soviet "Hordes". These posters obvioulsy have not been informed as well as some others here. Once again they are enamoured of "cool" uniforms and "glorious" battles along with the "German weapons are freaking sweet!" mentality. The former member Kommando was a prime example of the far extreme of this envy.

 

JC i think you're right. Most of those guys are probably just some dorky teenagers who got their WWII knowledges from videogames and some fliks. Teh "cool uniforms and those sweeeet weapons".
Kommando is just a skinhead.
PzJgr i do understand your opinion hence of your heritage. Would't expect any otherewise.

 

I won't be one of them.

Hmm, just to nit-pick a bit, it is well known that there were exchanges of personnel between the Totenkampfverbande and the Waffen-SS, so SOME could have had direct knowledge and participation, MOST didn't.

So your grandfather did not take part in what I said above, and your last sentence goes a long way to absolve him.

The Waffen-SS is a complex matter. Some, especially in the late part of the war were drafted into it (not volunteers), others belonged to ddifferent branches and found themselves transferred, while volunteers themselves went in for different possible reasons.

 

I'm the one in mention about serving in the Gestapo... But did it ever occur to you people just because im Living in America, doesnt mean i was born here? granted i was, but im a second generation German american. i descended from germany, so I feel like i have a duty to stay by them. And if the allies are so good, then why be with them when you could fix the wrongs of the axis. thats what i had plannd t do, because i dont like teh axis's ideas, nor do i side with Nazis. But i would right the wrongs they had done, and fix their mistakes. Thats why I choose the SS and the Gestapo.. It has nothing to do with the ideas of the Nazi Party.

 

So I'm about as North U.S as it gets but for the sake of argument let's say I am living in Virginia in the 1860's, should I fight for the Confederacy and fight for maintaining slavery just because I come form the south? I don't think so independent thought is always nice.

Foolish naiveness never got anyone anywhere.

Being from somewhere does not mean you should blindly swear your allegiance to it, and you are foolish if you think you would ''fix the Axis''. Please apply valid logic in the future.

 

Its naiveness my friend . And you are very astute.

 

When it comes to certain subjects I must be .

 

Joining the Gestapo in order to fix it? Turn it into what, Mother Theresa's nunnery?

​

 

I think people are forgetting that actually the answers people give to this kind of hypothetical are very different from what their actual answers would be. What we read as 'I would be in the SS' translates roughly as 'I would like to know what it was like to serve in the SS' which is in fact a very different proposition.

A dangerous precendent my friend

 

I think some of them make controversial statements to get a rise out of people.... others are just ignorant.... Youll notice id serve in the US ARMY 3rd RANGER BN,,,, I served in B/3/75th for many years... but i wana change that,,, the 3rd rangers were almost wiped out to a man at Cisterna Di littoria... No for me id prefer to serve As a fat general in charge of supplies. or Something cushy.. ive done the grunt thing for years it aint as cool as these kids would think... First time a lot of em saw a man get his legs blown off or heard incoming rocket or mortar fire theyd piss themselves... i figure why dignify stupidity... The fact the Waffenn SS commited heinous acts is common knowledge.. they choose to think its COOL... nothing cool about killing people period... but unarmed civilians to me thats almost cowardly.

 

Judging bu your conversation there, would it come to a suprise to you then that I am not even 15 yet?

 

Wot???

 

A quick side note: As a southern raised boy, I have to say that the war between the states is an entirely separate thing altogether as well. There was a lot more to it than just slavery. Simplifying what is popularly called "The American Civil War" as being about slavery is just like the prior over-simplification.



To the topic: Just because you stand by the fatherland doesn't mean you need to stand by the criminals. Gestapo were pretty hardcore - why not Waffen, Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe?

 

I understand this, but it was a simple example for a simple person.

11thairbornedivision- The SS WAS THE PARTY, you are obviously getting the SS and Wermacht mixed up, please look into it.