SS
Image taken from wikipedia.org
During World War Two, hundreds of notorious crimes were committed. On both sides, there were people who had truly lost touch with reality and would commit acts of violence. One of the most notorious groups was known as the SS. These were trained German soldiers who were responsible for the atrocities that were committed against the Jews.
The Schutzstaffel, more widely known as the SS, was one of the most feared organizations in history. Hitler had specially trained ideologist men ready to do anything for him. Early on, during his rise to power, they were responsible for brutalizing people on the streets and spreading fear of the the Nazi organization. In 1933, Hitler became chancellor of Germany, the SS became known as a special police division of the government.
As Hitler became stronger, he transformed the SS into different smaller groups. Certain members would be combat troops, others would be responsible for the transportation and massacre of the Jews, while others would be responsible for maintaining order anyway possible over Germany’s conquered territories. The most notorious of these were the members who became part of Death Squads at concentration camps.
When the Jews would arrive, they would be stripped of their clothes and possessions. Soon, they would either be sent to the gas chambers or ordered to dig their own graves and shot. The combat force known as the Waffen-SS would notoriously take prisoners and massacre them in large quantities. The most famous massacre which has already been discussed is the Malmedy Massacre. The other local force known as the Gestapo, would raid Jewish houses, take furniture and other belongings, and kill any man, woman or child who did not cooperate.
Sources/Further Reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS
