| Schutzstaffel | |
|---|---|
 SS flag and insignia. | |
|
Formed |
April 4, 1925 |
|
Dissolved |
May 8, 1945 |
|
Ministers responsible |
Adolf Hitler (Führer) |
- “I am Colonel Hans Landa of the SS.”
- ―Hans Landa
The Schutzstaffel (German pronunciation: [ˈʃʊtsˌʃtafəl], translated as Protection Squadron or Defence Corps, abbreviated SS) was a major German paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP). During the Third Reich, the SS was the organisation most responsible for the genocidal murder of millions of Jews and and other victims during the Holocaust, as well as being involved in commercial enterprises and exploited concentration camp inmates as slave labour.
History[]
It began at the end of 1920 as a small, permanent guard unit known as the "Saal-Schutz" (Hall-Protection) made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for Nazi Party meetings in Munich during the Weimar Republic Era of Germany . In 1925 after the failed Beer Hall Pustch of 1923 by Adolf Hitler and the Brownshirted”SA” the SS was formed in 1925 as part of the SA until 1929 and 1934 . In 1929 Heinrich Himmler was appointed the Reichsfuhrer of the SS (Boss of the SS) and in 1931 Reinhard Heydrich a former German sailor in the German Reichsmarine of the German Reichswehr Military joined the Nazi SS in 1931 and Heydrich became the Chief of the SS’s SD later the Gestapo in 1934 . In 1934 the SS were ordered to murder the leader of the Brownshirted”SA” Ernst Rohm and another SA member Gregor Strasser . Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS was responsible for many of the war crimes and crimes against humanity during World War II by Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945 . During World War 2 the Waffen-SS and the SS-Einsatzgruppen fought along with the side of the German Wehrmacht (the regular German Military armed forces) in the invasion of Poland and both the Western Front and the Eastern Front during World War 2 from 1939-1945 . The SS were responsible for the Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany and all over German Occupied Europe mainly in Poland .
In Inglourious Basterds[]
Standartenführer Hans Landa was part of the SS. When Lt. Archie Hicox, Wilhelm Wicki and Hugo Stiglitz prepare to meet with Bridget von Hammersmark, they're donning SS uniforms, most likely taken from SS officers they killed. Several other SS officers are seen at the Stolz der Nation premiere.
Ranks of the SS and Trivia in Inglorious Basterds[]
| The Boss and the Generals | Officers | Enlisted Soldiers |
|---|---|---|
| Reichsfuhrer-SS (Boss) | SS-Standartenfuhrer (Colonel) | SS-Obertruppfuhrer (Sergeant) |
| SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer (General) | SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer (Lieutenant-Colonel) | SS-Truppfuhrer (Sergeant) |
| SS-Obergruppenfuhrer (General) | SS-Sturmbannfuhrer (Major) | SS-Oberscharfuhrer (Sergeant) |
| SS-Gruppenfuhrer (General) | SS-Haupsturmfuhrer (Captain) | SS-Unterscharfuhrer (Sergeant) |
| SS-Brigadefuhrer (General) | SS-Obersturmfuhrer (First Lieutenant) | SS-Scharfuhrer (Sergeant) |
| SS-Oberfuhrer (Colonel) | SS-Untersturmfuhrer (Second Lieutenant) | SS-Mann (Private) |
Trivia[]
- Despite being the head of the SS and an extremely important member of the Third Reich, Heinrich Himmler is neither seen nor mentioned in the film.
- When Landa arrives at LaPadite's farm, one of his subordinates refers to him as "Herr Oberst". As an SS officer, Landa would not be addressed using a German Army rank. His correct title would be "Standartenführer".
Gallery[]
