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The Waffen-SS ("Armed SS") was created as the armed wing of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' ("Protective Squadron"; SS). It 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. By 1945, the Waffen-SS had developed into a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of Nazi Germany, its divisions manned by volunteers and conscripts from across Europe. When Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party came to power in 1933, a number of paramilitary organizations already existed, namely the ''Sturmabteilung'' ("Storm Detachment"; SA) and ''Schutzstaffel'' ("Protection Squad"; SS). Together, these two groups numbered more than three million men, a fact which deeply troubled the traditional officer corps of the German Army. In 1933, a group of 120 loyal SS men were chosen to form the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler''. A year later, Hitler approved the formation of the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'', which, together with the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'', made up the early elements of what would eventually became the Waffen-SS. It was Hitler's wish that unit should never be integrated into the army nor the state police, but remain an independent force of military-trained men at the disposal of the Führer in times of both war and peace. It was commanded by Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as ''Reichsführer-SS''. The Waffen-SS was initially given the lowest priority for recruits and its members were regarded as "amateur soldiers" by the regular army. The Germanic Waffen-SS divisions had extremely tough entry requirements; out of every 100 applicants, only 7 were accepted. Josef Dietrich, a high ranking SS general, insisted that all men of the Waffen-SS would have to be mature, a minimum height of 180 cm, between the ages of 23 to 35, in superb physical condition, and have a perfect ancestry record, with no hint of Jewish blood. Initially, only Germans that belonged to the Aryan race were allowed to join the Waffen-SS, but due to shortage of manpower when events turned against the Axis powers the Nazis dropped their racial restrictions and allowed foreign volunteers and conscripts to form Waffen-SS divisions. The Nazis instructed all members of the Waffen-SS to fight against "Bolshevik subhumans". For all its expenditure and training, the Waffen-SS did not see actual combat until Germany invaded Poland, effectively starting World War II in Europe. It was then only about 10,000 men strong. When Germany next turned West to conquer France and the Low Countries in 1940, the Waffen-SS had expanded to 100,000. That same year, Himmler opened up membership for people he regarded as being of "related stock", which resulted in a number of right wing Scandinavians signing up to fight in the Waffen-SS. When the Germans turned East and invaded the Soviet Union in the biggest military operation in history, further volunteers from France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, and the Balkans signed up to fight for the Nazi cause. After 1942 when the war turned decisively against the Nazi Germany, further recruitment from the occupied territories signed up to fight for the Nazis. Eventually units consisting of Russians, Indians, Arabs and even Britons were created. At its peak, the Waffen-SS numbered almost a million men (38 divisions) from across Europe. After the war, the unit was banned and declared a criminal organization for its heavy involvement in war crimes. ==List of foreign volunteers and conscripts by country== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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