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The Waffen-SS ((:ˈvafən.ɛs.ɛs), ''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 intended 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 Führungshauptamt'' (SS operational command office) beneath ''Reichsführer-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 remained excluded. Hitler authorized the formation of units composed largely or solely of foreign volunteers and conscripts. Foreign SS units were made up from recruits in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium (both Wallonia and Flanders), Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Galicia, Georgia, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia (including Cossack and Tatar, Turkic SSR Republics), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Independent State of Croatia, Asian Regiment, Arab Regiment, USA (15-20 volunteers) and a small number of British troops. At the post-war Nuremberg trials the Waffen-SS was condemned as a criminal organisation due to its connection to the Nazi Party and involvement in numerous war crimes. Waffen-SS veterans were denied many of the rights afforded to veterans who had served in the ''Heer'' (army), ''Luftwaffe'' (air force) or ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy). An exception was made for Waffen-SS conscripts sworn in after 1943, who were exempted because of their involuntary servitude. ==Origins (1929–39)== The origins of the Waffen-SS can be traced back to the selection of a group of 120 SS men in March 1933 by Josef "Sepp" Dietrich to form the ''Sonderkommando'' Berlin. By November 1933 the formation was 800 men strong, and at a remembrance ceremony in Munich for the tenth anniversary of the failed Munich Putsch the regiment swore allegiance to Hitler. The oaths pledged were ''Pledging loyalty to him alone'' and ''Obedience unto death''. The formation was given the title ''Leibstandarte'' (Bodyguard Regiment) ''Adolf Hitler'' (LAH). On 13 April 1934, by order of Himmler, the regiment became known as the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'' (LSSAH). The ''Leibstandarte'' demonstrated their loyalty in June 1934 during the Night of the Long Knives, the purge of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA). The SA had over two million members at the end of 1933. Led by one of Hitler's oldest comrades, Ernst Röhm, the SA represented a threat to Hitler's relationship with the German Army and threatened to sour his relations with the conservatives of the country, people whose support Hitler needed to solidify his position in the German government. Hitler decided to act against the SA. The SS was put in charge of eliminating Röhm and the other high-ranking officers of the SA. The Night of the Long Knives between 30 June and 2 July 1934 saw the killing of approximately 82 SA men, including almost its entire leadership, effectively ending the power of the SA. This action was largely carried out by the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler''. In September 1934, Hitler authorized the formation of the military wing of the Nazi Party and approved the formation of the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT), a special service troop under Hitler's command. The SS-VT had to depend on the German Army for its supply of weapons and military training, and they had control of the recruiting system through local draft boards responsible for assigning conscripts to the different branches of the Wehrmacht to meet quotas set by the German High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW in German). The SS was given the lowest priority for recruits. Even with the difficulties presented by the quota system, Heinrich Himmler formed two new SS regiments, the ''SS Germania'' and ''SS Deutschland'', which together with the ''Leibstandarte'' and a communications unit made up the SS-VT. At the same time Himmler established the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz and SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig for training officers to lead the new regiments. Both schools used the regular army training methods and used former Army officers to train potential officers. Himmler initially in 1934 set stringent requirements for Waffen-SS recruits. They were to be German nationals who could prove their Aryan ancestry back to 1800, unmarried, and without a criminal record. A four-year commitment was required. Recruits had to be between the ages of 17 and 23, at least tall ( for the ''Leibstandarte''). Concentration camp guards had to make a one-year commitment, be between the ages of 16 and 23, and at least tall. All recruits were required to have perfect teeth and eyesight and provide a medical certificate. By 1938 the height restrictions were relaxed, up to six dental fillings were permitted, and eyeglasses for astigmatism and mild vision correction were allowed. Once the war commenced, the physical requirements were no longer strictly enforced, and essentially any recruit who could pass a basic medical exam was considered for Waffen-SS service. Recruiting of ethnic Germans from other countries began in April 1940, and units consisting of non-Germanic recruits were formed beginning in 1942. Non-Germanic units were not considered to be part of the SS, which still maintained its strict racial criteria, but rather were considered to be foreign nationals serving under the command of the SS. Members of the SS could be of any religion except Jewish, but atheists were not allowed. "Atheism is the only world-view or religious view that is not tolerated within the SS", Himmler wrote in 1937. In 1936, Himmler selected former Lieutenant General Paul Hausser to be Inspector of the SS-VT with the rank of ''Brigadefuhrer''. Hausser transformed the SS-VT into a credible military force that was a match for the regular army. On 17 August 1938, Hitler declared that the SS-VT would have a role in domestic as well as foreign affairs, which transformed this growing armed force into the rival that the army had feared. He decreed that service in the SS-VT qualified to fulfill military service obligations, although service in the ''SS-Totenkopfverbände'' or SS-TV would not. Some units of the SS-TV would, in the case of war, be used as reserves for the SS-VT, which did not have its own reserves. For all its training, the SS-VT was untested in combat. This changed in 1938, when two opportunities arose with the Anschluss of Austria in March and the occupation of the Sudetenland in October. A battalion of the ''Leibstandarte'' was chosen to accompany the Army troops in occupying Austria, and the three regiments of the SS-VT participated in the occupation of the Sudetenland. In both actions no resistance was met. 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「Waffen-SS」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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