Originally formed as Adolf Hitler's bodyguard (Schutzstaffel), the SS became the main instrument of oppression within the Nazi state. The SS was responsible for the concentration camps and their prisoners, whose labour it increasingly exploited from 1942 until the end of the war. Members of the SS committed many massacres in the occupied territories and were responsible for running the death camps.
“Schutzstaffel“ (SS)
- Synonyms: SS, “Schutzstaffel“
