Originally posted by LarryHW.
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3rd SS Panzer was a purely military force, yes technically these were political soldiers. But they emulated their Heer counterparts, and fought magnificently. Later in the war there were very, very few soldiers that had ever staffed a camp. This division was mostly comprised of young volunteers who underwent military training, and almost no political indoctrination. That was a major complaint of the political leadership of Germany; that Waffen SS soldiers were not receiving proper political indoctrination.
Of course the invasion of Russia began as simple conquest. Hubris yielded to desperation and soon, not only Germany, but all of Europe was faced with Bolshevik invasion. The Waffen SS became the largest multinational VOLUNTEER force ever fielded. Yes there were German cadres that formed up the subsequent foreign volunteer divisions, but the reality is huge numbers of French, Dutch, Belgium and other nationals joined. Men who had no clue of what horrors lay behind the wires of the camps. The bad stuff was highly compartmentalized.
The SS was a rapidly evolving and complex animal. And yes, the atrocities committed by the SS are unparalleled in modern times. Nothing the Allies did compares to the horrors of the camps. But the linkage to the late war formations was not that direct. The SS units operating in 1939 looked vastly different from the divisions of 1944.
I am a big History geek so I find the details fascinating. It is the complexities of the period that hold the keys to really understanding the times.
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