The '''SS''' (short for '''Schutzstaffel''', German for "Protective Squadron") was a major [[paramilitary]] branch of the German [[National Socialist]] party, controlled for the majority of its existence by [[Heinrich Himmler]] who became its leader in January 1929. It was noted for its devotion to [[Adolf Hitler]], for its hostility to [[Jews]], for its fanaticism in [[combat]]; and especially for its control of the [[concentration camp]]s and death camps during the [[Holocaust]]. | The '''SS''' (short for '''Schutzstaffel''', German for "Protective Squadron") was a major [[paramilitary]] branch of the German [[National Socialist]] party, controlled for the majority of its existence by [[Heinrich Himmler]] who became its leader in January 1929. It was noted for its devotion to [[Adolf Hitler]], for its hostility to [[Jews]], for its fanaticism in [[combat]]; and especially for its control of the [[concentration camp]]s and death camps during the [[Holocaust]]. |