Changes

===Soldiers in Waffen-SS===

===Soldiers in Waffen-SS===

[[File:Galicia July 2013.jpg|right|300pxs|thumb|Reburial of members of the Waffen SS Galicia Division near [[Lviv, Ukraine]] in July 2013.<ref>https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/wjc-urges-ukrainian-orthodox-church-leader-to-act-against-glorification-of-nazi-soldiers</ref>]]

[[File:Galicia July 2013.jpg|right|300pxs|thumb|Reburial of members of the Waffen [[SS Galicia Division]] near [[Lviv, Ukraine]] in July 2013.<ref>https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/wjc-urges-ukrainian-orthodox-church-leader-to-act-against-glorification-of-nazi-soldiers</ref>]]

By the end of the war, the Waffen-SS had organized 38 divisions comprising about 800,000 soldiers; 25% were killed in battle. They were never integrated into the Wehrmacht, and grew to become a "de facto" fourth branch of the German military. However, they were never any real threat to replace the army, given their much smaller percentage of size in the armed forces (under 10%) and the fact they never had independence of operational command. They had a reputation for fanatical loyalty, bravery, brutality, mistreatment and killing of prisoners and civilians, and war crimes.<ref>Wegner (1990); McNab (2009)</ref> In December 1944 on the Western Front during the "Battle of the Bulge" elements of the Leibstandarte Division shot between 86 and 100 Americans prisoners near Malmedy.<ref>After the war, Colonel Joachim Peiper and 65 other Waffen-SS soldiers were tried, convicted and imprisoned for war crimes; two were hung. James J. Weingartner, ''Crossroads of Death: The Story of the Malmédy Massacre and Trial'' (1979)</ref>

By the end of the war, the Waffen-SS had organized 38 divisions comprising about 800,000 soldiers; 25% were killed in battle. They were never integrated into the Wehrmacht, and grew to become a "de facto" fourth branch of the German military. However, they were never any real threat to replace the army, given their much smaller percentage of size in the armed forces (under 10%) and the fact they never had independence of operational command. They had a reputation for fanatical loyalty, bravery, brutality, mistreatment and killing of prisoners and civilians, and war crimes.<ref>Wegner (1990); McNab (2009)</ref> In December 1944 on the Western Front during the "Battle of the Bulge" elements of the Leibstandarte Division shot between 86 and 100 Americans prisoners near Malmedy.<ref>After the war, Colonel Joachim Peiper and 65 other Waffen-SS soldiers were tried, convicted and imprisoned for war crimes; two were hung. James J. Weingartner, ''Crossroads of Death: The Story of the Malmédy Massacre and Trial'' (1979)</ref>