During World War I, the SS (Schutzstaffel, or "protection squadron") was a small, elite unit within the German military that was responsible for providing security for senior military and political leaders. It was also used as a special operations force, carrying out sabotage and assassination missions behind enemy lines.
SS during World War 2
In World War II, the SS grew into a much larger and more powerful organization, playing a key role in the Nazi regime's crimes against humanity. It was responsible for the establishment and operation of concentration camps and extermination camps, where millions of Jews and other minorities were murdered. The SS also played a major role in the Holocaust, the systematic genocide of European Jews.
The SS was also involved in a number of other atrocities, including the massacre of civilians in occupied territories, the torture of prisoners, and the use of slave labor. It was also responsible for the development and use of new weapons, including the V-1 and V-2 rockets.
After World War II, the SS was declared a criminal organization by the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal. Many of its leaders were executed or imprisoned, and the organization itself was disbanded.