1. Leadership and Execution: The SS was directly responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing the Holocaust. The leadership, most notably Heinrich Himmler as well as Adolf Eichmann, were key architects of the systematic extermination methods.
2. Einsatzgruppen: Special SS units called Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads) were deployed in occupied territories to carry out mass shootings of Jews and other groups marked for destruction. These mobile units committed mass atrocities in collaboration with local auxiliaries and collaborators.
3. Concentration and Extermination Camps: The SS established, operated, and managed concentration and extermination camps as centers for mass destruction. Camps like Auschwitz, Dachau, and Ravensbrück became symbols of horror and systematic murder. SS officers served as camp administrators, guards, and personnel involved in executing the extermination process.
4. Deportations: The SS organized and carried out the large-scale deportations of Jews from various countries across Europe to the concentration and extermination camps.
5. Security and Suppression: The SS maintained tight security at the camps, enforced compliance, and suppressed any attempts at resistance or escape. The SS was also involved in suppressing civilian dissent against the Nazis' persecution policies.
6. Propaganda and Indoctrination: The SS was involved in promoting anti-Semitic and racial supremacist ideologies, spreading propaganda that aimed to dehumanize the targeted groups and justify their persecution.
It's important to note that not all members of the SS were directly involved in the Holocaust. Some were responsible for administrative tasks, logistic support, or other functions not related to the extermination process. However, the organization as a whole bore collective responsibility for its role in implementing the horrific crimes that constituted the Holocaust.