Waffen-SS

The Waffen-SS was formed as a subdivision of the regular Schutzstaffel (SS) corps in Nazi Germany in order to perform a wide variety of functions:

1. Regular Troops (Verfügungstruppen) served as elite troops and fought alongside with the Wehrmacht - the regular army
2. Hitler's personal guard -- Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler.

Later there were SS-Freiwilligenverbände (volunteers) from countries and regions such as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Belorussia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Georgia, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, North Caucasus, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sudetenland, Sweden, Switzerland and the Ukraine (e.g. SS Division Nordland, formed from Norwegian, Danish and Baltic volunteers), a SS-Hitlerjugend division (enlisted ranks were volunteers from the Hitlerjugend - Hitler Youth), an SS-Totenkopf Division was formed from excess guard detachments though all had died out by 1942 in the Valdai Hills of Russia. They were replaced by volunteers not affiliated with the despicable camps.

Until 1944, service in the Waffen-SS was voluntary. Beginning then, whole units were assigned to the Waffen-SS.

Author 2: The SS also included the SD (security detachment, a counter-intelligence unit).

The SS Order of Battle included numerous units from small detachments to entire corps.