Schutzstaffel

The Schutzstaffel (SS; also stylized as with Armanen runes; German pronunciation: [ˈʃʊtsˌʃtafəl]; literally "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP; Nazi Party). It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz ("Hall-Protection") made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for Nazi Party meetings in Munich. In 1925, Heinrich Himmler joined the unit, which had by then been reformed and given its final name. Under Himmler's direction (1929–45), it grew from a small paramilitary formation to one of the most powerful organizations in the Third Reich. From 1929 until Nazi Germany's collapse in 1945, the SS was the foremost agency of surveillance and terror within Germany itself and the occupied territories in Europe.

The main two constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS ("General SS"), and Waffen-SS ("Armed SS"). The Allgemeine SS concerned itself with police and racial matters within the German Reich, whereas the Waffen-SS consisted of combat units of troops within Nazi Germany's military. A third component of the SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV), ran the concentration camps and extermination camps. Additional subdivisions of the SS included the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) organizations tasked with policing the German people for their commitment to Nazi ideology and providing domestic and foreign intelligence.

Wenn alle untreu werden

"Wenn alle untreu werden, so bleiben wir doch treu" (English: If all become unfaithful, we remain loyal) is the opening line of a famous patriotic German popular song written by Max von Schenkendorf in 1814. Schenkendorf dedicated the song to Friedrich Ludwig Jahn for the "holy German Empire".

The melody was a slightly modified form of Pour aller à la chasse faut être matineux, a French hunting song dating from 1724.

The title also refers to a German hymn of the same name, written by the German poet Novalis in 1799. The first two lines of this hymn are the same as in Schenkendorf's song.

Gerhard Roßbach included the song in the activities of his German Youth Movement in which "its emphasis on loyalty in adversity and faith in Germany precisely fit Roßbach's desire to unify conservative forces behind a project of political and cultural renewal." During the Third Reich the song was used extensively by the Nazi SS, and became known as Treuelied (song of faithfulness).

Lyrics

SS marschiert

SS marschiert in Feindesland , as known as Teufelslied was a marching song of the Waffen SS, the paramilitary forces in Nazi Germany.

Style

The lyrics imply the elite status which SS men saw themselves possessing. They are based on patriotic heroism and the mentality of "fighting till death", which was a popular philosophy in Germany during the Third Reich.

History

The tune of the song was copied from the Luftwaffe's 'Marsch der Legion Condor'. The lyrics changed as the war went on. Originally they referred to the shores of the river Volga in Russia, later to those of the river Oder on the German-Polish border, where heavy fighting took place in 1945. The lyrics openly declared that the SS would destroy the "Red plague".

As the Waffen SS gradually developed into a multi-ethnic and multi-national force, translated and modified versions were sung by SS men from other countries. Among these were a French version, used by SS Division Charlemagne, a Norwegian version called "På Vikingtokt", and an Estonian version used by members of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking and later 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS called "Pataljon Narwa Laul" ("The Song of Battalion Narwa"). It was also the marching song for the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian).

Nazi salute

The Nazi salute or Hitler salute (German: Hitlergruß – literally Hitler Greeting) is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm in the air with a straightened hand. Usually, the person offering the salute would say "Heil Hitler!" (Hail Hitler!), "Heil, mein Führer!" (Hail, my leader!), or "Sieg Heil!" (Hail victory!). It was adopted in the 1930s by the Nazi Party to signal obedience to the party's leader – Adolf Hitler – and to glorify the German nation (and later the German war effort). The salute was mandatory for civilians, but was mostly optional for military personnel who retained the traditional military salute until shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Hitler in 1944.

Use of this salute is currently a criminal offense in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. In Switzerland and Sweden, the salute is illegal hate speech if used for propagating Nazi ideology.

Description

The salute was performed by extending the right arm to at least eye level, and straightening the hand so that it is parallel to the arm. Usually, an utterance of "Heil Hitler!", or "Heil!" accompanied the gesture.