SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the Nazi Party (NSDAP). On 17 August 1938 Adolf Hitler decreed that the SS-VT was neither a part of the Ordnungspolizei nor the Wehrmacht, but military-trained men at the disposal of the Führer. In time of war, the SS-VT were to be placed at the disposal of the army.
LSSAH troops undergo a drill inspection in Berlin, November 1938
SS-VT in full marching order, 1935
Motorcycle unit of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf in the Soviet Union, 1941
The Schutzstaffel was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 183 H04436, Klagenfurt, Adolf Hitler, Ehrenkompanie
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 101III Lerche Stereo 046 03, Metz, Sepp Dietrich bei Ordensverleihung
Image: Himmler besichtigt die Gefangenenlager in Russland. Heinrich Himmler inspects a prisoner of war camp in Russia, circa... NARA 540164
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 183 R97512, Berlin, Geheimes Staatspolizeihauptamt