The most loyal and ruthless enforcers of the Third Reich began as a small squad of political thugs. Yet by the end of 1935, the SS had taken control of all police and internal security duties in Germany--ranging from local village "gendarmes" all the way up to the secret political police and the Gestapo. And by 1944, the militarized Waffen-SS had more than eight hundred thousand men serving in the field, rivaling even Germany's regular armed forces, the Wehrmacht. Here, author Adrian Weale delves into materials not previously available, including recently released intelligence files and never-before published photographs. Going beyond the myths and characterizations, this comprehensive account reveals the reality of the SS as a cadre of unwavering political fanatics and power-seeking opportunists who slavishly followed an ideology that disdained traditional morality--an ideology that they were prepared to implement to the utmost murderous extreme, which ultimately resulted in the Holocaust.--From publisher description.

The defeat of Wilhelmine Germany and the origins of the National Socialist Party -- The rebirth of National Socialism and the creation of the SS -- Heinrich Himmler -- A new broom -- Taking control -- Consolidation -- Dachau and the establishment of the concentration camps -- The central organisation of the SS -- The Race and Settlement Office -- The SD : the intelligence and security wing of the SS -- The path to genocide -- Euthanasia and the beginning of mass murder -- Origins of the Waffen-SS -- Militarising the "political soldiers" -- Expansion of the militarised SS -- The invasion of Poland and the special task groups -- The SS and the Polish Jews -- Gottlob Berger and the creation of the Waffen-SS -- Making up the numbers: foreign volunteers and criminals in the Waffen-SS -- The Waffen-SS heads east -- Operation Barbarossa and the first and second sweeps -- The Wannsee Conference -- The extermination camps -- Auschwitz -- The final act -- Epilogue -- Appendix: Table of comparative military ranks.