From the Protection Squadron to the SS State: Trace the rise to power of the SS as we examine several perpetrators. Who was recruited? And why was the SS attractive to men? (1 of 6)
An agriculturalist by trade, Heinrich Himmler went on to lead the SS and tried to escape responsibility at the end of the war. His diary provides terrifying insights into the SS leader, revealing details of his private life and his work.
More than any other Nazi leader, Reinhard Heydrich was an orchestrator of mass murder, and was terrifyingly clinical in his approach.
Masqueraded as military excellence, the reality was very different. Recruits were poorly trained and remorse was nonexistent, as SS troops killed mercilessly.
Tasked with guarding concentration camps, the actions of the SS Death Head Unit knew no bounds, and, despite their heinous acts, still attended social gatherings.
Many Nazi perpetrators fled to exile unscathed with the help of the Vatican or the US intelligence services. Yet some did not escape punishment and were forced to confront their responsibility.
Gabriele Rose
Director
Victoria Vorbröker
Producer
Stefan Bomhof
