The first paramilitary unit to have the abbreviation SS (German: Schutz Staffel) in its name was the personal protection of the dictator of the Third Reich called Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, which was officially formed in 1933. From 1934, the SS was an independent formation headed by Heinrich Himmler. With time, further SS units were formed, including the SS-Totenkopfverbände and the SS-Verfügungstruppe. It is worth adding that the latter was trained similarly to regular Wehrmacht infantry units. On a relatively small scale, SS units were used in combat during the fighting in Poland in 1939 and in the French campaign in 1940. The first units intended from the beginning to fight at the front were created in mid-1940, giving them the name of the Waffen SS. Initially, they were recruited on a voluntary basis, also among non-German people, but over time, compulsory recruitment began to apply. Within the Waffen-SS, many divisions of different combat value were formed. Nevertheless, a few of them (e.g. the 1st SS LAH Panzer Division, the 2nd SS Das Reich Panzer Division or the 12th SS Hitlerjugend Panzer Division) can be considered elite units, with very high combat value and often equipped with the best available equipment. They demonstrated their considerable advantages not only on the Eastern Front (1941-1945), especially during the battles near Kharkiv in 1943, but also during the battles in France in 1944. Another thing is that the quality of the commanding staff of these units was in many cases debatable, and many Waffen-SS soldiers committed war crimes during World War II.
Panzergrenadier is a German term for a formation of panzer grenadiers, i.e. infantry units trained to fight in close cooperation with their own tanks. This term was officially used in 1942, when infantry divisions were renamed grenadier divisions and motorized infantry divisions into panzer grenadier divisions. It is worth adding that in the years 1937-1942, the Schützen Regiment was used to describe the infantry regiments serving in armored units. Theoretically, the basic equipment of armored grenadier divisions was to be armored half-tracked transporters, especially Sd.Kfz.251, but due to insufficient production, these infantry were often transported by trucks. As a standard, an armored grenadier division consisted of three infantry regiments, two battalions in each regiment and numerous support units, including anti-tank, anti-aircraft, sapper and communication units. Self-propelled guns, such as the StuG III, were often used in these formations. It is worth adding that the armored grenadier divisions were formed not only in the Wehrmacht, but also in the Waffen SS - for example the Totenkopf Division or the Hohenstaufen Division.
The Third SS Panzer Division (bearing the nickname "Totenkopf" from 1942) was formed shortly after the September campaign in 1939, and its first commander was Theodore Eicke. It functioned then as a motorized division. It is worth noting that many of its members, at the time of the formation of the unit, previously performed duties in German concentration camps. The unit underwent its baptism of fire in the course of fighting in France in 1940, where it fought from May 16. The unit also took part in the fighting on the Eastern Front from June 1941, taking part, inter alia, in very heavy fighting in the cauldron near Demiañskie (February-April 1942). After these fights, she was transferred to France, where she was renamed the SS Panzer Grenadier Division "Totenkopf", and in 1943 became the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf". In 1943 he took part in the battles near Kharkiv, Kursk and Belgorod. In 1944, he fights with the Soviet troops in Ukraine, and then in the Bia³ystok region. In the last year of the war, the unit fought in Hungary, and later withdrew to Austria, where it capitulated. During World War II, the soldiers of the "Totenkopf" division committed numerous war crimes, including murdering civilians and prisoners.