Gladiators Of WWII - Waffen-SS

This episode in the BBC documentary series "Gladiators of WW2" focuses on the Waffen SS, the military wing of the Nazi Party under the command of Himmler. The Waffen SS evolved from the previously established Sturmabteilung (SA). With Hitler's rise to power, in 1933, concentration camp personnel were incorporated into the SS. The Leibstandarte, (Bodyguard Regiment of Hitler) was also formed. It later became part of the Waffen SS. The Waffen SS fought alongside the German army in WW2 and during the war reached its maximum strength with 38 fighting units, commando units and over 950 thousand soldiers, most volunteers from occupied states. The Waffen SS took part in military activities in Poland, the Low Countries, France, the Balkans, Russia, the Ardennes and Berlin and was responsible for most of the war crimes. Based on archival photographs and film footage, includes eye-witness accounts. Narrated by the actor Robert Powell.