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.
Kurt Meyer was born in December 1910 and died in December 1961 at the age of 61. He was the German commander of the armored forces within the Waffen-SS and the commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend". He was also a war criminal and a staunch Nazi. Kurt Meyer finished his education at elementary school, after which - due to financial reasons - he had to start working as a miner. From an early age, he sympathized with the Nazi movement and very quickly joined the NSDAP, and later the SS (in 1932). He was quickly promoted in the structures of the SS and in 1937 he was Hauptsturmführer em, which is the equivalent of the rank of captain in the land forces. He fought in the campaigns in Poland (1939) and France (1940), and during the battles in Greece in 1941, he commanded a reconnaissance battalion. For participating in the campaign in the Balkans, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He took part in the Barbarossa campaign, and in 1943 he distinguished himself in the battles for Kharkiv. In July 1943 he was appointed commander of the 25th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment of the 12th SS Division. With this unit, he fought in Normandy, especially at Caen, showing personal courage and leadership skills. On August 1, 1944, he was appointed to the rank of SS-Oberführer and took command of 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend. He took this position despite the lack of formal military education and experience in commanding such a large tactical union. In September 1944 he was taken into Allied captivity. After World War II, he was tried for war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment, which, however, was reduced to 10 years. There are many indications that Kurt Meyer remained a Nazi until the end of his life.