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.
The SS Germania regiment (German: SS-Standarte Germania) was formed as early as 1934, and the initiative of its creation came from SS-Hauptsturmführer Wilhelm Bittrich. Initially, the regiment consisted of SS members from Hamburg. In 1937, soldiers from this regiment were tasked with protecting Benito Mussolini during his visit to Germany. On the eve of the September campaign in 1939, the regiment consisted of, among others, 3 motorized infantry battalions, an artillery company, an anti-tank unit, a motorcycle company, a communications platoon and a music section. A single battalion of the SS-Standarte Germania consisted of three motorized infantry companies. The unit took part in the September campaign in 1939 as part of Army Group South. It is worth adding that the regiment in the course of this campaign failed miserably during the battle of Mu¿ykowice on the night of September 15/16, 1939, where it was unable to repel the Polish infantry attacking the bayonets. After the September campaign, the regiment stayed in Prague and then in the west of Germany. In the summer of 1940, he took an active part in the Western campaign. At the end of 1940, the SS Germania Regiment was incorporated into the SS Wiking Division, which later became the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking.