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 development of German armored weapons, including armored cars and armored vehicles, was clearly regulated and hampered by the limitations of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. This state of affairs changed radically after the Nazis took power in 1933 and the launch of a virtually unlimited arms program. As a result, in 1935, the first successful four-wheeled armored vehicles Sd.Kfz.221 / 222/223 began to enter the line, and shortly afterwards the vehicles from the Sd.Kfz.231 family on an eight-wheeled chassis. At the same time, efforts were made to withdraw from the line and the production of vehicles also designated as Sd.Kfz.231, but on a six-wheeled chassis, was limited. All these vehicles turned out to be very useful already in the first campaigns of World War II, especially in reconnaissance activities, but also as radio communication or command vehicles in their specialized versions. In the course of World War II, of course, the German army introduced new armored cars to the line, of which the Sd.Kfz.234 deserves special attention. It is worth adding that German armored cars were used primarily in armored divisions, and from 1943 also in armored grenadier divisions, but also in infantry divisions in their reconnaissance divisions.