Tough, lavishly equipped and politically indoctrinated, SS troops formed over 38 divisions and numerous other regimental and battalion-sized units, totalling nearly a million men under arms.
Their armoured units won many plaudits for their actions, and although relationships between regular army units and the Waffen-SS were sometimes strained, most SS units fought ferociously, against great odds until the wars end in Berlin, 1945.
The Waffen-SS was a controversial organisation - their zeal and discipline could not be questioned although their many documented atrocities will perhaps be their greatest legacy.