Whats the difference between SA and SS (Germany)?
The SA (Sturm Abteilung ‘Storm battalion) was formed from front line Nazi Party activists to protect Nazi Party candidates who were campaigning during elections.Their role included using violence against political opponents.At its height, during WW2, the SA contained some 4 million members. The SS (Schutzstaffel ‘Protection Echelon’) began as Hitler’s personal bodyguard.It owed its loyalty directly to Hitler himself, rather than the Nazi Party. After the ‘Night of the Long Knives’ when the senior leadership of the SA was purged for political reasons,the role and power of the SS expanded considerably.They eventually took over all police and security operations,conducted considerable economic activity (the SS controlled, amongst other things, most of the German soft drinks industry), ran the concentration and death camps, and had a military wing (Waffen SS) that provided front line combat units. At its height, the SS contained over 1 million members.
