Forces of WWII: Inside the Units
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler: From Hitler's Bodyguards to War Crimes
14m
On 17 March 1933, a small SS guard unit was formed in Berlin to protect Adolf Hitler. What began as a personal bodyguard formation soon evolved into the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, one of the most famous and feared divisions of the Waffen-SS.
This documentary follows the history of the Leibstandarte from its origins in Nazi Germany through its campaigns in Poland, France, the Soviet Union, Italy, Belgium, and Hungary. Along the way, the division became associated with numerous atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war, including crimes in Poland, the Wormhout killings, the massacres at Yefremovka and Semyonovka, the Lago Maggiore murders, the destruction of Boves, and the Malmedy massacre during the Ardennes Offensive.
From its oath of personal loyalty to Hitler to its final surrender in Austria in 1945, this is the story of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the legacy it left across Europe during World War II.
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