The SS, Nazi Germany’s most feared elite regiment, responsible for some of the most appalling crime against humanity in WWII, will be the subject of a public lecture in Galway next week.
The Renmore History Society will host Hitler’s Murder Machine; The Origins, History and Development of the SS – 1923 -1945, a lecture by Brian MacGabhann, in the USAC lecture hall, Renmore Barracks, on Thursday April 25 at 8pm.
From a small group of 10 followers in the early 1920s, the SS grew to an international force of 850,000 by the end of the war. It controlled every police force in Germany, ran the infamous Gestapo, operated the concentration camps, ran occupied Poland, and fielded a military force of more than 38 armoured divisions.
The SS also oversaw a vast commercial empire, running their own factories and businesses, courts and judiciary, controlled racial policy on Germany and elsewhere, and planned, organised, and executed the Holocaust.
This talk will chart the origins and development of this infamous organisation, from simple beginnings as Hitler’s bodyguard to its final manifestation as a state within a state, and an army within an army.
Advance booking is essential through [email protected] before Tuesday. Send your name and the name of any guests.
