PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

The Schutzstaffel (SS) was pronounced guilty by the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal. The judges declared the SS a criminal organization. The verdict included the combat-SS (Waffen-SS) which with its 900.000 members was by far the largest section of the SS. The Mutual Aid Association (Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit, HIAG) was founded as early as the late 1940s. This association claimed to represent the interests of the former members of the Waffen-SS. The article focuses on the self-perception of the organized veterans of the Waffen-SS, the process of founding the HIAG, their communication, their contact with political parties and their activities.