German ranks

[Shan]

Guys,

excellent collection of data posted here, I also own some books and other material on the SS, just didn't have time to post.

Overall, you have to consider the ambiguous recruiting policy f the (Waffen-)SS and therefore cannot apply the same morale/exp ratings to all SS units, neither parallel, nor throughout the course of the war. For example, you cannot apply the same exp/morale bonus to the 1st, 2nd SS-Panzerdivision or the nordic divisions and some formation consisting of Albanian or Ukrainian recruits and never reached division strength anyway... (Handschar, etc...)

During the early years (Poland, France), SS units were fighting very agressivley and therefore had a higher proportion of casualties, but generally most formations were of inferior standards, definitely inferior when compared to the Wehrmacht - for instance, the Polizeidivision and the Verfuegungsdivision were recruited from former policemen and guards, and used mostly captured weapons (czech, later polish, french, etc...) - those were not as well-trained or -equipped as the average Wehrmacht division. Also, the personnel used to rotate between frontline service and their 'normal' job as a concentration camp guard, etc...

Then, you have this problem of recruiting elite forces when the Waffen-SS was enlarged later in the war. There was a general lack of recruits, so the SS had no right to recruit normal Germans as the Wehrmacht did - it could only take volunteers, that's why it started to recruit in western and northern Europe and later had to give up its hight standards (arian hertiage, blond&blue eyes, etc) and recruit also from the german-speaking inhabitants of eastern europe ('Volksdeutsche'), who were generally looked down upon to say the least, and later they recruited even eastern europeans with no germanic blood at all- these were units mostly for rear guard & partisan-fighting duties- just as the Wehrmacht did when it turned russian POWs into 'Ostbataillone' of very low quality when it came to a fight.

At the same time, however, the elite formations were still kept up and even expanded - by using ever-younger boys, hence the division 'Hitlerjugend' - and those boys, raised in the system and totally loyal + devoted to it, fought like hell...