Why Did The SS Wear Black Uniforms?

They were one of the most ruthless, brutal and shocking paramilitary groups in history. The SS or the Schutzstaffel began life as a bodyguard unit to protect high-ranking third-right politicians, including even the Führer himself. But under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler, the SS became entrenched with terrible war crimes, terror and bloodshed wherever they went. They were the men who staffed the concentration camps and they were also those who pulled the trigger, bringing millions of people's lives to an end. But one thing stands out with the SS men at the end of the war, and that was that despite trying to evade capture, SS men who had torn off their insignia were quite clearly identifiable by some of their black uniforms. They tried to make out that they weren't SS, but their tunics and uniforms showed otherwise. But why specifically was the colour black chosen for the uniform of the SS? Well, when the Nazis expanded the SS during the late 1920s and early 1930s, they wanted it to appear very different from the much larger brown-shirted SA, the Sturmabteilung, Hitler's brownshirts. They were considered thuggish, but the SS was being presented as an elite organisation, one which was personally loyal to Hitler and much more disciplined, selective and exclusive when compared with the SA. Black was very effective for that purpose. Against a black tunic, the SS's silver-coloured insignia, white shirt, red armband and skull imagery really did stand out dramatically. In mass formations, hundreds of men, sometimes even thousands, dressed almost entirely in black created an intentionally severe and threatening appearance. There was also a historical association too. Black had connections with Prussian and German military traditions, most famously the black uniform of the Totenkopf, the death head's insignia, associated with certain Prussian Hussar formations. German Freikorps units after the First World War also used skull imagery, and the SS consciously appropriated these older martial symbols. The famous black uniform appeared around 1932, shortly before Hitler came to power. Its development involved senior SS officers and designers, and there were many different manufacturers of the uniform. This has produced the claim that some of the very expensive and lavish fashion brands today actually made uniforms of the SS. Some manufactured Nazi organisational uniforms, including SS clothing, were the choice of the colour, and the familiar black SS uniform was designed specifically by the unit and not necessarily by certain clothing brands. The visual effect of this was very carefully calculated though. The uniform combined the black tunic and trousers, a black peak cap, silver piping and buttons, SS runes, rank insignia, the red armband for the swastika, and in many cases that very infamous skull badge on the cap. Even the contrast was important, the bright red armband became exceptionally conspicuous against the dark uniform. Perhaps one of the most intimidating components of the SS uniform though was that Tottenkopf or death's head badge or symbol. The skull was actually older than Nazism. Various German military formations had previously used it as a symbol of defiance, danger and willingness to face death. The SS adopted it and transformed it into one of the organisation's defining symbols. Combined with the black uniform, it reinforced the image that SS propaganda wanted to project. Men who were supposedly fanatically loyal, fearless and separated from ordinary society, were ultimately then of the SS. That imagery became very sinister because the organisation ultimately became central participants in the Nazi systems of repression, the concentration camps and ultimately the holocaust. But SS soldiers themselves didn't always wear black, that is quite important. The black uniform is strongly associated with the SS because it often appears in huge Nazi rallies and ceremonies, but Waffen-SS combat troops generally did not go into battle wearing their black ceremonial uniforms. Prior to the Second World War, Waffen-SS personnel normally wore field grey combat uniforms or wore camouflage, which was comparable in colour and function to those of the German army. Although their insignia and some aspects of the uniform did differ though, the black uniform was mostly associated with the Allgemeine SS or the General SS and with political, administrative and ceremonial purposes. There were also black uniforms associated with SS concentration camp personnel, although the uniform history and organisational distinctions are more complicated than everyone just wearing black clothing. But why did the black uniform actually disappear? Well it was as the Second World War rolled on becoming less prominent. There were reasons for this, black is pretty terrible for camouflage on a battlefield and elaborate political uniforms made little sense for soldiers who engaged in conventional warfare. Field grey uniforms were much more suitable and also more readily available. The war also changed what the SS actually was too. It expanded enormously, particularly through Waffen-SS and consequently the image of small groups of carefully selected black uniformed political guards did diverge from reality. But why was it black? Well ultimately the SS wore black because it was supposed to make its members look different. Different from civilians, different from the brown-shirted SA, different from your standard German soldier. The Nazis understood the political power of uniforms very well. Hitler's movement relied heavily upon banners, symbols, torchlit processions, mass rallies and carefully choreographed public appearances. Uniforms turned individuals into apparently identical members of the larger organisations. The black SS uniform was one of the most extreme examples. It was meant to communicate authority, exclusivity, discipline and also menace. But today its enduring notoriety isn't accidental. It was designed from the but also very recognisable. Now I think if you see an SS uniform in a museum today, you generally get a bit of a chill down your spine because of what they did during the Second World War. Well whenever I've seen one, I do anyway. Thanks for watching. To support our channel, please make sure to subscribe. We upload videos every two days. Once again, thank you so much for giving me the time to watch this video.