Re-submission. Last time I posted this question here, the sub was apparently ravaged by a down-vote brigade.
Yesterday A few days ago, I was involved in a discussion regarding the treatment of SS soldiers by Allied forces in the European theater after the invasions of Sicily and Normandy. I argued for the view I've always been told, i.e. that
American, British and Free French forces treated SS soldiers worse than Wehrmacht, and that
This treatment was due to the fact that the SS was officially not a part of the German Armed forces, but in the end just the armed branch of the Nazi Party, and thus
The Allied forces had (felt?) no obligation to follow the Geneva convention, since the SS could not be considered lawful combatants.
Another redditor argued that the SS (or more specifically, the Waffen-SS) was an official branch of the Wehrmacht, just seperate from the other branches (i.e. Navy, Army and Air force, just like Russian paratroopers form a separate branch from the other branches of the Russian armed forces). The Wikipedia page for the SS states that it was a party organization, headed by the party official with the title/rank of Reichsführer-SS (Himmler), however the article about the Waffen-SS states that it (i.e. Waffen-SS, not all of SS) was practically a part of the Wehrmacht, however, I cannot get much information about how official this cross-organization ever was.
Anyhow, I was wondering if any kind historian on this sub would help me with this confusion. What were really the SS?
The Geneva convention does not necessarily ask for a pow to be officially from the armed forces.
Basically, wearing a uniform showing clearly your allegiance, having a chain of command, bearing your arms openly and fighting according to the laws and customs of war mean you have the right to the pow treatment. As the Waffen respected these rules they should have had the right to be treated fairly, even if they were not part of the Wehrmacht.
The Waffen SS were the armed branch of the Nazi Party. While under control of the Wehrmacht, they were not a part of it, but as has already been pointed out, they were still lawful combatants under the Geneva Conventions and had the right to standard POW treatment.
I think their rougher time was due to their reputation for committing war crimes and fanatacism, and the fact that their ranks held a great many committed Nazis (as you would expect).