Was the ss popular with the German public?

Answer 1

Yes, when the Algemeine SS began many German youth saw the black SS uniforms and were taken in by the ubermench qualities of the SS troops. and remember that after the SS became die Waffen-SSthey were combat troops and no longer homefront political police force. When the war was over and the SS were accused of horrible things such as rounding up Jewish people and running Death camps. The German public was disgusted by them. however, while yes the SS did do those things and they did run the death camps for most of the war, the KDZ or concentration camp guards and gestapo held an equal part in those war crimes. most of those in the SS were soldiers who had joined an elite fighting force to serve the fatherland.