War & Politics

The SS

SS — the two letters in old Germanic rune script represent the most effective and dangerous instrument of power of the Nazi dictatorship. The SS represented more than any other Nazi organisation the wild and deadly delusions of those who believed themselves part of the master race. It took only a few years for Hitler's Schutzstaffel to be transformed from an insignificant personal bodyguard to an all-powerful empire of evil. There are personal interviews with survivors and and with those men who served the inhuman SS system. Only now, as their lives draw to a close, are they prepared to speak up. In the world's first television series on the overall history of the SS, this documentary series takes a balanced view with many previously unpublished sources and with witnesses to the history of the SS: victims, perpetrators and opponents.

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Created By

Status

Ended

Original Name

Die SS

First Air Date

November 5, 2002

Last Air Date

December 10, 2002

Seasons

1

Episodes

6

Language

German

Networks

S01E06

The Mystery of Odessa

When the "Third Reich" surrendered, Heinrich Himmler's elite order became the "Army of Outlaws". Some perpetrators are brought to trial and convicted by the Allies as war criminals, but some of the most wanted SS henchmen manage to escape abroad in a mysterious way... What became of the SS after the war? This question leads to an almost impenetrable web of Nazi legends and historical facts that sound so unlikely that one can hardly believe. Soon after the war ended, a mysterious organization "Odessa" — short for "organization of former SS members" — appeared in secret files of the American secret service. The fear is widespread that the elite of Nazi rule could re-form underground. How influential could this underground network be? This final episode features interviews with Nazi hunters Beate Klarsfeld, Ephraim Zuroff and Serge Klarsfeld; former members of the US secret service and army officers William Gowen, James Milano and Wolfgang Robinow and former SS members.

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