Die Wehrmacht (literally “defense force”) was the name of the unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe (air force). The Waffen-SS, an initially small paramilitary section of Heinrich Himmler’s Allgemeine SS that grew to nearly a million strong during World War II, was not officially part of the Wehrmacht, but subject to OKW, OKH, as well as Field Command. Thus, the Waffen-SS was, de facto, a fourth branch of the Wehrmacht.

 

 

What We Are Not

 

 

The most important thing to consider before joining the unit is, 1SS Arizona is an APOLITICAL reenactment unit. No form of racism, bigotry or hate-mongering is tolerated within the unit. Anyone displaying any of this sort of attitude will be immediately expelled from the unit. 1SS Arizona is also NOT any sort of militia. The "Leibstandarte" purpose is to reenact the average Waffen-SS soldier, not brown shirted SA men or Einsatzgruppen.  If that is your interest, then you should look elsewhere. Although we do study the combat tactics of the Waffen-SS, it is for the purpose of reenacting only, live ammunition is never used and safety for all re-enactors of any nation is always paramount.  WW2 reenacting is a physical activity, so make sure to take this into consideration.