What is the difference between the Waffen-SS and the Wehrmacht?

The Waffen SS was more of a private army while the Wehrmacht was a national army I think. Except that the Waffen SS was given orders by the OKW just like the Heer and they didn’t seem to be used in a different way than the Heer.

Are there war memorials in Germany?

Germany has no monuments that celebrate the Nazi armed forces, however many grandfathers fought or fell for them. Instead, it has a dizzying number and variety of monuments to the victims of its murderous racism. There are no Nazi sites in Germany in the sense that there are plantation sites in the United States.

What does the Waffen-SS mean in English?

Armed SS
The Waffen-SS (German: [ˈvafn̩ʔɛsˌʔɛs], transl. Armed SS) was the combat branch of the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with volunteers and conscripts from both occupied and unoccupied lands.

What does Wehrmacht mean in English?

Definition of Wehrmacht : the armed forces especially of Germany from 1935 to 1945.

What happened to German war graves?

The Volksbund looks after more than 800 war cemeteries On the basis of bilateral agreements, the Volksbund now fulfils this task in Europe and North Africa. It currently takes care of more than 830 war cemeteries and graves in 46 countries, the last resting places of about 2.8 million war casualties.

Why are military graves so close together?

Due to the proximity of grave markers in some military cemeteries, some falsely believe that the body is buried standing upright. The likely explanation is that the remains have been cremated and they are buried closely together. Veterans Affairs also provide free grave markers in recognition of military service.

How many German soldiers are still missing?

Exactly 81 years after the start of World War II, around 1.3 million Germans are still missing and their fates may never be cleared up. Even to this day, there is still huge interest in knowing what happened to those family members, relatives or friends who went missing during the war.

What is the German flower of remembrance?

the forget-me-not
In Germany it is the forget-me-not, in English-speaking countries the poppy, in France the cornflower. The fact that the Volksbund equips a memorial wreath with flowers on the day of national mourning in November is not only decorative, but has a deeper meaning.