The experience of the Second World War shows that the officer corps of the SS troops proved to be one of the most effective among the armies of the warring parties. This cannot but cause surprise, since the SS troops, essentially being the Nazi party guard, had no history, much less traditions. How did the SS troops manage to achieve such a high level of training of the officer corps? How, where and by whom were officers trained? What criteria did potential officers have to meet? Did Nazi ideology play a serious role in the training of SS officers? You will find answers to these and many other questions in this book.