The experience of World War II 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 neither history, nor even traditions. How did the SS troops manage to achieve such a high level of training of the officer corps? How, where and by whom was the training of officers carried out? 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.