Inside the SS

The documentary investigates the SS’s central role in the Holocaust, showing that many officers willingly took charge of the extermination camps. They claimed the mass murder was necessary for the benefit of Germany, believing it would strengthen the nation’s future.

Hitler's Killing Machine is a television programme presented as an episode that investigates one of the darkest chapters of the twentieth century. It is framed as a factual look at the mechanisms behind the Holocaust, focusing specifically on the involvement of the SS. The title signals that the series will examine how a state‑run organisation became a central instrument of mass murder. The core of the episode centres on the SS’s participation in the Holocaust. It outlines how a large number of SS members actively chose to manage the death camps, rather than being merely assigned to them. The narrative stresses that many of these volunteers were convinced that the killings were justified as a contribution to the welfare of their nation, believing they were serving a higher patriotic purpose. Further detail is given to the mindset that drove these volunteers. The programme points out that the belief in national benefit was a powerful motivator, shaping the way the SS viewed their role in the systematic extermination. By highlighting this conviction, the episode attempts to shed light on how ordinary individuals could become agents of atrocity when convinced they were acting for the good of their country. Overall, the episode provides a concise yet stark account of the SS’s function within the Holocaust, underscoring the troubling reality that many willingly embraced the task of running death camps under the banner of national interest.