On 20 July 1934, as part of the purge of the SA, the SS was made an independent branch of the Nazi Party, responsible only to Hitler.

[11][12] During the Second World War, the Reichsführer-SS in effect held several additional roles and wielded enormous personal power.

[13] Over time, his influence on both civil and foreign policy became marked, as the Reichsführer reported directly to Hitler and his actions were not tempered by checks and balances.

This meant the office holder could implement broad policy, such as the Nazi plan for the Genocide or extermination of the Jews, or order criminal acts such as the Stalag Luft III murders, without impediment.

The exact position of the rank within the Waffen-SS evolved over many years, ranging from clearly defined to vaguely associated.

[18] The Waffen-SS eventually grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions and served alongside the German Army, but was never formally part of it.

[19][20] During World War II, the authority of the Reichsführer-SS over the Waffen-SS was mainly administrative in that certain General-SS offices controlled supply and logistics aspects of it.

Himmler also held authority to create new Waffen-SS divisions as well as order the formation of various smaller SS combat units.

The Reichsführer-SS further never exercised direct operational authority over Waffen-SS units until the very end of the war and then only through his capacity as an Army Group commander and not as the head of the SS.

Top Waffen-SS commanders, such as Sepp Dietrich, Wilhelm Bittrich, and Matthias Kleinheisterkamp, further held a certain derision for Himmler, describing him as "sly and unmilitary".

Instead, its individual units were sent to occupied areas, subordinated to local Higher SS and Police Leaders (HSSPFs) and used for so-called "pacification actions" alongside the Einsatzgruppen.