SS diehards

Question

There were soldiers, tanks, guns, bodies, refugees, more soldiers, rubble and dust everywhere and sounds of gunfire and shellfire but you never knew where from, unless they were very close. Everything was chance, whether you lived or died, whether you received food or a fist, whether you ran into helpful compatriots or kind Russians or cruel Russians or children or unhelpful compatriots, SS diehards who hanged from lamp posts anyone they decided might be deserter.

What is meaning of 'SS diehards who hanged from lamp posts anyone they decided might be deserter.'
Thx

Avangi · Accepted Answer

**** Gestapo secret police, who didn't want to admit the war was over. (Let me double-check)

"deserters" would be German soldiers who decided not to fight any longer. The SS would make examples of them.

Edit. SS stands for Schutzstaffel (which literally means 'protective squadron'). (wick.)

Himmler's organization. Hitler's bodyguards. Elite Stormtroopers. Ran the prison camps.

Sagra · Answer

'SS diehards who hanged from lamp posts anyone they decided might be (a) deserter'

To break it down:

SS = short for the German word 'Schutzstaffel' -- an elite squadron of soldiers under the **** regime
diehard = used as a noun here, meaning someone who is really fanatical in his or her views
hanged = the simple past of the verb 'hang' in its transitive form (as in 'they hanged the murderer from a tree')
deserter = someone who abandons his or her post

So...this appears to be written from the point of view of a German soldier who, amongst other things, is afraid that he might be killed by an elite soldier from his own country who thinks he (the soldier) is about to run away from the army. (Not very cheerful, I'm afraid!)

It's a bit easier to understand the original line if you rearrange it a bit: ''SS diehards who hanged anyone they decided might be (a) deserter from lamp posts'

Hope this helps!

SS diehards

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