Hitler's personal bodyguards undergoing a drill inspection in Berlin, 1938

Leibstandart SS Adolf Hitler Barracks in Berlin, rifles are Mauser Kar 98k. The 1st SS-Panzer Division Leibstandart SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) was Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard. The LSSAH became one of the most specialized and rigid units in the German Armed Forces. The lightning bolts on their collars clearly indicate they are SS.

The LSSAH was provided for government officials, security personnel and government buildings in the Nazi period. It was housed in the former military academy "Barracks Royal Prussian Cadet School" in Berlin Lichterfeld West, where the training of recruits took place.

LSSAH represented the pinnacle of Hitler's Aryan ideal. Strict recruitment rules meant that only those who were considered sufficiently Aryan – as well as physically fit and National Socialist – would be admitted.

The LSSAH provided honor guards at several Nuremberg rallies, and participated in the recapture of the Saarland in 1935. The Leibstandart was leading the march into Austria as part of the Anschluss, and in 1938 the unit took part in the annexation of the Sudetenland. By 1939, the LSSAH was a full-fledged infantry regiment with three infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, and anti-tank, reconnaissance, and engineer subunits.