During the invasion , war crimes were committed against the Polish people . The '' Leibstandarte '' became notorious for torching villages without military justification . Members of the '' Leibstandarte '' also committed atrocities in numerous towns , including the murder of 50 Polish Jews in Błonie and the massacre of 200 civilians , including children , who were machine gunned in Złoczew . Shootings also took place in Bolesławiec , Torzeniec , Goworowo , Mława , and Włocławek . Eicke 's SS-TV field forces were not military . " Their military capabilities were employed instead in terrorizing the civilian population through acts that included hunting down straggling Polish soldiers , confiscating agricultural produce and livestock , and torturing and murdering large numbers of Polish political leaders , aristocrats , businessmen , priests , intellectuals , and Jews . " His '' Totenkopfverbände '' troops were called on to carry out " police and security measures " in the rear areas . What these measures involved is demonstrated by the record of '' SS Totenkopf Standarte " Brandenburg " '' . It arrived in Włocławek on 22 September 1939 and embarked on a four-day " Jewish action " that included the burning of synagogues and the execution en-masse of the leaders of the Jewish community . On 29 September the '' Standarte '' travelled to Bydgoszcz to conduct an " intelligentsia action "
intelligentsia action
Intelligenzaktion
Waffen-SS