Hitler's elite Waffen-SS troops were masters of the shock offense and the lingering rear guard defense.On the offensive they were often described as fanatical, and seeing themselves as the bulwark of Europe against Communism, they were more than willing to take far higher casualties than "regular" German Army units. In the beginning of WW2, this attitude was seen as needlessly wasteful by the German High Command. But as the war turned against Germany, her generals began to integrate the Waffen-SS forces into their armies, relying upon their fanaticism to slow down the relentless Allied advance.