By 1745 and only six years after its foundation, the Hartschier served only as palace guards and were more decorative than actual bodyguards since they had mainly ceremonial functions. Despite their ornamental role, the members of the guard were armed with a sword and a halberd and were some of the very best fencers in the palace. The unit has been active since 1856 and their greatest moment came during the World War II when it prevented the Wehrmacht from capturing the royal family and Cabinet members at the Midtskogen Gård on April 10. This led to the guards receiving their first honor for bravery in battle and a heroic status in the eyes and hearts of the Norwegian people. The Fedayeen became known during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq when the Iraqi army and the Republican Guard collapsed pretty fast but “Saddam’s Men of Sacrifice” fought with remarkable skill and passion for months until their leader was finally captured on December 13, 2003. They played a significant role in the wars and conquests of many Persian kings including Cyrus the Great, Darius I, and Xerxes, and they were finally defeated in the Battle of Marathon by the united Greek forces after they had already been seriously decimated by the Spartans in the Battle of Thermopylae. Under Heinrich Himmler’s leadership from 1925 until the end of the Third Reich in 1945, the Schutzstaffel committed countless crimes against humanity while at the same time protected and saved Hitler from numerous murder attempts. Many historians report that it was humanly impossible to get up close to Hitler since the Schutzstaffel was the closest thing to human shields that have ever been witnessed and would kill anyone who looked suspect. The SS was the main reason the Allies did not capture Hitler alive and many of its members committed suicide or just vanished instead of surrendering. These highly effective bodyguard units were no joke and neither were these 25 Mercenary Armies Recruited By The CIA .
