A far-right German party chief was forced to apologise after he posted a picture of Adolf Hitler's own elite SS unit in a group chat.

Nikolaus Kramer, the chief of the far-right Alternatives for Germany (AfD) party in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, shared the picture on an internal chat with his AfD colleagues.

The picture shows marching SS soldiers dressed in their infamous black uniforms, with overlaid text saying: 'A 'black bloc' is not principally bad.'

According to historical experts, the photo doesn't show an ordinary SS unit, but the so-called Leibstandarte, Adolf Hitler's elite bodyguard division.

Nikolaus Kramer (pictured), the chief of the far-right Alternatives for Germany party in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, shared the picture on an internal chat with his colleagues

They were responsible for numerous war crimes such as the Malmedy massacre in Belgium, in which 84 American POWs were killed.

Kramer, who is a police officer by profession, told reporters he had accidentally posted the picture in the wrong chat group.

He claimed he had wanted to write an explanatory and critical comment with the picture, but was interrupted.

He said the picture was not meant to glorify the Nazis but said it must be seen in its context as a contribution to a discussion on the riots at the G20 summit in Hamburg last year, which he accidentally posted in the wrong chat group.

The picture shows marching SS soldiers dressed in their infamous black uniforms, with overlaid text saying: 'A 'black bloc' is not principally bad'

According to historical experts, the photo doesn't show an ordinary SS unit, but the so-called Leibstandarte, Adolf Hitler's elite bodyguard division

The name 'black bloc' is often given to groups of far-left activists who don themselves in all-black clothing, scarves and masks.

During the G20 protests in Hamburg, several far-left groups set fire to hundreds of cars, looted stores and injured dozens of cops.

Kramer also said he apologised for the SS picture as soon as he realised he had made the mistake.

He emphasised that he does not see the SS in a positive light.

The SS stand for the German word Schutzstaffel, which means 'protection squadron'.

The paramilitary Nazi organisation was run by Heinrich Himmler, one of Hitler's most infamous and cruel henchmen.

The stylised lightning bolts of the SS insignia, based on ancient German rune symbols, are now forbidden under Germany's strict anti-Nazi laws.