From their humble beginnings as a small, select band responsible for protecting the leader of the Nazi Party, to its million members and 38 divisions by the end of World War II, the SS achieved some of the most stunning victories in the annals of warfare, while also committing a catalogue of war crimes.
Including 500 photographs, many seldom seen outside the personal archives of former soldiers, Waffen-SS: Hitler's Elite in Photographs contains all the battles and campaigns that the Waffen-SS fought, including Poland, France and on the Eastern Front. The book charts the growth of the Panzer divisions, their battlefield tactics, recruitment and organization of units, and an examination of the weapons and equipment. Leading figures, such as 'Sepp' Dietrich, Felix Steiner and Joachim Peiper, are also featured.
But the Waffen-SS were not just highly-trained troops. From the beginning the black-uniformed men of the armed Schutzstaffel (Protection Squad) were ideological warriors, selected on the basis of rigid racial and physical standards, who viewed with contempt the members of those races classed by National Socialist ideology as being sub-human. This book does not shy away from their atrocities.
Waffen-SS: Hitler's Elite in Photographs is a full pictorial record of the development, combat actions and criminal activity of Hitler's Praetorian Guard, before and during World War II.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 6
Chapter One
The Fuhrer’s Bodyguard 8
Chapter Two
Himmler’s Troops 20
Chapter Three
Forging an Elite 38
Chapter Four
Baptism of Fire 56
Chapter Five
On Parade 68
Chapter Six
Blitzkrieg in the West 82
Chapter Seven
Balkan Interlude 94
Chapter Eight
‘Barbarossa’ 102
Chapter Nine
Winter War 118
Chapter Ten
Metamorphosis 130
Chapter Eleven
High Tide in the East 146
Chapter Twelve
Italian Adventure 160
Chapter Thirteen
Red Deluge 168
Chapter Fourteen
Steel Rain 184
Chapter Fifteen
Circle of Fire 196
Chapter Sixteen
Consequences of an Ideology 210
Index 222
About the Author :
Christopher Ailsby is a military historian whose main area of interest are military awards, medals and decorations, antiques and the history of the Third Reich. He has written a number of superbly researched books, including Combat Medals of the Third Reich, Allied Combat Medals of WWII and A Collector’s Guide to German WWII Medals and Political Awards. He currently lives in Peterborough.
