Waffen-SS Divisions, 1939-45


Book Description




Waffen-SS Divisions 1939–45


Book Description

Illustrated with detailed artworks of SS tanks and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, Waffen-SS Divisions 1939–45: The Essential Vehicle Identification Guide is the definitive study of the equipment and organization of Himmler’s armoured divisions. Organized chronologically by division and formation date, the book describes in depth the various models of tank and other armoured and soft vehicles in service with the ‘fighting’ SS, with listings of unit commanders, vehicle types and numbers and unit structure. Each divisional section is further broken down by campaign, accompanied by orders of battle, a brief divisional history of the campaign and any specific unit markings. Every SS division that saw combat is featured, from well-known units such as the elite Das Reich and Wiking divisions, to lesser-known divisions, such as the 11th Waffen SS Panzer Division Nordland and the Albanian-recruited 21st Waffen SS Gebirgs-Division Skanderbeg. With information boxes accompanying the full-colour artworks, all drawn to the same scale for easy comparison, Waffen-SS Divisions 1939–45 is a key reference guide for modellers and military history enthusiasts with an interest in the Waffen SS divisions of World War II.







Battles of the Waffen SS


Book Description

With the aid of 120 rarely seen photographs and 10 full-page maps, Battles of the Waffen-SS tells the full, dramatic story of the Waffen-SS in action: the stunning victories, the savagery of the Eastern Front, the atrocities both on and off the battlefield, and the grim battles of attrition fought in the final two years of the war.




SS-DAS Reich


Book Description

This book is an in-depth examination of the second Waffen-SS unit, the elite of Hitler's armies in WWII, to be formed. It explores the background to the unit's formation, including its origins as the SS-VT Division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its war service, and its organization. It also looks at the specialist training of the Waffen-SS, and the uniforms and insignia that members of the division wore.




Essential Tank Identification Guide


Book Description

Illustrated with detailed artworks of German tanks and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, The Essential Tank Identification Guide: Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions 1939-45 is the definitive study of the equipment and organization of the Wehrmacht's 28 fullstrength armored divisions. Organized chronologically by division and formation date, the book offers a complete guide to the Panzerwaffe, from the establishment of the 1st Panzer Division in 1935, to the hasty formation of the 130th Panzer (Lehr) Division in early 1944. The book describes in depth the various models of tank in German service during the war with each individual armored division, with listings of the unit commanders and any famous tank aces. Each divisional section is further broken down by campaign, accompanied by orders of battle, a brief divisional history of the campaign, and any specific unit markings. With information boxes accompanying the full-color artworks, all drawn to the same scale for easy comparison, The Essential Tank Identification Guide: Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions 1939-45 is an essential reference guide for modelers and enthusiasts with an interest in the armored divisions of the Wehrmacht.




Hitler’s Elite


Book Description

Hitler's Elite: The SS 1939–45 tells the complete story of the SS at individual, unit and organizational levels. Following an explanation of the SS' complex political and social origins, and its growth within the Nazi empire, it goes on to look at both its war record and its wider role in Heinrich Himmler's implementation of Hitler's vision for the Third Reich. As well as providing a combat history of the Waffen-SS from 1939 to 1945, it also explores themes such as ideology, recruitment, foreign SS personnel, training and equipment. The book's textual history is brought to life with more than 200 photographs and colour artworks from Osprey's series titles. As a companion volume to Hitler's Armies and Hitler's Eagles, this book gives a detailed and highly visual insight into one of Hitler's most powerful instruments of policy.




The Waffen SS


Book Description

This landmark study, first published by Cornell University Press in 1966, shows how Hitler's elite army grew from a praetorian guard of barely 28,000 men at the beginning of the Second World War to a combat-hardened army of more than 500,000 in 1945. George H. Stein examines in detail the structure and organization of the Waffen SS and describes the rigid personnel selection and intensive physical, military, and ideological training that helped to create the tough and dedicated cadre around which the larger force of the later war years was built.




Western Allied Tanks 1939-45


Book Description

The Essential Vehicle Identification Guide: Western Allied Tanks, 1939-45 offers an highly illustrated guide to the main armored fighting vehicles used by the Western Allies during World War II. This compact volume includes sample unit structures and orders of battle from company up to corps level, providing an organizational context for key campaigns throughout the war. Organized chronologically, the book offers a comprehensive survey of Western Allied armored fighting vehicles by campaign, including the fall of Poland, the defense of the Low Countries and France, desert warfare in North Africa, the push through Italy, the Normandy landings, the Battle of the Bulge, and the final defeat of Germany.




Into the Abyss


Book Description

This work presents a comprehensive record of the elite Waffen-SS divisions that fought on both the Western and Eastern fronts during the final two years of the Second World War.