SS Das Reich at War, 1939–1945

SS Das Reich at War, 1939–1945 PDF Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473890918
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Between 1933 and 1939, the strength and influence of the SS grew considerably with thousands of men being recruited into the new ideological armed formation, many into units known as the SS-Verfgungstruppe (Special Disposal Troop). These troops saw action in Poland before switching to the Western Front in 1940. Out of this organisation the SS Das Reich Division was created.This book, with its extensive text and over 250 rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions describes the fighting tactics, the uniforms, the battles and the different elements that went into making the Das Reich Division such a formidable fighting force. The chapters reveal the Division as it battled its way through Poland, the Low Countries, the Balkans and the Eastern Front. Finally the Das Reich defended Normandy before falling back to Germany.The Division gained its fearsome and notorious reputation for its fighting ability, often against vastly numerically superior forces, as well as its fanatical zeal.

SS Das Reich at War, 1939–1945

SS Das Reich at War, 1939–1945 PDF Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473890918
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Between 1933 and 1939, the strength and influence of the SS grew considerably with thousands of men being recruited into the new ideological armed formation, many into units known as the SS-Verfgungstruppe (Special Disposal Troop). These troops saw action in Poland before switching to the Western Front in 1940. Out of this organisation the SS Das Reich Division was created.This book, with its extensive text and over 250 rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions describes the fighting tactics, the uniforms, the battles and the different elements that went into making the Das Reich Division such a formidable fighting force. The chapters reveal the Division as it battled its way through Poland, the Low Countries, the Balkans and the Eastern Front. Finally the Das Reich defended Normandy before falling back to Germany.The Division gained its fearsome and notorious reputation for its fighting ability, often against vastly numerically superior forces, as well as its fanatical zeal.

Das Reich

Das Reich PDF Author: Max Hastings
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA
ISBN: 161058824X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
A world-renowned British historian recounts the actions of one of Hitler’s most elite armor units in one of World War II’s most horrific months. June 1944, the month of the D-Day landings carried out by Allied forces in Normandy, France. Germany’s 2nd SS Panzer Division, one of Adolf Hitler’s most elite armor units, had recently been pulled from the Eastern Front and relocated to France in order to regroup, recruit more troops, and restock equipment. With Allied forces suddenly on European ground, the division—Das Reich—was called up to counter the invasion. Its march northward to the shores of Normandy, 15,000 men strong, would become infamous as a tale of unparalleled brutality in World War II. Das Reich is Sir Max Hastings’s narrative of the atrocities committed by the 2nd SS Panzer Division during June of 1944: first, the execution of 99 French civilians in the village of Tulle on June 9; and second, the massacre of 642 more in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10. Throughout the book, Hastings expertly shifts perspective between French resistance fighters, the British Secret Service (who helped coordinate the French resistance from afar and on the ground), and the German soldiers themselves. With its rare, unbiased approach to the ruthlessness of World War II, Das Reich explores the fragile moral fabric of wartime mentality. Praise for Das Reich “A gripping blend of narrative and investigation.” —Evening Standard “This classic account of WWII is a microcosm of the global conflict. Hastings brings to life the horror that the 2nd SS Panzer division, Das Reich, inflicted upon the citizens living in a bucolic corner of France.” —Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel and Hitler’s Panzers

The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich

The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich PDF Author: Yves Buffetaut
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612005268
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
“Certainly my first recourse from now on when looking at the SS panzer divisions. Give yourself a treat and buy a copy ASAP if tanks are your thing” (Army Rumour Service). The Das Reich Division was the most infamous unit of the Waffen-SS. Originally a paramilitary formation raised to protect the members of the Nazi Party, it was founded in 1934 as the SS-Verfügungstruppe. During the invasion of Poland, the unit fought as a mobile infantry regiment. After the Battle of France, the SS-VT was officially renamed the Waffen-SS, and in 1941, the Verfügungs-Division was renamed Reich, later Das Reich. By the time Das Reich took part in the battle of Moscow, it had lost sixty percent of its combat strength. It was pulled off the front in mid-1942 and sent to refit as a panzer-grenadier division. Returning to the Eastern Front, Das Reich took part in the fighting around Kharkov and Kursk. Late in the year, it was designated a panzer division. In 1944, the unit was stationed in southern France when the Allies landed in Normandy. The following days saw the division commit atrocities, hanging one hundred local men in the town of Tulles in reprisal for German losses, and massacring 642 French civilians in Oradour-sur-Glane, allegedly in retaliation for partisan activity in the area. Later in the Normandy fighting, Das Reich was encircled in the Roncey pocket by US 2nd Armored Division, losing most of their armored equipment. Das Reich surrendered in May 1945. “Another fascinating piece of military history from the opposite point of view . . . this doesn’t purport to be an illustrated history of the Reich, but it damn well is!” —Books Monthly

SS-Das Reich

SS-Das Reich PDF Author: Gregory Louis Mattson
Publisher: Spellmount, Limited Publishers
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
This military history examines the Second Waffen-SS division, covering its formation, through to its involvement in the invasion of poland, Holland, France, the Balkans and Kursk on the Eastern Front, and on to Hitler's final defeat.

5th SS Wiking at War, 1941–1945

5th SS Wiking at War, 1941–1945 PDF Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 152672135X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
A photographic documentation of the German foreign volunteer unit—“a valuable addition to any enthusiast’s library of WWII military history books” (Firetrench). Drawing on a superb collection of rare and unpublished photographs, the 5th SS Division Wiking 1941-1945 is the 5th book in the Waffen-SS Images of War Series by Ian Baxter. The book tells the dramatic story of the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking at War. The men of the division were recruited from foreign volunteers in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands and Belgium under the command of German officers. Not all were collaborators—the choice they were all too often presented with was join up or be locked up—or worse. During the course of the war, the division served on the Eastern Front in 1941. It surrendered in May 1945 to the American forces in Austria. “The photos are mostly unpublished before and give an excellent impression of Wiking at war. We see a good variety of conditions over the 5 years of their war, from the height of summer to the depths of winter. We see fine detail of their uniforms and personal equipment as well as the development of larger equipment from motorcycles and early Panzer IVs, to the larger Panthers of the final period. There is also good coverage of anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons as well as heavier artillery. There is a good spread of detail in here which will interest the historian as well as the reenactors, militaria collectors and modelers alike.”—Military Model Scene

2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich

2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780850451276
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description


Das Reich

Das Reich PDF Author: James Lucas
Publisher: Cassell PLC
ISBN: 9780304351992
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
The remarkable and courageous war record of the famous Das Reich 2nd SS Division, a fearsome unit which saw heavy fighting throughout the war, from France to the Eastern Front and back to Germany. The 2nd SS Division was an elite, highly trained, volunteer fighting force, the premier Division of the Waffen SS and far removed from the more familiar SS Nazi Police role. Driven always by the military virtues of courage, duty and loyalty, it saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, in particular on the Eastern Front. It fought a hard war, suffered terrible casualties, and set new standards of battlefield excellence. Through extensive research, James Lucas tells a gripping story of close quarter hand-to-hand combat, of commanders who led from the front, of camaraderie and unit pride. This is a book about the best of soldiers in the worst of times.

Waffen-SS

Waffen-SS PDF Author: Adrian Gilbert
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0306824663
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 589

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Book Description
From an award-winning and bestselling historian, the first comprehensive military history in over fifty years of Hitler's famous and infamous personal army: the Waffen-SS. The Waffen-SS was one of the most feared combat organizations of the twentieth century. Originally formed as a protection squad for Adolf Hitler it became the military wing of Heinrich Himmler's SS and a key part of the Nazi state, with nearly 900,000 men passing through its ranks. The Waffen-SS played a crucial role in furthering the aims of the Third Reich which made its soldiers Hitler's political operatives. During its short history, the elite military divisions of the Waffen-SS acquired a reputation for excellence, but their famous battlefield record of success was matched by their repeated and infamous atrocities against both soldiers and civilians. Waffen-SS is the first definitive single-volume military history of the Waffen-SS in more than fifty years. In considering the actions of its leading personalities, including Himmler, Sepp Dietrich, and Otto Skorzeny, and analyzing its specialist training and ideological outlook, eminent historian Adrian Gilbert chronicles the battles and campaigns that brought the Waffen-SS both fame and infamy.

Inside the Allgemeine SS

Inside the Allgemeine SS PDF Author: Ulric of England
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788496658332
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
KEYNOTE * A highly-detailed, full-colour reference work exploring the iconic artefacts, uniforms and insignia which underpinned the concept and philosophy behind Hitler's Third Reich, particularly the Allgemeine-SS Inside the Allgemeine SS explores the iconic artefacts, uniforms and insignia which underpinned the concept and philosophy behind Hitler's Third Reich in general, and Himmler's Allgemeine-SS in particular. Formed in 1925 as a personal protection unit for Adolf Hitler, while under the control of Himmler (1929-1945), the Allgemeine-SS grew from a small paramilitary group to one of the most powerful, complex organizations in the Third Reich. Today the Allgemeine-SS is equally enigmatic; as the vehicle by which Himmler proposed to implement his thesis to create a 'Center of the New World'; its structure, and psychology remains little-understood. Authored by leading militaria specialists Ulric of England, Meine Ehre Heisßt Treue extends deep inside the Allgemeine-SS to reveal an unsurpassed creativity and philosophy. From the iconic, black SS uniform designed by Prof. Karl Diebitsch, graphic designer Walter Heck (and manufacturer Hugo Boss), to the applied arts, for example the 'first born' mother's brooch and Allach porcelain flower vase, this authoritative book, presents the most distinguished Allgemeine-SS collection to date. ILLUSTRATIONS: 1900 photographs *

SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Weidinger

SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Weidinger PDF Author: Mark C. Yerger
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 9780764311697
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
Holder of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords, Otto Weidinger was the last commander of SS-Regiment "Der Führer". Among the best field officers of the Waffen-SS, he graduated from SS officer school and served throughout the war. This fully revised and expanded edition of his authorised biography provides a wealth of information for the historian and military collector. Lavishly illustrated with over 130 photographs and documents, many never before seen, the volume covers Weidinger's military career and life in complete detail. This vastly expanded classic is an essential study of one of the most decorated officers of the 2.SS-Panzer-Division "Das Reich".