This illustrated book provides an in-depth examination of the 350,000 or so foreign volunteers who fought for Hitler and Germany in World War II, and explores the background to their recruitment and also describes on a unit-by-unit basis their structure and combat record.

SS Hitlerjugend is an in-depth examination of the unit formed in 1943 from members of the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) organization. The majority of the division's recruits were 17 year olds who were fanatically devoted to the Nazi cause and the Fuhrer. The book explores the background to the unit's formation, the type of young men it recruited, the key figures in the division and its organization. It also looks at the uniforms and insignia that members of the division wore to distinguish themselves in the battlefield. SS Hitlerjugend also provides a full combat record of the division, which fought on both fronts in World War II. The book outlines the unit;s involvement in the defense of Normandy, when allied troops were shocked by the youth of the enemy; the battle for Caen and the catastrophe of the Falaise Gap; refitting in Germany before the Ardennes Offensive and its service on the Eastern Front at the end of the War, fighting to recapture Budapest. Illustrated with rare photographs and with an authoritative text, SS Hitlerjugend is a definitive history of one of Germany's most fanatical fighting units in World War II.

This in-depth examination of the first Waffen-SS unit explores its genesis as Hitler's bodyguard detachment, the men it recruited, key figures involved and its organization. A full combat record of the SS-Leibstandarte, which fought on both fronts of the European theater, is accompanied by rare, archival photography, descriptions of training methods and depictions of uniforms and insignia.

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.

The divisions of the Waffen-SS were the élite of Hitler’s armies in World War II. SS-Totenkopf is an in-depth examination of one of the most famous – or rather, infamous – of these divisions: the ‘Death’s Head’ division. The book explores the background to the unit’s formation from the early concentration camp guards; the men it recruited and the level of brutalisation to which they became accustomed; the key figures involved in its history, such as Theodor Eicke, its founding commanding officer; and the division’s organization. It also looks at the training regimen of the Waffen-SS, and the uniforms and insignia that members of the division wore. SS-Totenkopf also provides a full combat record of the division, which fought on both fronts during World War II, increasingly serving as a ‘fire brigade’ unit as the war turned against Germany, plugging gaps wherever they appeared in the front. The book outlines the unit’s involvement in the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the battle of Kharkov, the defence of Warsaw, and the final fruitless attempt to relieve Budapest in the last days of the Reich. Illustrated with rare photographs and written by an acknowledged expert, SS-Totenkopf is a definitive history of one of Germany’s leading fighting units of World War II.

The 5th SS Division "Wiking" was the first "international" (western European freiwilligen) Waffen-SS division and the only German armed forces panzer division comprised of foreign troops. Not only did it earn an esteemed combat reputation but also served as an SS "finishing school," spinning off a host of additional divisions. Wiking operated exclusively on the eastern front. On the offense, it served as a spearhead for operations Barbarossa and Citadel. As a defensive "fire brigade," it served in the Cherkassy pocket and in 1944 Hungary. Despite at least one allegation of war crimes, in the main Wiking earned a reputation for fighting tough but fighting fair. This book is fully illustrated with rare eastern front photographs, many of which have never been published before. It also includes numerous maps and biographies of the key personnel.

From its creation in 1933 until Hitler's death in May 1945, anyone living in Nazi-controlled territory lived in fear of a visit from the Gestapo—Geheime Staatpolizei—or Secret State Police. Young or old, rich or poor, nobody was beyond the attentions of a brutally efficient organization that spread its malign influence into every corner of Europe in the wake of the all-conquering German armed forces. The Gestapo is a detailed history of Heinrich Himmler's evil organization, whose 20.000 members were responsible for the internal security of the Reich. Under its auspices, hundreds of thousands of civilians, resistance fighters, and spies in occupied Europe were brutalized, tortured, and murdered, and many, many more were deported to almost certain death in concentrations camps. The book describes the Gestapo's transformation into a vital element of the Nazi regime, operating from the most feared address the Reich—Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse 8. Based upon the Gestapo's own archives and eyewitness accounts, the author charts the development of the organization, its key figures, such as Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Muller, its brutal methods, and how the Gestapo dealt with internal security, including the various unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Hitler. The Gestapo is a lively and expert account of this notorious but little-understood secret police that terrorized hundreds of thousands of people across Europe.

Between 1933 and 1945 the entire youth of Germany became a limb of the Nazi Party, educated and trained to serve the needs and desires of National Socialism in its quest to establish a 1,000-year Reich. Hitler Youth examines the manipulation and corruption of a whole generation of German youth under the the various youth organizations, the Nazi education system, and how the authorities gradually weaned children from their families. Includes a chapter on the military record of the infamous Hitlerjugend Division.