Ss: Das Reich : The History of the Second Ss Division 1933-45

The divisions of the Waffen-SS were the elite of Hitler's armies in WWII. SS-Das Reich, the third in a series of books on the divisions of the Waffen-SS, is an in-depth examination of the second Waffen-SS unit to be formed, the SS-Das Reich. The book explores the background to the unit's formation, including its origins the SS-VT division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its war service, and its organisation. It also looks at the specialist training of the Waffen-SS, and the uniforms and insignia that members of the division wore. SS-Das Reich provides a full combat record of the division, which fought on both fronts during WWII. The book outlines the unit's involvement in the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the invasion of Russia, the battles of Kharkov and Kursk, the defense of Normandy, the Ardennes offensive, the fruitless attempt to relive Budapest and its final days defending Vienna. The division's darker side is also revealed with an examination of its role in the massacre of an entire village at Oradour-sur-Glance. Illustrated with rare photographs, and with an authoritative text, SS-Das Reich is a definitive history of one of Germany's top fighting units of WWII.