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SS Charlemagne: The 33rd Waffen-Grenadier Division of the SS
by Tony Le TissierIn May 1945, as the triumphant Red Army crushed the last pockets of German resistance in central Berlin, French soldiers fought back. They were the last surviving members of SS Charlemagne, the Waffen SS division made up of French volunteers. They were among the final defenders of the city and of Hitlers bunker. Their extraordinary story gives a compelling insight into the dreadful climax of the Battle for Berlin and into the conflicts of loyalty faced by the French in the Second World War. Yet, whatever their motivation, the performance of these soldiers as they confronted the Soviet onslaught was unwavering, and their fate after the German defeat was grim. Once captured, they were shot out of hand by their French compatriots or imprisoned. SS Charlemagne is a gripping, fluently written study of one of the most revealing side stories of the war.
SS Das Reich At War 1939–1945: A History of the Division on the Western and Eastern Fronts (Images of War)
by Ian BaxterBetween 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Out of this organisation the SS Das Reich Division was created.This book, with its extensive text and over 250 rare and unpublished photographs with detailed captions describes the fighting tactics, the uniforms, the battles and the different elements that went into making the Das Reich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.
The SS Dirlewanger Brigade: The History of the Black Hunters
by Christian IngraoThe Dirlewanger Brigade was an anti-partisan unit of the Nazi army, reporting directly to Heinrich Himmler. The first members of the brigade were mostly poachers who were released from prisons and concentration camps and who were believed to have the skills necessary for hunting down and capturing partisan fighters in their camps in the forests of the Eastern Front. Their numbers were soon increased by others who were eager for a way out of imprisonment—including men who had been convicted of burglary, assault, murder, and rape.Under the leadership of Oskar Dirlewanger, a convicted rapist and alcoholic, they could do as they pleased: there were no repercussions for even their worst behavior. This was the group used for its special “talents” to help put down the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto, killing an estimated 35,000 men, women, and children in a single day. Even by Nazi standards, the brigade was considered unduly violent and an investigation of its activities was opened. The Nazi hierarchy was eager to distance itself from the behavior of the brigade and eventually exiled many of the members to Belarus. Based on the archives from Germany, Poland, and Russia, The SS Dirlewanger Brigade offers an unprecedented look at one of the darkest chapters of World War II.
The SS Dirlewanger Brigade
by Christian Ingrao Phoebe GreenThe Dirlewanger Brigade was an anti-partisan unit of the Nazi army, reporting directly to Heinrich Himmler. The members of the brigade were released prisoners-including men who had been convicted of burglary, assault, murder, and rape-who were believed to have the skills necessary for hunting down and capturing partisan fighters in their camps in the forests of the Eastern Front. Under the leadership of Oscar Dirlewanger, a convicted rapist, this was the group used for its special "talents" to help put down the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto, killing an estimated 35,000 men, women, and children in one day.Based on the archives from Germany, Poland, and Russia, The SS Dirlewanger Brigade offers an unprecedented look at one of the darkest chapters of World War II.
SS Einsatzgruppen: Nazi Death Squads, 1939–1945 (History of Terror)
by Gerry van Tonder&“Provides important details about the Einsatzgruppen&’s leadership . . . Numerous photographs illustrate the text. A grim read, but a necessary one.&” —The Washington Times In June 1941, Adolf Hitler, whose loathing of Slavs and Jewish Bolsheviks knew no bounds, launched Operation Barbarossa, throwing four million troops, supported by tanks, artillery and aircraft into the Soviet Union. Operational groups of the German Security Service, SD, followed into the Baltic and the Black Sea areas. Their orders: neutralize elements hostile to Nazi domination. Combined SS and SD headquarters were set throughout Eastern Europe, each with subordinate units of the SD, the Einsatzgruppen, and lower echelons of Einsatzkommandos. Communist and Soviet federal agents were targeted, and from August 1941 to March 1943, 4,000 Soviet and communist agents were arrested and executed. In addition, far greater numbers of partisans and communists were shot to ensure political and ethnic purity in the occupied territories. In the early stages of the operation, Einsatzgruppe A, under Adolf Eichmann, executed 29,000 people listed as Jews or mostly Jews in Latvia and Lithuania. In the Einsatzgruppe C report for September 1941, 50,000 executions are foreseen in Kiev. In five months in 1941, Einsatzkommando III commander, Karl Jger, reported killing 138,272, 34,464 of them were children. The Einsatzgruppen were death squads, their tools the rifle, the pistol and the machine gun. It is estimated that the Einsatzgruppen executed more than 2 million people between 1941 and 1945, including 1.3 million Jews. Drawing on translated memos, operational reports from the field as well as other primary and secondary sources, historian Gerry van Tonder provides a comprehensive look at one of the darkest periods of human history.
SS Foreign Divisions & Volunteers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, 1941–1945: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Ian BaxterDrawing on a superb collection of rare and unpublished photographs SS Foreign Divisions & Volunteers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 1942 - 1945 describes how the occupying Nazis recruited Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian conscripts into the Waffen-SS. Unlike her Latvian neighbor, Lithuania had no plans to provide Germany with a National Legion. Although volunteers came forward, the majority did not. This was not the case for Latvia and Estonia, which undertook huge recruitment programs, and thousands of men were drafted into their own foreign legion of Waffen-SS Grenadier divisions. After intensive training, these divisions saw action on the Eastern front, around Leningrad, in the Ukraine, before vicious defensive operations as the Red Army smashed its way through the Baltic States in 1944. Even in the last dying weeks of the war, what was left of the Baltic soldiers of the 15th, 19th, and 20th Waffen-SS Grenadier Divisions, continued to fight alongside their Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS counterparts until they were either destroyed or surrendered. The story of these divisions is graphically told with detailed captions and text together with many contemporary images in true Images of War style.
SS General
by Sven HasselSS GENERAL is the definitive Stalingrad novel, a gripping portrait of war's brutal realities.It was said that Stalingrad had been burning since August, ever since the first German bombs were dropped...Sven Hassel and his comrades are plunged into the maelstrom of Stalingrad. Radio Moscow reports that one German soldier dies every minute. Trapped by the Russian counter-attack, starving soldiers must resort to cannibalism to survive. But 'Tiny', Porta, the Legionnaire and Sven attempt to break out, to fight their way across the frozen steppe.Their leader: an SS general who takes no prisoners...
SS General (Sven Hassel War Classics)
by Sven HasselSS GENERAL is the definitive Stalingrad novel, a gripping portrait of war's brutal realities.It was said that Stalingrad had been burning since August, ever since the first German bombs were dropped...Sven Hassel and his comrades are plunged into the maelstrom of Stalingrad. Radio Moscow reports that one German soldier dies every minute. Trapped by the Russian counter-attack, starving soldiers must resort to cannibalism to survive. But 'Tiny', Porta, the Legionnaire and Sven attempt to break out, to fight their way across the frozen steppe.Their leader: an SS general who takes no prisoners...
SS Great Britain: Transatlantic Liner, 1843 (Seaforth Historic Ships)
by Wyn Davies Herb SchmitzThe SS Great Britain, designed by Isambard Brunel, was the first ocean-going vessel to be screw-driven and built entirely of iron. When she was launched in 1843 she was twice the size of any previous ship and her revolutionary design heralded a complete break with traditional ship construction. As is the case for many historic ships, however, there is a surprising shortage of informative and well illustrated guides, for reference during a visit or for research by enthusiasts - ship modellers, naval buffs, historians or students. This new series redresses the gap. Written by experts and containing more than 200 specially commissioned photographs, each title takes the reader on a superbly illustrated tour of the ship, from bow to stern and deck by deck. Significant parts of the vessel for example, the propeller, steering gear, engine and accommodation are given detailed coverage both in words and pictures, so that the reader has at hand the most complete visual record and explanation of the ship that exists. In addition, the importance of the ship, both in her own time and now as a museum vessel, is explained, while her design and build, and her career prior to restoration and exhibition are all described.No other books offer such superb visual impact and detailed information as the Seaforth Historic Ship Series a truly groundbreaking concept bringing the ships of our past vividly to life.
The SS on Trial: Evidence from Nuremberg (The\third Reich From Original Sources Ser.)
by Bob CarruthersAn Emmy Award–winning author reveals the complete testimony of the most infamous war crimes trials in human history following WWII—includes photographs. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Nuremberg Trials were conducted by the four victorious Allied forces of Great Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. They were held in the Palace of Justice, Nuremberg, Germany, from November 1945 to October 1946. Famous for prosecuting the major German war criminals, they also tried the various groups and organizations that were at the heart of Nazi Germany. Part of the illustrated series The Third Reich from Original Sources, The SS on Trial presents the complete testimony from the hearings, including the original indictment, the criminal case put forward for the SS, the closing speeches by the prosecution and defense, and the final judgment. Former SS members often wondered why they were charged as war criminals when they merely performed their &“normal&” duty. The Military Tribunal at Nuremberg attempted to answer that question. The witnesses called include Friedrich Karl von Eberstein, an early member of the Nazi Party, the SA, and the SS; Paul Hausser, one of the most eminent leaders of the Waffen-SS who vehemently defended their military role in the war; Georg Konrad Morgen, a former SS judge; and Wolfram Sievers, the Reich manager of the Ahnenerbe. Featuring forty photographs and charts, this indispensable volume explores how the actions of Nazi soldiers challenged humanity&’s notions of criminality and global justice.
SS Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front: Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Bob Carruthers“This book is chock full of striking photographs taken throughout the war, from the invasion of Poland, to the last battles in Hungary . . . a treasure.” —Western Slope Division This book follows the path of the 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,” 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich,” 3rd SS Panzer Division “Totenkopf,” and 5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking” from the opening stages of the war and the challenges of Barbarossa, through to the long and bloody retreat to Berlin. This exceptional collection of images captures the titanic struggle endured by these divisions, and the chain of events they set in motion that proved so critical in shaping the face of the Second World War.Featuring rare images, this is the definitive record of SS Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front, and an essential addition to any enthusiast’s collection.
SS Polizei at War, 1940–1945: A History of the Division (Images of War)
by Ian BaxterFormed in 1939 SS-Polizei Division were not considered initially as an SS fighting force, and this status was reflected in the quality of the equipment they were issued. Following operations in France, Greece and then Russia, it was not until 1942 the division was transferred to the Waffen-SS, and eventually upgraded to a Panzergrenadier division, the 4th SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier Division.The book describes how the SS-Polizei Division fought across the Low Countries, the Eastern Front, before deploying to the Balkans and Greece where it committed numerous atrocities. During the last days of the War it was assigned to Army Detachment Steiner defending Berlin where many soldiers fought to the death.This book is a unique glimpse into one of the most infamous fighting machines in World War Two and a great addition to any reader interested Waffen-SS history.
SS Specialist Units in Combat (Images of War)
by Bob CarruthersIt is an often overlooked fact that the SS Divisions included Cavalrymen, Paratroopers, Mountain and Ski Battalions and these rare photographs illustrate the unique role played by specialist units in action.
SS Totenkopf at War: A History of the Division (Images of War)
by Ian BaxterThe SS Totenkopf (Death Head) Division even 70 years on retains its formidable and ruthless reputation as a superbly efficient yet murderous formation. It earned this for its actions throughout the Second World War, first in 1940 during the blitzkrieg in Northern France and then on the Eastern Front. The battles at Kharkov and Kurst saw some of the fiercest fighting of that long and terrible campaign. During the long retreat back to the Fatherland the Division fought with customary dogged determination, nay fanaticism. This superbly illustrated work, drawing on images taken by participants, portrays the SS Totenkopfs history from formation through training to the battles in northern France and in Russia.
SS Totenkopf France, 1940 (Images of War)
by Jack Holroyd"By the end of the Second World War the reputation of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) had become so heavily sullied that the organization was branded criminal and banned in postwar Germany. It's authority in Nazi Germany had been enormous having been made responsible for Reich internal security, it implemented Nazi racial policy and managed the death camps. Most oddly it produced a rival military organization to the German regular army fighting alongside it but never a part of it the Waffen SS. SS-Totenkopf is a photographic account of that unit's birth and first month of active service. The Division, formed from concentration camp guards, fought alongside Rommel's 7th Panzer Division against the only British armored counterattack of the campaign. However, instances of atrocities committed by men of the Totenkopf began early and the machine-gunning of 97 prisoners of the Norfolk Regiment occurred. In this brief and violent history of the birth of an SS division the original captions and text which accompanied the photographs have been retained in order to capture the original flavor. The translated text appears inter spaced with the author's explanations. The SS War Correspondent photographers risked their lives to take some of these pictures so up-with-the-action they were and, with their 'blood up', their comments are nationalistically passionate. This is understandable, so successful was the Blitzkrieg campaign in 1940 compared to the efforts of their fathers in 1914–1918 when they failed to break through to the Channel coast. It helps us to understand the euphoric reaction of some of the Totenkopf at the sight of the English Channel. "
SSN: A Strategy Guide to Submarine Warfare
by Tom ClancyThe "forgotten Clancy novel," SSN is a complete submarine warfare novel with maps, photos, and a special interview with Tom Clancy and former submarine commander Doug Littlejohns.<P> China has invaded the oil-rich Spratly Islands. The American response has been swift and deadly, resulting in the start of World War III. SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare presents 15 thrilling scenarios--fact-based mission profiles for Captain Bartholomew Mackenzie and the crew of the nuclear submarine the U.S.S. Cheyenne--stirring plots and characters, perfectly accurate details, and the chilling knowledge that these events could really happen.
St. Augustine and the Civil War (Civil War Series)
by Robert ReddWhen Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, St. Augustine followed much of the South and widely supported the Confederacy. Many residents rushed to join the Confederate army. Union forces, however, quickly seized the lightly protected town and used it as a rest area for battle-weary troops. Seven Union regiments called the city home during the war. While no major engagement took place in St. Augustine, the city is filled with Civil War history, from supporting the Confederacy to accepting Union generals as respected residents. Join author Robert Redd as he details St. Augustine's rich history during the Civil War and in the postwar years.
St Lô (7 July - 19 July, 1944) [Illustrated Edition]
by Anon.Includes 54 contemporary photos illustrations and 26 highly detailed maps.ST-LÔ, capital of the department of Manche, can be used as one symbol for First U. S. Army's victory in a most difficult and bloody phase of the Campaign of Normandy: the "Battle of the Hedgerows," during the first three weeks of July 1944. Other names figure in this battle. La Haye-du-Puits, Périers, Hill 192, like St-Lô, will be remembered by First Army soldiers from a background of stubborn struggle for gains too often measured in terms of a few hundred yards, or of two or three fields, conquered against a bitterly resisting enemy.Much more was at stake in the Battle of the Hedgerows than possession of a communications center on the Vire River. In June, First Army and British Second Army had won their beachheads and had captured Cherbourg (26 June). Supplies and reinforcements were building up for a powerful offensive, designed to break out of the Normandy pocket and scheduled to be mounted in the First Army zone. But more room and better jump-off positions for the crucial offensive were needed before this blow could be delivered. The attack that began in early July was planned to gain this ground, on a front of 25 miles. Four corps, employing ultimately 12 divisions, were involved in the effort. All these units faced similar problems of advance, and all contributed to the measure of success achieved. Therefore, in the larger tactical sense it would be unfair to identify the Battle of the Hedgerows with St-Lô and later military studies, treating the Campaign of Normandy in different scope, will give the operation in truer proportions. Here, one phase of the hedgerow battle can be used to illustrate, in tactical detail, the character of the larger action.A gripping account of the attempts by the Allies to break out from the Normandy bridgehead.
St. Louis in the Civil War (Images of America)
by Cher Petrovic Dawn DuplerOn May 10, 1861, Union troops surrounded Camp Jackson, a military encampment where Confederate leaders were accused of conspiring to seize the St. Louis Arsenal, the largest store of munitions west of the Mississippi. The state militia, which numbered more than 600 men, answered the call of Missouri's pro-Southern governor Claiborne Fox Jackson to assemble but found themselves outnumbered 10 to 1 and were forced to surrender. As federal forces marched them through St. Louis, an angry crowd gathered. Gunfire crackled, leaving more than 24 people dead. St. Louis epitomized the growing tensions between the North and South. The city's strategic position enabled James Eads's shipyards to build ironclads, Jefferson Barracks to muster troops, and Gratiot Street Prison to hold POWs. The list of notables with ties to St. Louis reads like a who's who of the Civil War: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, William T. Sherman, Nathaniel Lyon, James Longstreet, George Pickett, and others.
St Mihiel 1918
by David Bonk Howard GerrardThe St Mihiel salient had been formed in 1914 as the Germans drove towards Paris. The French had attempted to recapture it in 1915 without success and in 1916 the Germans used the area as a base to attack Verdun. The bitter battle for Verdun had cost hundreds of thousands of German and French casualties. After the Germans called off their attack the salient the war shifted north, leaving the salient protruding ominously into the Allied lines. Despite holding the salient since 1914, after the losses of early 1918, Ludendorff reluctantly decided to abandon the area and retire to a heavily fortified line at the base of the salient. The evacuation was ordered to begin on September 8, 1918. This was to be the scene for the newly formed American Army's first major offensive of the war. This highly illustrated and detailed account will highlight every aspect of this important campaign.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The St. Mihiel Offensive: 12 to 16 September 1918 (Battleground The Americans 1918)
by Maarten OtteAn account of the American Expeditionary Force’s attack and “an excellent guide to trace the locations of one of the last great battles of the Great War” (On the Old Barbed Wire).The St. Mihiel Offensive, which took place between the 12th and 16th September 1918, was the first full-scale attack that was under the direct command of the Americans, in the person of General J. Pershing. He combined his command of the First (at the time the only) American Army with that of Commander in Chief of the AEF, a tremendous burden.The American attack (with the assistance of a French Corps) was an outstanding success and the Germans were forced into a rapid withdrawal to the Michel Line, a strongly defended position that formed the Hindenburg Line in this area. On the other hand, the success was in part assisted by the fact that the Germans intended to withdraw from the exposed position of the Salient back to this line, the only question being the timing of such a move. Historians argue about whether the move had actually begun or not; but the reality is that senior German officers knew that it was imminent and certainly some heavier artillery had already been pulled back.It is probable that relatively easy success here led to overconfidence among some that the next offensive, the Meuse-Argonne—to the north and scheduled to begin on the 26th, would have a similar outcome. If so they were in for a rude awakening.This book is profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs and numerous maps, the narrative supplemented by a number of firsthand accounts; the whole is supported by several walking and car tours.
St. Nazaire, 1942
by Ken Ford Howard GerrardThe raid on the port of St. Nazaire in March 1942 by a sea-borne task force from British Combined Operations remains one of the most daring actions of World War II. The port lies at the mouth of the River Loire and in 1942, as well as a U-Boat base, contained the massive 'Normandie' dock, the only facility on the Atlantic coast large enough to accommodate the German pocket battleship Tirpitz. This book tells the story of the raid on St. Nazaire that denied the use of the dock to the Tirpitz, the sister ship of the Bismarck, and constituted a crucial victory in the Battle of the Atlantic.
St Nazaire Raid: Operation CHARIOT–1942 French Coast (Battleground Europe Ser.)
by James DorrianIn early 1942, shipping losses in the Atlantic threatened Britain's very survival. In addition to the U-Boat menace, there was real concern that the mighty German battleship Tirpitz be unleashed against the vital Allied convoys. Yet only the 'Normandie' Dock at St Nazaire could take her vast size in the event of repairs being required. Destroy that and the Tirpitz would be neutralized.Thus was born Operation CHARIOT, the daring Commando raid that, while ultimately successful, proved hugely costly. Using personal accounts, James Dorrian describes the background and thrilling action that resulted in the award of five Victoria Crosses.In a dramatic final twist of events, once the battle was over, the converted former US warship Campelton blew up wrecking the dock gates and killing many Germans who thought the battle was won.
St Quentin: Hindenburg Line (Battleground Europe)
by Helen McPhail Philip GuestAfter the First World War, how many thousands of British families would have proud or bitter reason to remember the name St Quentin? At least eight Divisions, 23 Brigades, 74 Battalions an enormous number of fighting men, a weight of experience, courage, defeat and victory, all to be traced through these fields and villages round the city. There is much to honour here: exhausted British troops marching south in the Retreat from Mons in August 1914, resistance attacks on the Hindenburg Line in 1917, desperate feats of arms in the final German onslaught in the Spring of 1918. Many impressive individual and collective achievements, captured guns, Victoria Crosses richly earned. The ancient city itself suffered too - bombardment by French and British artillery, its citizens subjected and exploited by the occupying German forces, then evacuated ahead of the withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line - before its final liberation in October 1918. The book gives details of positions, redoubts, attacks, lines of advance and retreat, with many illustrations provided from local sources. Most of the positions described can still be traced and the sites of some epic events located.
St. Vincent and Camperdown
by Prof. Christopher LloydThe battles of St. Vincent and Camperdown mark the turning of the tide in the war against the French Revolution. They form the necessary prelude to the better-known victories of the Nelsonian epoch which followed, and it was on the foundation of these successes that British maritime supremacy was established to last for the next hundred years. For that reason, as well as for the biographical and narrative interest of the story, they deserve to be commemorated.