"This work is a compilation of several Osprey books [by various authors]"--Title page verso.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 366-367) and index.
Contents
Origins and evolution of the SS -- The Allgemeine-SS and the Nazi police state -- The Waffen-SS soldier -- Days of victory -- Turning fortunes -- Diversification and destruction -- Conclusion.
Summary
The SS has become the most infamous military formation in history. From its diminutive origins in the 1920s as Hitler's personal bodyguard, by the late war years it grew to a sprawling organization of hundreds of thousands of men, with a field army (the Waffen-SS-Armed-SS) numbering nearly 40 divisions and huge corporate, racial, and political power in the Allgemeine-SS (General-SS). The activities of the SS ranged from the heroic to the horrific; from fighting extraordinary defensive battles on the Eastern and Western Fronts, to running the concentration and extermination camp systems, and providing personnel for the Einsatzgruppen murder squads in Eastern Europe.
