Waffen SS at War (2) the Late Years 1943-45

The Waffen-SS grew from a fledgling and untried fighting force in 1939, through to a powerful combat-tested force. The twin "SS" runic lightning bolts were emblazoned on the collar lapels of nearly 247,000 soldiers at the end of 1943, but by 1945 this number had grown to 800,000 men. The Waffen-SS grew from a fledgling and untried fighting force in 1939, through to a powerful combat-tested force. The twin "SS" runic lightning bolts were emblazoned on the collar lapels of nearly 247,000 soldiers at the end of 1943, but by 1945 this number had grown to 800,000 men. In all, thirty-eight SS divisions were established, though there was a huge diversity in terms of their equipment, training and combat effectiveness. This volume follows on from the earlier Part 1, which examined the Waffen-SS from 1939 to 1942. Here, the following two years are examined. The introduction gives a helpful background to this notorious military organization. It also highlights the fact that one reason for its huge expansion was the inclusion of"foreigners" from the large pool of European countries beyond Germany's borders. "Volksdeutsche" (ethnic Germans) from places like Poland and Hungary were conscripted into the SS, while Germanic and non-Germanic volunteers opted to join the ranks of the Waffen-SS. Whole SS units were formed from volunteers from the Baltic states, Russia, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, even India! In fact the only occupied countries not to provide ethnic troops for the SS were Poland and Greece. As WWII progressed, and as the tide turned in 1943, Waffen-SS troops usually found themselves in the thick of the action. This is reflected in this book's tremendous assortment of black and white photos that show soldiers operating on both the Western and Eastern Fronts.…