Using his personal surviving archive, covers the dj. Founded as adolf hitlers armed bodyguard, the waffenss quickly. This book is very detailed and gives an informative account of the organization, life, and disbandment of the most elite of the waffen ss divisions. A history of the division on the western and eastern fronts images of war paperback august 23, 2017. Resistance and the march of the second ss panzer division through france, june 1944 michael joseph ltd.
Veterans of the bloodiest fighting of the russian front, 15,000 men with their tanks and artillery, they were hounded for every mile of their march by saboteurs of the resistance. Id recommend this book to anyone interested in this area of military history. The book explores the background to the units formation, including its origins as the ssvt division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its war service and its organization. Hitlers schutzstaffel ss units were originally paramilitary formations raised to protect the members of the nazi party, and the waffenss the armed ss was founded in 1934 as the ssverfugungstruppe. The history of the second ss division, 19411945 hardcover march 22, 2002. By the time of the third reich, hitler and the nazis had evolved an entirely new faith, complete with holy book, venerated relics, and a priestly elite in the form of himmlers ss. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. The divisions of the waffenss were the elite of hitlers armies in world war ii. Lucas, a prolific british writer of popular military history, proposes to tell the story of the reichs 2nd ss panzer division by relying heavily on personal accounts and an unofficial divisional arch. He was posted for a time as an instructor of ss volunteers in the netherlands. Ssdas reich is an indepth examination of the second waffenss unit to be formed. The book explores the background to the units formation, including its origins the ssvt division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The history of the second ss division, 19411945 9780760312551 by mattson, gregory l and a great selection of similar new, used and. This is yet another excellent book in mbis series on germanys waffenss divisions. The history of the second ss division, 193945 the waffen ss divisional histories series kindle edition by mattson, gregory l download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The division, pulled from the hell of the eastern front to the french town of montauban for rest and refitting, was ordered to travel north to stop the allied advance from the normandy beachheads. Throughout the book, hastings expertly shifts perspective. Lucas, a prolific british writer of popular military history, proposes to tell the story of the reich s 2nd ss panzer division by relying heavily on personal accounts and an unofficial divisional arch. Ssdas reich, the third in a series of books on the divisions of the waffenss, is an indepth examination of the second waffenss unit to be formed, the ssdas reich.
This book is recommended for the casual reader of wwii history who is interested. Lucas, a prolific british writer of popular military history, proposes to tell the story of the reichs 2nd ss panzer division by relying heavily on personal accounts. It first saw action in the main drive for rotterdam. This is yet another excellent book in mbis series on germanys waffen ss divisions. The regiment leibstandarte ss adolf hitler eventually became a division of the same name. Richard j evans is regius professor of history at the university of cambridge. These include this is my third book in this series of nazi ss german warfighters and i appreciate these books.
During the period of the third reich it represented a state within a state, its military arm, the waffenss, an army within an army. The schutzstaffel ss was the most inexplicable political and military organization in german history. After this he joined the ss on 1 april 1939, and served during the occupation of poland. The history of the second ss division, 19411945 9780760312551 by mattson, gregory l and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your first box. Ss first took part in the campaigns in the west against the low countries and france in 1940, and did so as the ssv. The book explores the background to the units formation, including its origins the ss vt division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its.
This ruthless division reacted violently and their reprisals culminated in the massacre at oradour. They give indepth history of the ss schutzstaffel and its beginnings. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. After rotterdam the division, along with other divisions, intercepted a french force and pushed them back to the area. World war, 19391945, history, waffen ss, underground movements, regimental histories, waffen ss. We follow the unit from its inception after the polish war of 1939 to. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all about ssdas reich. Aug 11, 2018 by the time of the third reich, hitler and the nazis had evolved an entirely new faith, complete with holy book, venerated relics, and a priestly elite in the form of himmlers ss. When ordered to rush north, they ran into a series of french resistance, sas and soe delaying actions. World war, 19391945, history, waffenss, underground movements, regimental histories, waffenss. Using his personal surviving archive, covers the dj, hj, rad, ss vt, waffen ss and onto the tiger kompanie. While it was not one of the best books i have read i did not regret purchasing it. Following the allied normandy landings in june 1944, the division was ordered north to help stop the allied advance.
The history of the second ss division, 19411945 gregory l mattson on. When it left in the late spring of 1943, it left all of its tanks with the regiment, thus allowing the 2nd battalion to be at full strength. The history of the second ss division, 193945 the waffen ss divisional histories. Save over 20% credits will not expire, so you can use them at any time. Belgrade, the yugoslav capital, was the most important objective, and to weaken the city the german high command planned a twoweek bombardment followed by massive. The book explores the background to the units formation, including its origins the ssvt division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout. The book explores the background to the units 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. Mattson and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The regiment germania was removed from the division in 1940 to form the wiking division. Barkmann joined the nazi party on 1 september 1938 and served in the reich labour service from november 1938 to march 1939. The waffenss was the military branch of the nazi partys ss organisation.
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