Customer Reviews

Hitler's Teutonic Knights: S. S. Panzers in Action

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent introduction overall to the Panzer Divisions of the Waffen-SS. The writing throughout is superb: The text is clear, precise, and objective.

The book includes separate chapters on each of the major Panzer Divisions of the Waffen-SS: The 2nd (Das Reich); the 3rd (Totenkopf); the 5th (Wiking); the 9th (Hohenstaufen); the 10th (Frundsberg); and the 12th (Hitlerjugend).

These chapters do not stand alone, however, as mini-histories of each division. Instead, if actions of one division were included in connection with an already discussed division, then the author basically tells you to read the chapter on the already discussed division.

In addition, many of the chapters are extremely short (both because of the author's tendency to refer the reader back to prior chapters and because the divisions were short-lived). Thus, the chapters on the Hohenstaufen, Frundsberg, and Hitlerjugend divisions only cover a few pages each, with the majority of the book covering the exploits of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th divisions.

These two flaws preclude a five-star rating.

There is also a lengthy chapter on "Other" Panzer SS divisions but there is little information provided and most of the chapter is taken up by photos, although the photos are well-selected and well-reproduced.

In fact, the book includes well over 100 well-selected photos that enhance the text, including 16 pages of photos in full color, half of which are full-page photos and one is even a two-page spread of a Panzer Mark III (Panzerkampfwagen III) in Nov. 1941 crossing a snow-covered field in front of a farm and followed by 3 troops. These amazing pictures may be worth the price of book itself.

A person looking for first-rate information about the Waffen-SS in combat can not do much better than this book. The author has an entire series of books on the SS and this one keeps with the tradition of quality found in the other books

Outdated, inaccurate and simplistic history of the Waffen-SS by one of the proponents of the SS "Blond men riding Panzers" myth. Quarrie is also the author of "Hitler's Samurai" (1983)- a work that presaged the 1990's publishing explosion of Third Reich-friendly titles. "Hitler's Teutonic Knights" was probably useful and interesting for its time, but has been superseded by much better and more historically factual titles.

Bruce Quarrie has written a number of books about the military forces of the 3rd Reich, of which this is one of his best. "Hitler's Teutonic Knights: SS Panzers in Action" is a sequel to his previous book on the SS, "Hitler's Samurai". Quarrie followed this book up with "Weapons of the Waffen-SS", which focuses on the weapons and equipment used by the Waffen SS.

"Hitler's Teutonic Knights", as the subtitle suggests, is an account of the actions of the various Waffen-SS panzer divisions. Not all the divisions were created as panzer divisions; some like Totenkopf and the Liebstandarte were originally infantry divisions. However, due to their ferocious fighting reputation, earned in Poland, France and the Balkans, it was not long before before they were reorganized as panzer grenadier divisions before being designated panzer divisions proper by the mid war period. The coverage of the units which were in existence at the start of the war is much more extensive than the portions of the book devoted to the formations created later in the war, Frundsberg, Hohenstaufen and the Hitlerjugend.

The appendix will also be of interest to many readers; as well as providing a breakdown of the composition of a typical SS Panzer regiment of the later war period, a brief discussion on the SS Kriegsberichter, who were the main source of the photographers illustrating this book, is provided. There is also a discussion on the divisional markings for each of the divisions covered in this book - however, this is only a brief discussion on divisional markings, and a much superior book on this subject is Bruce Culver's "Panzer Colors III", which covers the various SS units that saw action in WWII.

As a previous reviewer has commented, this not an in-depth review of the various military campaigns of the SS Panzer Divisions, and a number of chapters reference each other. Nonetheless, the text is well written. The strength of this book is in its illustrations - there are over 200 superb photographs, illustrating the soldiers and their tanks, both behind the lines and in action. These provide excellent source and reference material for military modelers; which is probably the readership who will find this book of most interest. However, "Hitler's Teutonic Knights" also serves as an excellent introductory text to the SS panzer divisions, with the caveat that, as noted above, the topic is not covered in-depth. Readers wanting a decent account of the campaigns of the SS best look elsewhere.