Customer Reviews

The SS: Hitler's Instrument of Terror

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Williamson's history of the German SS is a very readible, very comprehensive work on one of the world's most notorious organizations. His writing from a neutral stand point is a breath of fresh air -- permitting readers to draw their own conclusions on the nature of the SS and the men (and women) who filled it's ranks. The Waffen-SS, Hitler Youth, RHSA, SD, Gestapo, concentration camps, einsatzgruppen (death squads), commercial enterprises, Himmler's theories on Race and heredity ... it's all here - laid out in painstaking detail.

The book traces the SS from it's tiny beginnings in the 1920's, its growth in the early 30's, thru to it's final days with the collapse of Nazi Germany. Actually, Williamson goes even further back to explain the grim mood of Germany at the close of World War I and how this paved the way for the fledgling Nazi party. Many significant details of how the SS interfaced and was intertwined with organizations such as the SA, the Wehrmacht the German government (before Hitler became the absolute ruler) and the regular police are laid out for the reader's inspection. It's also quite illuminating to discover how many invaded countries supplied willing volunteers to the SS. Many fascinating facts and stories are related.

The book itself is durably bound in a hard cover with a handsome black paper jacket. Inside are a wealth of photos and reproduced posters - combat, personnel and civilian - complete with descriptions, which allow one to gain a closer understanding of the units and men that made up the Nazi party's protection and security arm.

Have an interest in pre-war and World War II Germany? If so, this is a book you will want for your collection.

Highly recommended

~P~

This book is a must read for anyone interested in world war 2 and the rise and fall of the third reich. Unlike many illustrated world war 2 books this book is very readable. Of particular interest to me was the chapter "Hitler's Foreign Legions" on the foreign component that served in the SS. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that hundreds of thousands of Dutch, Belgian, French, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Serbian, Swedish, Italian, Ukraine, Albanian, Russian, Bulgarian and Bosnian nationalities voluntered and fought for the Germans in the ranks of the waffen SS Divisions. There was even a small contingent of British ex-POWs a few of whom fought in the Third Reich's final cataclysm in Berlin. Odly many of the foreign volunteers were from races distinctly non-aryan - a massive contradiction with the racial politics of Himmler, Hitler and the Nazis. The book outlines the beginnings of the SS through the years of German victories and then of German defeats to the destruction of the SS in the collapse of the Third Reich.

I am very glad I read this book- informative, intuitive, and it provides the reader with accurate information with no personal bias, something hard to find in books written these days. Williamson goes into the history of the SS, what the recruits were trained, home service within the Reich, the Waffen-SS, differences between the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS trainees, the constant struggle between the branches for manpower, and lots more. If your just getting interested in the SS and what it was created to do, this book might not be a good beginners reference. For someone whos studied it off and on for a little while, this book will be great because you might need some previous knowledge in order to fully understand what the author is telling you. Definetly worth the price, and its worth a lot more too.

I loved this book. Williamson chronicles these elite soldiers from Poland to the end of the war. He gives an objective account of their truly amazing performance on the eastern front as well as their darker side. His book descibes armies as well as individual soldiers accounts. He has written about their heroic deeds and infamous acts. His liberal distribution of photos gives the reader a good ideal of all the major players involved. He has done his homework in researching these units. He describes their performance in battle and has many fascinating insights into their experiences. For example: Field Marshal Model apologizes to Regimental commander Otto Kumm that he understands the rough time his unit has experienced but can't afford to relieve them. Kumm asks the Field Marshal if he would like to inspect the regiment on parade outside. Model is shocked to see only 35 men standing out front in the cold.

An emensely valuable contribution to the scholarship covering the Allgemeine-SS and Waffen-SS. A must for readers with a general interest in the history of this subject and for those with specialist interests. The only fault, from an academic approach, is the lack of footnotes and/or endnotes.

Comprehensive, profusely illustrated, reader-friendly, concise, nice size edition and clear in its exposition. In about 250 pages Mr. Williamson covers the whole history of these special troops, in all their aspects. Reviewing all its divisions, commanders, foreign nationalities that were incorporated into them, the weapons, the battles, their most talented fighters, etc and without losing the thread of his story: a most remarkable thing. Of course this is no eulogy of the SS, it tells of the barbarities committed as well as the acts of true heroism in battle by some of their soldiers. This is a great history. One can follow their main divisions from their inception long before the war, and how they grew in size and experience parallel to the national circumstances of Germany herself.

The role played by Himmler's crackpot ethnic theories were debunked by sheer necessity of man force: many of its finest soldiers were indeed non-Germans. One feels compelled to read more about this ignominiuos personage, Himmler, as he really was a weird (and evil) guy. On the positive side are outstanding acts of sheer valor and heroism of some soldiers who really deserve to remain in any military history of this war. Some passages of course overlap with the Wehrmacht, since they fought side by side many times, but both the detailed analysis and the wider scope of the SS role are present in this book. Nothing relevant is missing here. A great history book and an engrossing read.

Many good things can be said about this book. I sought out this book after reading the `Complete Idiot's Guide to Nazi Germany' and found that it had very little information on the SS. I was surprised at the number of photos and pictures in this book. That was the aspect I liked the most. The overall layout of the book was nice with detailed information on the formation of the SS, day to day tasks, subdivisions of the organization, equipment, atrocities on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, and the foreign legions. However, I feel the book could have used more information on the Gestapo, the SD, and the Einsatzgruppen. The Waffen-SS was given plenty of coverage in regards to its individual divisions and campaigns on the two fronts. I would have to say too much information considering that this was supposed to be a book about the entire SS. The sections on the Waffen SS were excellent, without a doubt. The book should have been given a different title which stresses this fact. Overall, the book was easy to read and flowed well with plenty of fascinating information. The author seemed a bit quick to defend the Waffen SS and some of the atrocities it is accused of, constantly stressing the fact that on the whole they were soldiers like those in the Wehrmacht. Though this may or may not have been true, opinions like this should have been kept to a minimum. The book would have been better if the information was just presented and then proceeded to let the reader decide for him or herself.

This book is great if you already know a little about the SS and the Third Reich. It's not like the typical book that simply regurgitates the same information you learn from history books; it's more in depth with personal accounts and reads very well. My favorite thing about the book is that it's sole focus is not on the Holocaust side of the SS; Most of the book is generally about the Waffen SS and how great they were in overall soldiering. This is a great book.

This book gives reader's a fair overview as to the various department's and section's of the Schutzstaffel. Much like one would get from reading, Time-Life Books: "The Third Reich Series: The SS." The book covers the same ground of main personalities, photos and main incidents that many other books do; which shows a lack of archival research. This book is more of a compilation. Further, Mr. Williamson does sensationalize the subject matter in this book which is not necessary.

For more in depth study of the SS: Allgemeine-SS (General SS, including the RSHA and its departments such as the Gestapo and SD); SS-Totenkopfverbande (SS Deaths Head Units) and the Waffen-SS (Armed SS) - R. James Bender Publishing, and JJ Fedorowicz Publishing both put out a number of books on the SS that don't re-tread the same ground. Their books are more objective and great in depth; many with rare photos for the reader to enjoy.

Very much enjoyed this book. Loaded with fascinating pictures and images. Stays out of political opinions or posturing. Highly recommended.