The SS-Panzer-Artillery Regiment 1: Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH), 1940-1945 (Schiffer Military History) [Hardcover]

Thomas Fischer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Schiffer Military History | Publication Date: February 2004

This book is the first volume about Artillery Regiment 1 of the 1st Waffen-SS Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH). The artillery batteries of the LAH during the whole of World War II faced some of the hardest combat, and probably no other artillery unit was used as often at critical spots on all fronts. While it had only three batteries of light field howitzers during the French campaign, when the full artillery regiment was set up in August 1940, it later received heavier guns and 88mm flak. In April 1941, at Lake Kastoria in Macedonia during a tremendous artillery battle, the full regiment fired as a unit for the first time. During the battles on the Russian Front the regiments artillery equipment was constantly upgraded. One of the artillery batteries was equipped from 1943 with Wespe and Hummel self-propelled guns and later with Nebelwerfer rocket launchers that gave the regiment its tremendous firepower. Especially during the difficult defensive battles in the winter of 1943-1944 in the Ukraine, every artillery piece whether a heavy field howitzer, or 15cm rocket launcher was often used at such close range that it was fired with barrels in a horizontal position. The battery was later attached to the reconnaissance unit in the vanguard of the LAH and experienced the hardest battles while using Panzermeyer tactics that required rapid marches and lightning fast deployment into firing positions. Nearly 300 photos, most never before published, document the bitter battles of the LAH artillery regiment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764319825
• ISBN-13: 978-0764319822
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,591,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Unit History, September 14, 2006

By 

Iva Buch (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The SS-Panzer-Artillery Regiment 1: Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH), 1940-1945 (Schiffer Military History) (Hardcover)

Much has been written about the armoured and infantry formations of the Waffen SS since the end of the Second World War, but this is one of those rare offerings.
It follows the formation and combat experiences of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler artillery regiment on both the Eastern and Western fronts, from its formation to its eventual surrender.
The book printed on fine glossy paper and at just a little over 200 pages, is a very easy read. It is packed with many photos of the units weapons and men in action, as well as personal contributions from the survivors of the unit.
Many of the photographs are excellent showing rare beasts such as the Hummel and Wespe self propelled weapons, and many shots of the Forward observers, who were in the front lines with the infantry.
As well there are a number of organisational charts and diagrams, with documents pertaining to the units men.
Divided in sections that deal with various battles, and drawing on the experiences of the men makes for very interesting reading.
This truly is a fine book and well worth adding to your library.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read on the Leibstandarte artillery arm., January 21, 2012

By 

D. Brunett (WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The SS-Panzer-Artillery Regiment 1: Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler (LAH), 1940-1945 (Schiffer Military History) (Hardcover)

This book is mostly a photo book which also provides the reader with a good insight of the Leibstandarte's artillery regiment. They were one of the most active units in the entire war and they served on both fronts. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Leibstandarte.