Waffen-SS Handbook [Hardcover]

Gordon Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2003

Originating in Hitler's personal bodyguard, the Waffen-SS (armed SS) was expanded as a fourth branch of the Wehrmacht and became regarded as the tough elite of the German armed forces. Known as Hitler's 'Asphalt Soldiers' they fought on all the main battle-fronts, but most notably in the East against the Soviet Union and in Normandy following 'Overlord'. By the war's end the Waffen-SS could boast almost forty field divisions manned by nearly one million troops. Gordon Williamson describes the organization, equipment, tactics and personalities of the Waffen-SS in the Second World War. A chronology outlines the major events in the history of the Waffen-SS from the founding of its forerunner, the SS-Verfugungstruppe, until May 1945. The author has traveled to Germany to interview numerous surviving former Waffen-SS soldiers and corresponded with many others, obtaining first-hand accounts of their wartime experiences. The handbook is illustrated with a rich selection of previously unpublished photographs, predominantly from private collections, ranging from studio posed shots to previously unpublished candid snaps and from battlefield pictures to war correspondent action shots.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gordon Williamson is a military historian and enthusiast who has had more than thirteen books published on aspects of Third reich military history and collector magazines in the UK. USA and Germany. Gordon lives in Scotland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (December 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750929278
• ISBN-13: 978-0750929271
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,480,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good General Review of the Waffen-SS, May 11, 2007

By 

Mr. Truthteller (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waffen-SS Handbook, 1933-1945 (Paperback)

Gordon Williamson's "Waffen-SS Handbook" is not a comprehensive examination of the Waffen-SS, although it makes a fair attempt at being one given the space limitations of this series by Sutton Publishing.

The book provides a good overview of the many aspects of the Waffen-SS, with chapters on: General History, Recruitment, Training, Structure, Combat Branches, Supporting Units, Foreign Volunteers, Uniforms, Awards, Weapons, support Vehicles, armoured Vehicles, Combat Tactics, and Major Figures.

Some chapters could stand alone as mini-treatments on the subject (e.g., major personalities) but many others are so basic they are of limited use because the subject is just too broad (e.g., awards, foreign volunteers, combat tactics) for a book of this size.

The book contains a great number of photographs (about 175+). Their clarity and reproduction are generally excellent. They are well-chosen and include many candid photos of troops and vehicles. These photos help make the book interesting and raise it above an average rating. At times, though, more photos should have been provided to assist the reader, rather than just a dry description. This is especially true of the awards chapter.

Due to its general nature, a book of this type (and size) is unlikely to satisfy aficionados who are already well-versed in the subject, but it is a good starting point for learning about the Waffen-SS.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for starters, September 2, 2007

By 

Mariusz (Warsaw, Poland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waffen-SS Handbook, 1933-1945 (Paperback)

That book might be very useful for you, being at the same time waste of money. All depends on who you are and what you're lookin' for.

If you're studying this thema for a long time, you will find nothing specific and somehow less detailed than in other books. But, if you're looking for good place to start and good source of basic information as reference - that's IT ! The book is well organised and complete, displaying all aspects of Waffen SS structures and their role for Nazi Germany and the world of that time, starting from roots in (Allgemenie-) SS itself, ending with review of weaponry used. And the photos included are rather rare, mostly from personal collections.

My reservations against that book are however twofold: firstly, there are only w/b photos, no additional colour sketches, no maps, schemes etc; secondly, weaponry section - I would love at least one photo/scheme for each important weaponry item.

Gordon Williamson is an excellent specialist of the subject and this book confirms his mastery, asuming the target reader it was intended to. If you're looking for one-volume reference for Waffen SS, either as a starter for further studies or just one-and-only source for curiosity reasons, that's the book !

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A general historical reference to Hitler's "foriegn legion", July 26, 2009

By 

ThorBjorn "Norseman" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waffen-SS Handbook, 1933-1945 (Paperback)

If you seek a concise and generalized reference on the Waffen S.S. units of the World War II, you will be quite pleased with this one. It focuses mainly on the basic facts, such as training, recruitment, equipment, arms, units, and organization.

However, there are are some surprising facts in here. I was not aware that Estonia had a Swedish-speaking minority on its Baltic Sea islands.
In their initial quest to recruit as many "proper Germanics" as possible, the Nazi party went to every corner of Europe to seek out volunteers. These came from Germany and Austria, other nations aligned with the "Axis powers", nations occupied by Germany, and neutral countries.

Strict guidelines were established, as to the physical, mental, and ethnic qualities the S.S. candidate MUST have. Hitler, and much of his inner-circle, would not have qualified for membership in their own party's military force. Heinrich Himmler, the head of the S.S., was by no means the athletic-superman that every S.S. man was supposed to be.

Much of these preferred Germanic-stock volunteers were thoroughly and uselessly sacrificed in the first half of the war, making it necessary to recruit S.S. volunteers from ethnicites that the Nazis would have most likely preferred to enslave or eradicate!

The S.S. was a multi-national political army, loyal to Hitler and his party.

This book focuses on the Waffen S.S., those units that were strictly combat units, as opposed to the Algemeine S.S., which carried out the truly grusome tasks of running genocidal extermination camps. Waffen S.S. units generally fought honorably, if ruthlessly, but the Waffen S.S. also had units and individuals that commited notorious war-crimes.

The establishment of the Waffen S.S. was necessary as an act of survival for Hitler. First, as a loyal body-guard to counter political rivalries within the Nazi party, then as a safeguard for the entire party against the German people.

-The S.S. was preceded by the Sturmabteilung (the Nazi party's first para-military arm), headed by Ernst Roehm. Eventually the S.S. arrested and executed the leadership of the S.A. (composed of Roehm and his militantly homosexual inner-circle), then absorbed what S.A. members and assets the party deemed useful.
-The Nazi party never had the complete loyalty of the Wehrmacht, or the German citizens. A German military officer with Nazi party membership was a rarity. There were actually a number of prospective assassination-plots targeting Hitler, proposed by Wehrmacht officers, before the Second World War began. Obviously, these plans were not carried out. The one that was, ...almost succeeded!

A WARNING FROM HISTORY:
-Beware of politicians that propose a "civilian security-force, as large, as powerful, and as well-funded as the military". This has been done before.
-Beware politicians that will recruit personnel for just such a "civilian security-force", based entirely on the applicants' political-affiliations, and/or racial-affiliations. Its been done before.
-If approximately 75% of the military DID NOT VOTE FOR that politician, you now know WHY he thinks such a "security-force" is necessary.