Customer Reviews

When all our brothers are silent (Wenn alle Bruder schweigen)

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Despite the brevity of the text in this book, it remains the definitive volume on the Waffen SS. Here the soldiers and men of the Shutz Staffel are allowed to speak for themselves, for the first time, through their photographs. The ferocity of combat, the ecstasy of victory, the exhaustion of defeat and the strain of life on the Eastern Front where the SS was outnumbered by Soviet soldiers 6 to 1, are all captured here in candid, gritty, emotional photographs taken from veterans personal collections.

This book has been criticized for its supposed "self-congratulatory" introductory text by former SS leader Paul Hausser. However, I didn't find "When All Our Brothers Are Silent" any more self-serving or defiant than the Allied perspectives of the war that I've read.

"When All Our Brothers Are Silent" is highly recommended, especially considering that the text does not engage in the generalized bias and character assassination so often associated with works on the SS.

-Bryn

This book is a massive collection of photographs of the Waffen-SS, first published by the SS veterans' association in 1972. It is the finest book of its type. The foreword was written by Paul Hausser, several months before his death at the ripe old age of 92. To his dieing day, he was griping about how the German government gyped him out of his pension and veterans' benefits, even for his army service in World War I. Many SS veterans were prosecuted as criminals for their conduct in combatting guerillas who illegally disguised themselves as civilians, so Hausser takes great pleasure in seeing his old enemies get a taste of their own medicine from the PLO and Viet Cong. Still, the photographs are the real heart and soul of the book. There are two photograhs per page, with 1-line captions; no text except the foreword. An inordinate emphasis is placed on the Handshar division, to express the SS veterans' sympathies at the height of the Arab-Israeli wars. They also include a few pictures of Peiper, in a book expressly written to provide an introduction to the SS men on a personal basis, to dispel negative perceptions of them. Other highly symbolic, and completely unapologetic inuendos abound. Beyond that, they are simply magnificent photographs.

Admittedly unapologetic in its favorable treatment of the SS, yet this magnificent volume lets the reader see the very personal side if the SS - a side we of the "Allies" have been denied for so long. Outstanding photos and supurb English translation. A must buy for anyone willing to learn how the SS developed, served and was ultimately disgraced - not by its own actions but rather by those whose agendas were (and remain) subject to political jingoism and post-war correctness. A tribute to the young men of Germany who gave so much; no different than those of our own forces.

For those readers, historians, wargamers, hobbyists, etc. looking for an excellent single source of Waffen SS photographs, then look no further than this book. It is the best out there. Keep in mind that it spreads its attention to all fronts and all divisions of the Waffen SS. There are good pics of Leibstandarte, Das Reich, Totenkopf, Wiking, Hohenstaufen, Prinz Eugen, Nordland, Hitler Jugend, Frundsberg, and others.

Try to ignore the captions except for the names of individuals and possibly for other factual information. The captions are intended for a non-discerning audience. In fact I believe the volume was initially intended as a bit of a yearbook for Waffen SS veterans. If not it should have been. It serves that purpose well.

No matter what your feelings, good or ill, are towards members of the Waffen SS, this is an excellent look into their world. And again, no matter our feelings towards these men, they remain some of history's most professional and single-minded warriors.

Gathered from photos belonging to members of the Waffen-SS themselves, this is an outstanding collection of Second World War photos. We are told in the brief pages preceding the photos that this collection was put in book form by the Association of Soldiers of the Former Waffen-SS. Originally published in 1973, a one page forward is written by Paul Hausser, the former Colonel-General and highest ranking office of the Waffen-SS.
It was hoped by the member of the association, that these photos showing the men of the Waffen-SS in their daily activities would allow the reader/viewer to walk "among the people", that is, to see them as something other than the beasts they have come to be known. Whether such an undertaken can be achieved by this or any collection is doubtful. What is accomplished is a fine compilation of photos of the men of the Waffen-SS and the raising of significant questions in the introduction. By 1944, the Waffen-SS had between 900,000 and 1,000,000 men in uniform. Were they all war criminals by virtue of merely belonging to any of these 38 divisions? Of particular interest was the questions raised regarding the quilt of the high ranking officers due to the murder of 71 American soldiers at Malmedy and the treatment of partisans belonging to the "Stella Rossa" in Italy.
The photos and the questions raised are substantial. Whether one is willing to pay the high cost of this book is another.

In an endless sea of books on the Waffen SS , one must clearly point out that this is the grandfather of them all . And with that in mind , we all know that with age comes wisdom . There is no other book on this subject that i have ever seen , that can compare to this masterpeice . Both in photo quality , and in sheer honesty , this book transcends the biased - media outlook on these proud and loyal fighting units .

I was overwhelmed at the humanity of the photos in this volume. If you are buried under the propaganda of Germany as the "evil" country of WW2, this book will dig you out and hoist you into the light. A picture is worth a thousand words, and there are many pictures here full of emotional impact. I kept getting the feeling that the only thing we have to fear is misinformation itself when I see all these brave and respectable human souls looking out at me from these pictures. Every American, every participant in the horror that was WW2, needs to see these pictures to see that at the most basic level we are not enemies. War is hell, especially war between those who should be brothers. This book is a must-read, and highlights the great mistake in the war between brothers brought on by the Jewish press and insidious Jewish influences in all of our countries. Makes you truly wonder just why it is that we have a holocaust museum in Washington, but no memorial to the fallen soldiers of WW2. I think at some level as a nation we know what this book shows. WW2 was not something to build a memorial about. This is an excellent book for historians or the simply curious as well. Too bad it costs so much--it would make a great book for children.

The book is full of interesting photos from all the theatres of war that the Waffen SS participated in, and one of the more interesting sections is the opening that covers the home barracks of the divisions. You get a feel for how well organized they were even when not at war, and the whole basis for their later reputation. However, there's no controversial photos, nothing that deals with warcrimes, and you can't help but feel that there's something whitewashed about the presentation. Still, as a historical document it is interesting.