The Waffen-SS (4)

Illustrated with rare photographs from private collections and meticulous colour artwork, this final title in our sequence details the organisation, uniforms and insignia of the varied nominal divisions, and summarises their battle records.

In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard. Originally the 'Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler', they later became known as the SS - Schutz Staffeln, or 'protection squads'. By 1945 the SS had grown to a nominal strength of 38 divisions with over 800,000 men, representing a sizeable portion of Germany's land forces. This concluding title in a four-volume series covers Waffen-SS divisions 24 to 38, and the Volunteer Legions; many of these were short-lived units, and composed of men from many different nations, cultures and backgrounds.