Glenn Miller and His Orchestra

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 40 field divisions manned by nearly one million troops. Gordon Williamson describes the organization, equipment, tactics and personalities of the Waffen-SS in World War II. 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 travelled 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 The handbook is illustrated with a selection of previously unpublished photographs, predominantly from private collections, ranging from studio posed shots to previously unpublished candid snaps and from battlefield pictures to war correspondent action shots.