The Waffen SS or the Armed SS were Hitler’s elite forces during WWII. They were the forces that were feared by the enemy and praised by their allies. The two lightning bolts on the collar tabs and on their helmets were the mark of the soldiers of the New Order believing in the final victory of the Reich. The Waffen SS grew into a huge force of thirty-eight combat divisions comprising over 950;000 men. In the Nuremberg Trials; the Waffen SS was condemned as part of a criminal organisation; and therefore Waffen SS veterans were denied many of the rights afforded other German combat veterans. However the Nuremberg Trials exempted conscripts from that condemnation. On several occasions; the Waffen SS was criticised by Heer commanders for their reckless disregard for casualties while taking or holding objectives. However; the Waffen SS divisions eventually proved themselves to a skeptical Heer as capable soldiers. The poor initial performance of the Waffen SS units was mainly due to the emphasis on political indoctrination rather than proper military training before the war. This was largely due to the shortage of experienced NCOs; who preferred to stay with the regular army. Despite this; the experience gained from the Polish; French and Balkan campaigns and the peculiarly egalitarian form of training soon turned Waffen SS units into elite formations. These are the stories of the men that once were part of this elite force. In this book you get a bit of history about the SS and Waffen SS; the war crimes committed by them and against them; their training; but most important of all you'll get the stories from veterans of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler; Das Reich; Totenkopf; Wiking; Hohenstaufen; Maria Theresia; Langemarck; SS-Fallschirmjägerbataillon 500 and Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger; Italien; Wallonie; Nederland; 1st Estonian; and the notorious Dirlewanger Brigade. Seven decades after the war they finally have a voice...
#359579 in Books 2015-01-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .32 x 5.50l; .37 #File Name: 1507672160138 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A good readBy ergrossA story of true heroism by three ordinary men in an extraordinary situation. An uplifting read if ever there was on5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A great true WWII adventure story of three men against the ...By Baltazar SotoA great true WWII adventure story of three men against the sea. I think it could have used a map of where they were and an explanation of where they landed. The book was written during WWII and the island where the survivors landed was kept secret. On my own I searched the internet and discovered they landed on PukaPuka Atoll; part of the Cook Islands.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Must readBy cninnjMy husband was thrilled that I was able to find this book for him to reread for the 50th time. He read it years ago and loved it. An amazing true story. We got two and gave one to our nephew for Easter.
