SS: Totenkopf: The History of the "Death's Head" Division 1940–45 (The Waffen SS Divisional Histories Series)

The Waffen-SS were the elite of Hitler s armies in WWII. SS-Totenkopf, is an in-depth examination of one of the most infamous of the Waffen-SS s divisions the Death s Head division. The book explores the background of the unit s formation, the men it recruited and the level of brutalization to which they became accustomed; the key figures involved in its history, such as Theodor Eicke, its founding commanding officer; and the division s organization. It looks at the training regimen of the Waffen-SS, and the uniforms and insignia that the members of the divisions wore. SS-Totenkopf also provides a full combat record of the division, which fought on both fronts in World War II, increasingly serving as a fire brigade unit as the war turned against Germany, plugging gaps wherever they appeared in the front. The book outlines the unit s involvement of the invasion of Poland, the fall of France, the invasion of Russia, the battle of Kharkov, the defense of Warsaw, and the final fruitless attempt to relieve Budapest in the last days of the Reich. Illustrated with rare photographs, and featuring an authoritative text, SS-Totenkopf is a definitive history of one of Germany s premiere fighting units of World War II.