The Osprey Men at Arms book series #34 #213 #266

The Osprey Men at Arms book series #34 #66

The Waffen-SS – #34

In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler’s personal bodyguard. Originally labeled the “Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler,” they later became known as the SS – Schutz Staffeln, or “protection squads.” From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to a nominal strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945, representing a sizeable portion of Germany’s land forces, a quarter of her tank forces, and a third of her mechanized infantry. Martin Windrow provides a splendid in-depth review of the history, uniforms, and insignia of the infamous Waffen-SS of World War II.

German Military Police Units 1939-45 #213

The military policeman must be one of the least appreciated yet most indispensable military figures in modern history. In the mobile warfare of the 20th century, no army could keep its vital supply routes open without a military policeman. This book documents the organization, uniforms, and insignia of the many and varied German military police units of World War II. Their duties included traffic control; maintaining military order and discipline; collecting and escorting prisoners of war; preventing looting; disarming civilians; checking captured enemy soldiers for documents; collecting fallen enemy propaganda leaflets and providing street patrols in occupied areas.

The Allgemeine-SS – #266

The SS originated as Hitler’s personal bodyguard and following his rise to power in 1933 the organization divided into two: the Waffen-SS, which comprised the military wing, and the Allgemeine-SS, whose role was to support the police in maintaining order. The Allgemeine-SS had a wide-ranging effect on all aspects of life in Nazi Germany, from enforcing Hitler’s racial policies to the running of over 500 factories in Germany and occupied Europe. While the more visible armed SS combat units naturally received all the publicity, especially during World War II, it was the rather faceless Allgemeine-SS that wielded the real power.