The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War, 1939-1945This landmark study, first published by Cornell University Press in 1966, shows how Hitler's elite army grew from a praetorian guard of barely 28,000 men at the beginning of the Second World War to a combat-hardened army of more than 500,000 in 1945. George H. Stein examines in detail the structure and organization of the Waffen SS and describes the rigid personnel selection and intensive physical, military, and ideological training that helped to create the tough and dedicated cadre around which the larger force of the later war years was built. |
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Common terms and phrases
Allied April armed SS armored Army Group artillery attack Aufstellung battalions battle Berger to Himmler Berlin Brigade Brigadeführer British campaign combat corps Dirlewanger Eicke established ethnic Germans Felix Steiner fighting foreign Freiwilligen Führer Geheime Kommandosache German Army Gruppenführer guard Hausser headquarters Hitler Jugend Hitlers Lagebesprechungen Ibid ideological June Jüttner Kommando der Waffen KTB/OKW legions Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Leibstandarte SS Adolf ment military National Socialist Nazi NSDAP Nuremberg Nuremberg Document Obergruppenführer offensive ordered Ordnungspolizei panzer divisions panzergrenadier Paul Hausser personnel Police Polizeidivision racial Reich Reichsführer SS Reitlinger Russian Sepp Dietrich soldiers Soviet SS Adolf Hitler SS Division Wiking SS formations SS Führungshauptamt SS Infantry SS Obergruppenführer SS officers SS organization SS Panzer SS Panzerdivision SS Panzerkorps SS recruiting SS Totenkopf SS Totenkopfdivision SS troops SS Verfügungsdivision SS Verfügungstruppe SSFHA standarte Steiner tanks tion Totenkopfdivision Totenkopfstandarten Totenkopfverbände Verfügungstruppe Volksdeutsche volunteers Waffen SS Waffen-Grenadierdivision der SS Wehrmacht