The SS was one of the most important institutions of Third Reich Germany, yet it is also among the least well understood. From the end of 1935, the SS had control over all police and internal security duties in Germany and the militarised Waffen SS had more than eight hundred thousand men serving in the field, in direct rivalry with the traditional German armed forces, the Wehrmacht.Making use of material not previously available, this definitive book refocuses attention on and enh...

Who were the Brits that tried to help the Nazis?At the end of the Second World War, nearly 200 British nationals were under investigation for assisting Hitler's Germany. Many have remained infamous such as William Joyce, known as Lord Haw-Haw, and John Amery, who were both executed for High Treason.But in this study Adrian Weale unearths others who plotted to undermine the Allies. Weale begins with Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, through the war ...

This fascinating collection of primary source accounts focuses on the combat actions of the Wehrmacht in the final battles of the war. The material is drawn from a variety of wartime sources and encompasses fascinating writings concerning the tactical, operational and strategic aspects of the battle for Berlin. Compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers, this absorbing assembly of primary source intelligence reports encompasses rare material originally dr...

A companion volume to Hitler's Armies and Hitler's Eagles, Hitler's Elite: The SS 1939–45 tells the complete story of the SS at individual, unit and organizational levels.Following an explanation of the SS' complex political and social origins, and its growth within the Nazi empire, it goes on to look at both its war record and its wider role in Heinrich Himmler's implementation of Hitler's vision for the Third Reich. As ...

Recommended for viewing on a tablet.From one of our finest historians, a magisterial account of the most terrible event in history – World War II.The horror of World War II touched the lives of millions across the globe. Few could find the words to describe it, only that the carnage they experienced resembled ‘all hell let loose’.The eminent historian Max Hastings here encapsulates life through war for the ordinary people involved –soldiers, sailors and airmen; Brit...

History is always written by the victors. . . this is the other sie of the coin. This is the front line perspective on World War II as seen through the eyes of the losing side, the men who fought for Hitler.These are the recollections of the men of the Kriegsmarine, the Luftwaffe and the Heer. Altogether they formed the Wehrmacht which in 1940 was the most efficient fighting force the world had ever seen. By 1942 the tide had begun to turn and the men of the once mighty Wehrmacht fought in...

‘As gripping as any spy thriller, Hastings’s achievement is especially impressive, for he has produced the best single volume yet written on the subject’ Sunday Times‘Authoritative, exciting and notably well written’ Daily Telegraph‘A serious work of rigourous and comprehensive history … royally entertaining and readable’ Mail on SundayIn ‘The Secret War’, Max Hastings examines the espionage and intelligence machines of all sides in World War II, and the impact of s...

As Führer of the Third Reich, Hitler was responsible for deciding the German war aims in 1939. As head of the Armed Forces from 4 February 1938 he was also responsible for the overall Wehrmacht strategy intended to achieve these aims.Hitler: Military Commander examines Hitler's key military decisions during the Second World War, and assesses how far these decisions were militarily justified in light of the intelligence available at the time.Perhaps most importantly it tackl...

In 1982, the average Briton didn't know the Falkland Islands existed, let alone their status as a disputed British territory just off the coast of Argentina. That changed when the Argentinians invaded the islands and overwhelmed the small defending force. Both nations claimed the islands were theirs, but now Argentina thought the British would give them up without a fight.They were wrong.Britain sent a task force into the South Atlantic to re-take the islands, and the short...

'The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But, we don't ask for their love - only for their fear.'- Heinrich HimmlerThe Schutzstaffel, or SS - the brutal elite of the Nazi Party - was founded by Hitler in 1925 to be his personal bodyguard. From 1929 it was headed by Heinrich Himmler, who built its numbers up from under 300 to well over a million by 1945 as the SS grew to be the backbone of Nazi Germany, ta...

A detailed examination of one of the most infamous divisions of the Waffen-SSIncludes 120 rare photographs and maps of the divisionAuthoritative text is accompanied by maps and organisation charts

This is the illustrated history of the Waffen SS on the Eastern Front. The life and death of the Waffen SS can be traced in the surviving photographs, and the brooding saga of the decline from triumph into disaster is told through these powerful images which clearly document the reality of combat on the Russian Front. From 1943 to 1945 the Waffen SS in the East were engaged in a long and bloody retreat against a numerically far superior enemy. As they fell back across the vast plains of th...