GORDON WILLIAMSON

In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard. Originally labelled the 'Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler,' they later became known as the SS - Schutz Staffeln. From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to the strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945.

On 1st September 1939, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was created by Hitler. It was the highest Third Reich award and could be distributed to all ranks within any branch of the Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS or the auxiliary services. This is the first of four books looking at the winners of the Knight's Cross, from 1939-1940.

The military policeman must be one of the least appreciated yet most indispensable military figures

This title takes us into the life of a World War II German navy U-boat crewman, serving on a type VIIc U-boat. It charts his recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experiences from 1939 to the war's end - and includes tales of how sailors were deployed in the final days of the war.

Features distinguished German commanders of World War II from the Waffen-SS, the Luftwaffe and the Navy. This book details wartime experiences of those commanders such as, Josef Dietrich, Theodor Eicke, Kurt Meyer, Joachim Peiper and Karl Donitz.

The remarkable early successes of the armed forces of the Third Reich prompted the decision that the supreme decoration for personal valour or outstanding leadership - the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross - was insufficient. To mark further acts of gallantry a new distinction was created in June 1940: the Oak-Leaves clasp. Further decorations in...

Osprey's study of the troops that made up Germany's elite special forces of World War II...

Describes the campaigns and uniforms of the lesser known Waffen-SS units and the Volunteer units from many different nations.