Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 1933-1945

by James J. Weingartner

Book Overview

Focusing on the Leibstandarte's members as soldiers, this account contributes significantly to military history of the World War II period.The Leibstandarte originated in March 1933 as an elite staff... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739404253
• Release Date: January 1900
• Publisher: Battery Classics
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Good Primer on the First SS Division

This book is a good primer on the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. The book follows the activities of what became the first Waffen-SS division, from the overthrow (at Hitler's direction) in 1934 by the SS of the SA under Roehm to the end of the war in 1945. Some argue that this SS division was the best fighting force man for man in the Third Reich, if not the entire Second World War. This book gives you a glimpse into why that might be, including the training and dedication of these troops, which led to many victories against superior numbers and arms but also led to decimation of their ranks, which had to be replenished time and again, each time with less able men who had less training. The author includes many interesting facts about the SS and in particular about Sepp Dietrich, its early leader and one of Hitler's personal favorites, whose exploits were lauded in the German press just as much, if not more, than Rommel's victories. (For example, in 1940 when the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was not even yet at divisional strength, the remaining Greek army, some 16 divisions, ended up surrendering to it. The original terms of surrender agreed-upon by Dietrich included allowing Greek officers to retain their weapons and enlisted men to return home after surrendering their weapons. An enraged Mussolini, to whose assistance the Germans had come, and a bemused Hitler and Wehrmacht, later amended the surrender terms.) In many ways the story of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler is the story of Sepp Dietrich, although toward the end of the war Dietrich assumed command of much more than these troops, including, at the very end, command of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which included four SS Divisions, four Wehrmacht Panzer Divisions, three infantry divisions, and two calvary divisions, or what was left of them. The only drawbacks to the book are that it is a bit short and one does need some general familiarity with the construct of the many battles the author discusses (Hitler called upon the Waffen-SS, and the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in particular, to spearhead the toughest engageements, so they were often on the move from one front to another) to appreciate the book better.