SS-Leibstandarte is an in-depth examination of the first Waffen-SS unit to be formed, the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. The book explores the background of the unit’s formation, including its origins as the Führer’s bodyguard, the men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division, its organization, training, uniforms and insignia.

Like many Germans, Berlin schoolboy Erwin Bartmann fell under the spell of the Zeitgeist cultivated by the Nazis. Convinced he was growing up in the best country in the world, he dreamt of joining the Leibstandarte, Hitler's elite Waffen SS unit. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and just seventeen-years-old, Erwin fulfilled his dream on Mayday 1941, when he gave up his apprenticeship at the Glaser bakery in Memeler Strasse and walked into the Lichterfelde barracks in Berlin as a raw, volunteer recruit. On arrival at the Eastern Front in late summer 1941, Erwin was assigned to a frontline communications squad attached to 4.Kompanie and soon discovered that survival was a matter of luck - or the protection of a guardian angel. Good fortune finally deserted Erwin on 11 July 1943 when shrapnel sizzled through his lung during the epic Battle of Kursk-Prokhorovka. Following a period of recovery, and promotion to Unterscharführer, Erwin took up a post as machine-gun instructor with the Ausbildung und Ersatz Bataillon, a training unit based close to the eastern section of the Berliner Ring Autobahn. When the Red Army launched its massive assault on the Seelow Heights, Erwin's unit, now incorporated into Regiment Falke, was deployed to the southern flank of the Berlin-Frankfurt Autobahn, close to the River Oder. The German defenses soon crumbled and with the end of the Reich inevitable, Erwin was forced to choose between a struggle for personal survival and the fulfillment of his SS oath of 'loyalty unto death’. From the war on the southern sector of the Eastern Front to a bomb-shattered Berlin populated largely by old men and demoralized lonely women, this candid eyewitness account offers a unique and sometimes surprising perspective on the life of a young Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler volunteer.

Accounts of what it was like to command a tank in combat Contains maps, official documents, newspaper clippings, and orders of battle Volume Two follows Michael Wittmann and his unit into Normandy to defend against the Allied invasion. A week after D-Day, Wittmann achieved his greatest success. On June 13, 1944, near Villers Bocage, the panzer ace and his crew attacked a British armored unit, single-handedly destroying more than a dozen tanks and preventing an enemy breakthrough. The exploit made Wittmann a national hero in Germany and a legend in the annals of war. He was killed two months later while attempting to repulse an Allied assault, but the book continues beyond his death until the Leibstandarte's surrender.

This book covers the life of Knights cross winner SS-Sturmbannführer Werner Pötschke, a little known officer of the Waffen SS. This book also examines in detail the question of his personal involvement in the Malmédy massacre at the Baugnez crossroads. This book is not an expose of the Nazi organisation, or a concise history of the SS, it will not come to the jaw dropping conclusion that Werner Pötschke was or was not a Nazi, he was a committed Nazi, he was an officer in the Waffen SS, he was also a ferocious warrior and combat leader. He was also quite possibly a mass murderer. He was unusual in many ways, but what is truly striking about him is just how much front line combat he was personally engaged in during WWII. From the very beginning of the SS foundation unto the last month of the war this man was totally committed to the fight, unquestioning and uncompromising. For the 'men of steel' there was only victory or Valhalla.

In the first months of 1943, the SS Panzer-Grenadier Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was involved in all phases of the complex Kharkov campaign. During the initial defensive fighting, the division held its sector for two weeks against the full weight of the Soviet 3rd Tank Army; a remarkable feat in itself. After the city fell, the Leibstandarte withdrew to a new defensive position and protected the important supply rail centre at Krasnograd while the Das Reich and Totenkopf divisions executed the first phase of the counterattack. When the 3rd Tank Army began its move south to block the advance of these two SS divisions, Leibstandarte carried out raids and interdictory strikes that disrupted the Soviet realignment and weakened the army's fighting power. Having rejoined the SS Panzerkorps, after taking part in the destruction of the Kegitschevka pocket, the Leibstandarte led the way back to the city of Kharkov. Dynamic young officers such as Kurt Meyer, Max Wunsche and Jochen Peiper personally led attack columns that struck deep into the city, eventually forcing the Russian troops to abandon Kharkov.From these photographs, it is clear why, after enduring the losses necessary to retake the city, these renamed the enormous Red Square as Platz der Leibstandarte. High quality reproductions of original wartime photos, and compelling captions by author George Nipe illustrate in incredible detail the men, equipment, weapons, and vehicles used in this decisive Eastern Front battle.

Between 1941 and 1944 Waffen-SS Oberscharfôhrer (Sergeant) Werner Kindler took part in 84 days of close combat, qualifying him for the Close Combat Clasp in Gold, the Third Reich's highest decoration for a frontline soldier. He was also awarded the German Cross in Gold, the Iron Cross First and Second Class and the Wound Badge in Gold.??Drafted into the SS-Totenkopf in 1939, he served with a motorised unit in Poland, and in May 1941 was selected for the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler, with which he fought in the invasion of the Soviet Union. His unit converted to a Panzer Grenadier formation in 1942, and Kindler went on to fight at Kharkov and Kursk on the Eastern Front, and later in Belgium and France in 1944. At the end of the war, he was the last man of the Leibstandarte-SS to surrender to the Americans. This is one of the most dramatic first-hand accounts to come out of the Second World War.

German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann was by far the most famous tank commander on any side in World War II, destroying 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns with his Tiger. In this continuation of his story, Volume Two follows Wittmann and his unit into Normandy to defend against the Allied invasion and provides maps, official documents, newspaper clippings, and orders of battle. A week after D-Day, Wittmann achieved his greatest success. On June 13, 1944, near Villers Bocage, the panzer ace and his crew attacked a British armored unit, single-handedly destroying more than a dozen tanks and preventing an enemy breakthrough. The exploit made Wittmann a national hero in Germany and a legend in the annals of war. He was killed two months later while attempting to repulse an Allied assault, but the book continues beyond his death until the Leibstandarte's surrender.

In-depth, illustrated history of Hitler's personal bodyguard detail. Rare photos, combat records, uniforms and insignia.

This large-format book contains over 300 previously unpublished photographs in superb high-quality reproduction. Originally photographed in May 1941 by an SS-Kriegsberichter, the book depicts the 1st Battalion, Leibstandarte SS "Adolf Hitler" (LSSAH) during their victorious march through Greece in 1941. Among the many images are notable Waffen-SS personalities – including Peiper, Pleiss, Witt, Wünsche, Meyer, Wittmann, Himmler, and Dietrich – as well as clear, professional images of uniforms, vehicles and equipment, all fully captioned. Also included is a brief summary and map of the campaign, rank insignia illustrations, glossary of terms, plus several "then and now" images of the battalion crossing the Gulf of Patras in pursuit of retreating Allied forces.