This book is the history of the only Fallschirmjager-Bataillon of the Waffen-SS during World War II. Formed in 1943 as a Bewahrungsverband for special missions (guerrilla operations in the Balkans) the unit was deployed at many focal points of heavy combat on the eastern and western fronts. Nearly destroyed at the Schwedt and Alt-Kustrinchen bridgeheads, the remainder pulled back to the west over Parchim at the end of April 1945 and entered U.S. captivity in May 1945. This is their story, including extremely rare photographs.

This is the first book in English on this obscure early-World War II SS unit. In July 1939, SS-Heimwehr Danzig was formed from members of the III./4. SS-Totenkopf-Standarte "Ostmark," as well as from Danzig citizen volunteers. As a unit of the Reichsfuhrer-SS they reinforced other existing Danzig units for the impending invasion of Poland. This book not only describes the political background that led to their deployment in September 1939, but also contains the combat recollections of former members, as well as over 100 photographs, and documents.

The SS Division "30. Januar" was one of the last SS-Divisions formed during World War II and was almost entirely composed of training units and 16-18 year old boys (the honorary name "30. Januar" was the same date Hitler became Reich chancellor in 1933). First planned as a motorized division, the unit ended up as a normal infantry division because of a lack of fuel. With a final strength of 12,000, they fought on the Oder-front south of Frankfurt/Oder. After the Soviet attack on 16 April 1945 they were wiped out in the pocket of Halbe southeast of Berlin.

The 10th Waffen-SS Division "Frundsberg" was formed at the beginning of 1943 as a reserve for the expected Allied invasion of France. However, their first campaign was in the Ukraine in April 1944. Highly motivated after combat success in Ukraine the unit was then transported back to the west where they fought the Allies in France and Arnhem. The division was later transported to Pomerania then fought southeast of Berlin in the Lausitz area to the end of the war.

Several thousand ethnic Germans in Romania, (the so called Volksdeutscher) were drafted into the Waffen-SS in 1943. With these new troops Himmler built up the new 11th Waffen-SS Division. To fill the ranks Division "Nordland" also took over battalion strength units from Danmark and Norway, though ninety percent of the division were Volksdeutsche from Romania. They were first used incombat in Croatia, the Oranienbaumer, Estonia, and Latvia. After the Soviet attack in Pomerania they fought in Berlin and were destroyed there.

From summer 1941, some 100,000 Russians served in the German Wehrmacht, mostly as so called Schutzmannschaften under the command of the German Police (Hohere SS- und Polizeifuhrer) in the eastern occupied areas. The most famous unit was the Brigade Kaminski, established by Bronislav Kaminski in the summer of 1941. In 1944 it became the Waffen-Sturmbrigade der SS "Rona" later the 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Rona" (russische Nr.1). A second division was later established from various Schutzmannschafts-Bataillonen and was designated 30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (russische...

With the beginning of the Operation Barbarossa more than 100,000 Ukrainians volunteered for the fight against Stalin and communismn. These volunteers were put into Schutzmannschafts-Bataillone under the control of the German Police. After Stalingrad however, Ukrainians were allowed to build up a division sized unit for the frontline. Around 15,000 Ukrainians were drafted and their first combat was at the Brody front in Galicia in summer 1944.

When German troops entered Estonia in the summer of 1941 they were welcomed by the Estonians. Thousands of Estonians wanted to take part in the war against Russia. Besides the Schutzmannschaften of German Police in 1942 Himmler started to build up an Estonian SS-Volunteer Brigade which became later the 20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr. 1). They fought most notably at the Narwa-Front, and later in Silesia.

This new book is a concise combat history of the three Waffen-SS cavalry divisions in World War II. The 8th SS-Cavalry Division "Florian Geyer" was established out of the SS-Cavalry Brigade under Hitler's future brother-in-law Hermann Fegelein. The 22nd SS-Freiwilligen Cavalry Division "Maria Theresia" was formed out of ethnic Germans from Hungary. The 37th SS-Freiwilligen Cavalry Division "Lutzow" was built out of the first two cavalry divisions along with new volunteers from Hungary including ethnic Germans and Hungarians. The formation and combat histories of each are discussed in detailed...

This new book is a concise combat history of the six Waffen-SS panzergrenadier divisions in World War II. The formation and combat histories of each are discussed in detailed text, along with maps and rare photographs and includes: the 4th SS-Polizei Panzergrenadier Division; 11th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland"; 16th SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Reichsfuhrer-SS"; 17th SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Gotz von Berlichingen"; 18th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Horst Wessel"; 23rd SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division "Nederland."