Developed in 1940, German Sturmgeschutz assault guns were
intended to support the infantry during the attack and
breakthrough of enemy positions. On the Eastern Front they
proved to be potent tanks destroyers, able to reliably
defeat Russian T-34 and KV heavy tanks. Cheaper and quicker
to produce than conventional Panzers, they were deployed
widely and with great success forming an integral part of
armoured units, particularly in the final desperate days of
the war when tank production could not keep up with the
needs of the war effort.
New in d/w -
271pp, 200+ b/w photos, tables & organisational charts
This book is a
rare memoir from a Waffen-SS soldier who fought for six
years in some of the most savage battles on the WWII Eastern
Front. A volunteer, initially in the SS-Heimwehr Danzig,
which became part of the SS-Totenkopf Division in 1939, he
took part in the campaign against Poland as a motorcycle
messenger, and was wounded for the first time during the
1940 campaign in France. In 1943, he took command of a group
of young recruits on the Mius Front in Russia and was
wounded for the third time. In the summer of 1944 he had
been decorated with both Iron Cross grades and two Tank
Destruction Badges. In February 1945, he saw action in
Hungary with 9.SS Panzer Division “Hohenstaufen,” and ended
the war as a POW.
New in
illustrated boards - 128pp, numerous b/w photos & maps
Albert Schwenn was called up by the SS Cavalry
Replacement Battalion in Warsaw in October 1942, and in
March 1943, was seconded to the SS Cavalry Division. Schwenn
gives a vivid account of the brutal combat on the Eastern
Front, and especially operations against partisans, where he
took part in so-called “pacification actions”. In August
1943, his division was transferred to the front near
Kharkov. After recovering from wounds, he served as an
instructor, lastly with the SS Cavalry Replacement and
Training Regiment in Bohemia. In addition to nearly three
months of action during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, Schwenn
also took part in operations during the Prague Uprising in
May 1945. Because of his participation in operations against
partisans in 1943, he was given a death sentence, and
ultimately served nearly eleven years as a POW in the USSR.
New in
illustrated boards - 128pp, numerous b/w photos & maps
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY: THE
8TH
WAFFEN-SS CAVALRY DIVISION FLORIAN GEYER
by Massimiliano
Afiero
Formed in 1942, the 8th SS Cavalry Division “Florian
Geyer” was one of the most controversial units in the
Waffen-SS. Created with the intention of making it an elite
unit, it instead saw its main employment from the beginning
of the war in Russia as a rear area security force against
partisans. The SS cavalrymen carried out these duties with
terrible effectiveness, demonstrating the full capabilities
of horse-mounted units in securing terrain that was
militarily difficult. Late in the war, “Florian Geyer” was
employed on the front lines against regular units of the Red
Army. The unit was wiped out during final battle of Budapest
in February 1945.
New in illustrated boards - large
format, 160pp, 385 b/w photos, maps, tables
IN GOOD FAITH: THE HISTORY OF THE
4.SS-POLIZEI-PANZER-GRENADIER-DIVISION, VOL I, 1939-1943
by Friedrich Husemann
The
Polizei-Division was one of the lesser-known combat
formations of the Waffen-SS. Composed primarily of police
officers, it was formed in October 1939 and served almost
exclusively on the Eastern Front where it was eventually
equipped as a mechanized Panzergrenadier-Division. This
volume of the two-part history covers the formation of the
division in 1939, its employment during the campaign in
France, and finally its commitment in the East. Its finest
hour was in the action on the Wolchow River, where the
Russians attempted to relieve the beleaguered city of
Leningrad.
New in
illustrated boards - 436pp, 40pp of b/w photos, 34 maps,
appendices
