Cassell Military Classics: Das Reich: The Military Role of the 2nd SS Division - Softcover

Lucas, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0304351997 ISBN 13: 9780304351992

Publisher: W&N, 1999

Synopsis

The 2nd SS Division was an elite, highly trained fighting force that saw action in some of World War II's bloodiest battles. Especially in the Eastern front, these often included close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat. Starting with the organization and recruitment of the division and following it throughout the war, the story of this evil but powerful force unfolds through reminiscences by many of the unit's men, along with photographs and other memorabilia.

About this title

About the Author

James Lucas fought with the British infantry in the Second World War. He has since established a reputation as a military historian with a particular interest in good soldiering; Das Reich is one of a number of his books about his former enemy.

Review

Das Reich is an attempt by Mr Lucas to trace the development and history of one of the Nazi Party's premier fighting organisations. The division is traced from its early days of being internal minders to the Nazi hierarchy to its first use in WWII and then to its demise, fragmented all over Eastern Europe. Mr Lucas includes many anecdotal sources and by and large does a good job of trying to trace the actions the various Regiments and Companies were involved in. From these sources it is also easy to gauge how well the war was going for Germany as the tone changes from triumphant to largely pessimistic from the battle of Kursk onwards. An aspect of the division's history which Mr Lucas properly conveys is the involvement of the men of the division in the war and consequently the losses which it suffered on a huge scale because of its willingness to fight. This applied in any situation attacking, defending, counter-attacking, etc. and shows just how highly these men were trained and motivated. This brings up an interesting point which Mr Lucas is largely an apologist for. The motivation of the SS units is skirted round with very little mention being made of politics, race etc. Indeed in the early chapters the only criterion for entry into this elite organisation appears to be that the physical Aryan characteristics are satisfied and I am not sure this was entirely the case. Similarly relations with Russians are presented as cordial, even friendly and the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre is justified as an operation against franc-tireurs. However when dealing with organisations of this type such questions are never going to be easy to answer. The attempt being made here is to focus on the 'clean' combat and not the acts perpetrated by war criminals. Overall an extremely enjoyable history of an elite fighting formation, as long as its only its battles you are interested in. --By Jacqui

great to see the stories we know from a more honest angle,fascinating account of a heroic das reich.A great work by james lucas. --By steve

Edition details

• Publisher: W&N
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0304351997
• ISBN 13: 9780304351992
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240