Himmler's Black Order 1923-45 - Softcover

Lumsden, Robin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0750940506 ISBN 13: 9780750940504

Publisher: The History Press, 2005

Synopsis

The popular mythology of the SS has a clouded story which is so complicated as to almost defy belief: a tale of intrigue and nepotism, of archeology and Teutonism, of art and symbolism. The story of "Himmler's Black Order" is one of an organization led by a man motivated by the belief that he was the spiritual reincarnation of the Saxon King Heinrich I, founder of the German Reich. It is the story of street fighters and convicted criminals becoming Ministers of State and police commanders; the story of charitable works and mass extermination being administered from the same building; the story of boy generals directing vast heterogeneous armies on devastating campaigns of conquest. Here, indeed, fact is stranger than fiction. This book covers in detail the origins, development and organization of both the Waffen-SS and the Allemeine-SS. The latter has been sorely neglected in post-war literature, yet it was the real body of the SS from which the more famous branches grew. The wide-ranging effects which the SS had on the police, racial policies, German history, education, the economy and public life are all described. Sections are also devoted to uniforms and regalia which were carefully designed to set Himmler's men apart as a new elite in Third Reich society. The SS at war is considered, and a balance struck between the substantial battlefield achievements of the Waffen-SS and the atrocities of SS and police forces in the occupied territories. The little-known story of the Germanic-SS, staffed by foreigners in Western Europe, is also related.

About this title

About the Author:

Robin Lumsden MA is a Police Inspector with the Fyfe constabulary. He is an expert on the history of Hitler's Third Reich and on the SS in particular. He has written six books on the subject, as well as a large number of articles over the years for military magazines. He lives in Scotland.

About this edition

• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0750940506
• ISBN 13: 9780750940504
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288