The SS-Hitler's Instrument of Terror: The Full Story from Street Fighters to the Waffen-SS

This authoritative account of Hitler's infamous elite army examines every aspect of the SS--its origins, its units and their battles, the foreign legions and various non-military departments, and its leaders.

The constant flow of information on the SS has caused some authors to picture SS members as mindless killers, while others have labeled them "just soldiers." Further, there has been an effort to distance the Waffen SS from the SS who guarded the concentration camps. Williamson (Infantry Aces of the Reich, Sterling, 1991) has produced a lavishly illustrated book that purports to give a balanced view of the elite Nazi organization. While he does trace its history, he is too anxious to show that, perhaps, not all the SS was bad. As he states, when all the records of World War II are opened, "history may look upon some units of the Waffen-SS less harshly." This is an old argument to which Williamson adds nothing, though some of his illustrations are good. Readers who wish in-depth information should consult at least George Stein's The Waffen SS (1966). A marginal purchase for public libraries.
Dennis L. Noble, Eastern Montana Coll., Billings, Mont.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.