In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard. Originally labelled the Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler, they later became known as the SS - Schutz Staffeln, or protection squads. From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to a nominal strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945, representing a sizeable portion of Germany's land forces and more importantly a quarter of her tank forces and a third of her mechanised infantry. Martin Windrow provides a splendid in-depth review of the history, uniforms and insignia of the infamous Waffen-SS of World War II.
- ISBN10 0850450586
- ISBN13 9780850450583
- Publish Date December 1971
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 19 October 2003
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Osprey Publishing
- Format Paperback
- Pages 48
- Language English