Warrior
5 total works
The security units of the Third Reich were many and diverse, yet often an oversimplified view is projected of these organizations. This title provides a detailed and informed picture of the variety of operations and duties, as well as the motivation and behaviour of the men involved. It charts the experiences of typical World War II security forces and police soldiers - from the routine of military traffic duty, to combating partisans and resistance fighters. It covers the military police of the armed forces proper and the Waffen-SS, the combat units of the German State Police, the SD Sicherheitsdienst, the Schutzmannschaft units and the extreme and dreaded anti-partisan units "Dirlewanger" and "Kaminski".
Few branches of the German armed forces were represented on so many fronts as the mountain infantrymen, or Gebirgstruppen. From the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, through the invasions of the Balkans and Russia and the North African campaign, to the defence of the Reich 1944-45, the Gebirgsjager earned a reputation for reliability and courage. Typically each trooper was a supremely fit individual: the need to cover difficult terrain in full kit, without the back-up of a motorised baggage train, demanded this. This new volume examines the recruitment, training, and combat experiences of the common Gebirgsjager.
There have been few military formations in history which have elicited such mixed reactions as the U-Boat Waffe of Hitler's Kriegsmarine. Often seen by those seamen who suffered the predations of Grossadmiral Donitz's "Grey Wolfs" as some sort of sadistic monsters, the men of the U-boat arm in fact fought a war which saw a remarkable level of old-fashioned chivalry. This title takes us into the life of a typical World War II German navy U-boat crewman, serving on a type VIIc U-boat. It charts his recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experiences from 1939 to the war's end - and includes some surprising tales of how such sailors were deployed in the final days of the war.
When re-armament came after World War I, the German Navy was forced to build anew, so the Reichsmarine and its successor, the Kriegsmarine, found itself in possession of some of the most modern, powerful and technically advanced vessels in the world. Germany was very selective in picking her sailors and the quality of manpower skill levels was thus very high. This volume charts the recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experiences of a typical World War II German sailor, focusing on the main branches of the Navy - the Coastal Craft (Minesweepers, S-Boats), the Destroyers, the Cruisers, the Capital Ships, the Coastal Artillery and the tiny but fascinating "Miscellaneous" units such as the "K-Verband" (Naval Commandos) -as well as the last ditch effort units thrown into action as Infantry in the final days of the war.