German Army Elite Units 1939–45

German Army Elite Units 1939–45
Author: Gordon Williamson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2012-03-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780965680

In World War II a number of German Army units and divisions were classed as élites, and were distinguished by special insignia of various kinds. For some this status was simply a matter of lineage e.g. the Infantry Regiment 'List', which traced its identity to the Bavarian unit with which Hitler had served in World War I. Some, like the 'Grossdeutschland' and Panzer-Lehr divisions, were raised from particularly high grade personnel. Other titles honoured extraordinary battlefield exploits or heroic sacrifice, like the 'Brandenburg' and 'Hoch und Deutschmeister' divisions. This fact-packed introduction to these famous units is illustrated with rare photographs and detailed colour plates.

The Panzer Legions

The Panzer Legions
Author: Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr.
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780811733533

Hitler's tank divisions were his most lethal weapons during World War II. From success to failure, in victory and defeat, each division played a role in Hitler's campaign against the Allies. Examines vehicles, armor quality, manpower, and leadership and includes a comprehensive index of individuals, units, battles, and campaigns First guide to chronicle the history of each division from its inception to its destruction Includes a career sketch of every panzer divisional commander

The Combat History of German Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in World War II

The Combat History of German Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in World War II
Author: Franz-Wilhelm Lochmann
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 707
Release: 2008-04-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 0811750922

Hundreds of photos of Tiger tanks in action. Text chronicles the unit's combat operations in the East and West. Personal accounts from the men who rode in these battlefield behemoths.

Tip of the Spear

Tip of the Spear
Author: Robert J. Edwards
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 578
Release: 2015-11-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 081171571X

During World War II, German armored reconnaissance laid the groundwork—often through small-unit actions—for the stunning tank and infantry operations that made the German military famous. Robert Edwards's follow-up to Scouts Out, the first extensive treatment of the subject in English, focuses on the battles and personalities found in ranks of the Waffen-SS, Luftwaffe, and other divisions. • Covers armored reconnaissance in Poland, France in 1940, the Balkans, North Africa, the Eastern Front, Italy, and the Western Front • Numerous firsthand accounts and after-action reports • Analysis of recon operations, from tactics and doctrine to vehicles and commanders

Consumed by Fire - The Story of Two German Combat Divisions on the Eastern Front in 1942

Consumed by Fire - The Story of Two German Combat Divisions on the Eastern Front in 1942
Author: Matthew Craig
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2014-04-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1312094796

This is the story of two German combat divisions that lived through the high points and low points of the Wehrmacht's experience on the Eastern Front in 1942. From Kharkov to Stalingrad, the 60th Motorized Infantry Division and the 100th Jager Infantry Division fought and bled in an all out effort to knock the Soviet Union out of the war. Includes: 37 photographs

German Ground Forces of World War II

German Ground Forces of World War II
Author: William T. McCroden
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 1257
Release: 2019-05-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 1611211018

A groundbreaking and comprehensive order of battle for German ground troops in WWII, from the invasion of Poland to the final defeat in Berlin. An indispensable reference work for Second World War scholars and enthusiasts, German Ground Forces of World War II captures the continuously changing character of Nazi ground forces throughout the conflict. For the first time, readers can follow the career of every German division, corps, army, and army group as the German armed forces shifted units to and from theaters of war. Organized by sections including Theater Commands, Army Groups, Armies, and Corps Commands, it presents a detailed analysis of each corresponding order of battle for every German field formation above division. This innovative resource also describes the orders of battle of the myriad German and Axis satellite formations assigned to security commands throughout occupied Europe and the combat zones, as well as those attached to fortress commands and to the commanders of German occupation forces across Europe. An accompanying narrative describes the career of each field formation and includes the background and experience of many of their most famous commanding officers.

Stormtroopers

Stormtroopers
Author: Daniel Siemens
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 519
Release: 2017-10-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300231253

The first full history of the Nazi Stormtroopers whose muscle brought Hitler to power, with revelations concerning their longevity and their contributions to the Holocaust Germany’s Stormtroopers engaged in a vicious siege of violence that propelled the National Socialists to power in the 1930s. Known also as the SA or Brownshirts, these “ordinary” men waged a loosely structured campaign of intimidation and savagery across the nation from the 1920s to the “Night of the Long Knives” in 1934, when Chief of Staff Ernst Röhm and many other SA leaders were assassinated on Hitler’s orders. In this deeply researched history, Daniel Siemens explores not only the roots of the SA and its swift decapitation but also its previously unrecognized transformation into a million-member Nazi organization, its activities in German-occupied territories during World War II, and its particular contributions to the Holocaust. The author provides portraits of individual members and their victims and examines their milieu, culture, and ideology. His book tells the long-overdue story of the SA and its devastating impact on German citizens and the fate of their country.

German Order of Battle

German Order of Battle
Author: Samuel W. Mitcham
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2007-09-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0811745252

Narrative histories highlighting organization, combat experiences, and casualties of each division. Lists of constituent units and division commanders. Sources for further reading on each division.

Days of Battle

Days of Battle
Author: Nortbert Számvéber
Publisher: Helion and Company
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2013-10-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 190767764X

Days of Battle describes a hitherto neglected part of the military history of Hungary during World War II. Dr Norbert Számvéber the presents detailed accounts of four important clashes of German-Hungarian and Soviet armor north of the river Danube, in the southern territory of the historical Upper Hungary (part of Hungary between 1938 and 1945, at the present time now part of Slovakia) in three separate studies. The first is an account of the battle between the Ipoly and Garam rivers during the second half of December 1944, in which the élite Hungarian Division "Szent László" saw action for the first time. The second study is about the fierce tank battle of Komárom, fought between the 6-22 January 1945. This was an integral part of the Battle for Budapest, parallel in time with Operation "Konrad". The third part of the book describes the combat during the German Operation "Südwind" in February 1945 and the Soviet attack launched in the direction of Bratislava in March 1945. The author, chief of Hungary's military archives, has based his research firmly on files and documentation from German, Hungarian and Soviet sources. The book's authoritative text is supported by photographs and color battle maps. This is a very important new study that throws much-needed light on armored warfare on the Eastern Front during the final months of the war.

Siege of Budapest 1944–45

Siege of Budapest 1944–45
Author: Balázs Mihályi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2022-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472848373

A gripping and detailed study of the brutal urban battle for Budapest, which saw German and Hungarian troops struggling to halt the joint Soviet-Romanian offensive to take the key city on the Danube. The 52-day-long siege of Budapest witnessed some of the most destructive urban fighting of the war. The Transdanubia region was strategically vital to Nazi Germany for its raw materials and industry, and because of the bridgehead it allowed into Austria. As a result, Hitler declared Budapest a fortress city in early December 1944. The battle for the city pitted 90,000 German and Hungarian troops against 170,000 Soviet (2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts) and Romanian attackers. The operations to take the city ran across several phases, from the initial Soviet approach to Budapest commencing in late October 1944, through the encirclement of city first on the Pest side of the Danube, and then on the Buda bank, and on to the savage urban fighting that began in December 1944 for the Hungarian capital. This superbly detailed work analyses the background, chronology and consequences of the siege from both a military and political perspective, and documents the huge losses in military and civilian casualties and material damage.