Recommended reading on the SS & Polizei

[Marcus]

The idea of this sticky is to collect recommandations on good books dealing with the SS & Polizei.

Please post the title, author and a short (or long) explenation as to why you feel that particular title deserves to be included.

/Marcus


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[Phil Nix]

For the SS I would choose either Gerald reitlinger "SS Alibi of a Nation" or Robert Koehl " The Black Corps" both give a general introduction into all aspects of the SS.
For the Police may I suggest "The Uniformed Police Forces of the Third reich 1933 - 1945" by Phil Nix and Georges Jerome. It was written for the very purpose that Marcus suggests
Phil Nix

[stcamp]

For the Police:

English
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher Browning

German
Stefan Klemp, "Nicht ermittelt". Polizeibataillone und die Nachkriegsjustiz
Villa ten Hompel Schriften, Band 5, Klartext Verlag: Essen 2005
504 Seiten, Abbildungen, Festeinband, ISBN 3-89861-381-X
Preis: 34,90 €

[Reader3000]

Ok, here are a few of my recommendations:

Georges Bernage: The Panzers and the Battle of Normandy, Editions Heimdal Bayeux.
- gives detailed information about the HJ Division's fightings in the Caen sector.

dto.: Album Historique, 12. SS-Panzerdivision, Editions Heimdal Bayeux.
- French history of the division in cooperation with Hubert Meyer, contains much more photographs, but also different ones, than the pictorial volume of the German edition.

Tony Foster: Meeting of Generals.
-a double biography about Harry Foster and Kurt Meyer, who fought against each other in Normandy and met again after the war at the trial of Aurich against Meyer. Goes very much into detail about the two men. Foster interviewed Meyer's wife and his son for the book, it seems.

Heinz Höhne: Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf
- standard history of the SS, massive text volume

George Stein: Die Geschichte der Waffen-SS
- gives an overview about the Waffen-SS and is also about war crimes and the prosopographic information about the members of the Waffen-SS.

Michael Reynolds: Steel Inferno
- about the I. SS-Panzerkorps in Normandy.

Most of my books are in German. I hope I understood it the right way and that here also titles about the Waffen-SS are to be listed.

[coburg22]

Hello,

I would like to suggest "Hitler's Personal Security" by Peter Hoffmann. To date,
this is the only book I know of that goes into great detail regarding the history of
the SS-Begleitkommando Der Fuhrer and the R.S.D. both of whom were the sec-
urity details of Hitler.

Coburg22

[Mark C. Yerger]

"Die Generale der Waffen-SS und Polizei," published by Biblio Verlag and written by Andreas Schulze and his co-authors. Excellent works.

"The Leibstandarte" (Lehmann/Tiemann) and "Division "Das Reich" (Weidinger). Both multi volume destailed studies of those units, LAH available in both languages, "Das Reich in German and the first 3 vols also in English. The "Wiing" and "Prinz Eugen" divisional studies originally from Munin Verlag are also worthwhile and available in both German and English.

"Anatomy of the SS State" by Krausnick (and other authors), superb and detailed overview of non- Waffen-SS aspects though that area examined also.

"Latvian Legion" by Artur Silgailis, excellent study of the Latvian divisions by a former senior officer.

The Nix/Jeromes Ordungspolizei book already mentioned is a wealth of data unavilable elswhere.

For detailed unit data as well as biographical information consider my own studies:

"Allgemeine-SS, The Commands, Units and Leaders of the General SS"
"German Cross in Silver Holders of the SS and Police"
Volumes 1 and 2 of "German Cross in Gold Holders of the SS and Police" (vol. 3 forthcoming)

Mark C. Yerger

[Georges JEROME]

- Léon Degrelle et la Légion Wallonie 1941 1945 by Jean Mabire and Eric Lefèvre
Art et Histoire d'Europe
650 photos + maps certainely one of the best book upon the full history of the Wallonian unit from wehrmacht regiment till waffen SS division.

- La Division "Florian Geyer" by Charles Trang Edition Heimdal
an excellent album in french/english edition full of pics, charts and short bios the "Heimdal" touch.

- 10 SS Panzer Division by Jean Luc Leleu
an excellent account covering between others Normandy 44 with full of pics, maps Editions Heimdal"

- Dictionnaire historique "La Waffen SS" by Georges Bernage Francois de Lannoy
covering all divisions, army corps, armies with commanders and interesting article upon history of each unit. Numerous pics.
Note this album of 480 pages cover Luftwaffe (280 pages) Waffen SS (200 pages) Editions Heimdal

- La Leibstandarte SS by Bernage, Perigaut, Mc Nair and Walther
one the best book written upon LSSAH over 1000 documents. Legends of pics are in german/french
Heimdal

- the 2 volumes of Mark Yerger upon "Waffen SS Commanders" Schiffer Publishing
a Reference book upon subject.


Georges

[Phil Nix]

Can I also recommend Mark Yerger's Allgemeine SS the only one i ahve seen covering the Allgemeine SS units and his Riding East covering the Allgemeine SS riding units plus the early history of the Waffen SS Cavalry Units. Lots of pictures
Phil Nix

[Boby]

Heinz Höhne "The order of the death`s head". (Highly Recommended !!)

Regards

[Reader3000]

@Boby: That's in my list already, but in German.

[coburg22]

Hello,

I think the Order of the Death's Head mentioned above is one of the top five books
written on the SS and will always be a much used reference in my book collection.
It's this book that got me started in the SS to begin with.

Coburg22

[mty]

For an excellent (and well illustrated) overview of uniformed branches of German police:
- Osprey, Men-at-Arms series #434, "World War II German Police Units"

Regarding SS:
- Either SS regalia by Robin Lumsden or Allgemeine-SS (Osprey/Men-at-Arms #266)

The former is better illustrated with interesting colour photographs but the latter has a very thorough introduction to organization, uniforms and practices of Allgemeine-SS. Most of the text content though is similar.

[Jan-Hendrik]

Kurt Mehner "Die Waffen-SS"

Jan-Hendrik

[harmel]

My list would be Heinz Hohne as it was the first
book to get me started when published in 1969.
Mark Yergers books on W/SS Cmdrs,and Allgemeine book
French Macleans book on The Camp men,the Ghetto men,
and Field men.
Vol 1 and 2 of Heydrich by Max Williams
also The SS leadership Corps Vol 1 same author
Georg H Stein the Waffen SS
Charles W Syndor Soldiers of Destruction
Hitlers Green Army 1-2 Munoz
German Police by Bender
Generals of W/SS and Police vol 1-2 by Andreas, Günter, Dieter
Robin Lumsdens books
New book by Phil and Georges on the Police
Harmel

[Georges JEROME]

to follow Marcus wishes : I want to come back to
- The SS Leadership corps to give comment
the pictural part of this book is a real treasure, I was very impressed by the amount of rare pics on the SS generals.

jg