"The Brown Battalions" review

[Mark C. Yerger]

"The Brown Bataillons" edited and translated by Nicholas Hatch. 128 pages, large format with d/j. Turner Publishing Company.

A reprint and translation of a 1938 history of the SA that was distributed to the public, this was a almost missed title by me. With several hundred photos, the value is mostly in what it shows though some text data is of equal value due to a minimum of texts on the SA being available. Men killed during the early movement are listed, from the 1923 Putch through 1936 with death date, many names later being used for various honor titles. It is the photos of various members and events that were of great use for me. The diverse and rare insignia, uniforms and other militaria shown is sometimes seen as single pieces in books but its hard to find the material actually shown being worn and used. The period ranges from very early pre-1933 SA into 1936. Photos and capsule biographies for the SA Gruppenführer are included. An additional area has photos and titles for a number of SA leaders who had additional posts in the NSDAP, many showing examples of their signatures for those lucky enough to find signed documents or photos. The text obviously presents the SA as it wished to be seen by the public and offers an insight into a variety of activities as seen by the public. While the photo quality is as expected when copying an already printed book (7 on a 1-10 scale), I thought it well worth the price for any of the mentioned areas alone. Book retail cost in the USA is $40 and I got a signed copy for $35 from "Volume Control" at [email protected]

Best
Mark

[Georges JEROME]

I own the original edition of this book
(I don't know if the translation is equivalent in text and pictures)
it's a major contribute to history of SA with Longerich and Campbell books.