This new work explores in detailed color the complex subject of Allgemeine and Waffen-SS uniforms, insignia, and accoutrements. Hundreds of authentic items are extensively photographed in close-up to enable the reader to examine and study.

This new book takes a close look at a variety of authentic World War II era German uniforms including examples from the Army, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Allgemeine-SS, Hitler Youth and Political Leaders. The pieces are shown in large full frame front and rear shots, and in painstaking detail to show tailors tags, buttons, insignia detail etc. and allow the reader to see what the genuine article looks like. Various accoutrements worn with the uniforms are also included to aid the collector.

Merriam Press Military Reprint 15. First Edition (August 2012). Facsimile reprints of the F.W. Assmann and S�hne uniform insignia and accoutrements catalog, and the Paul Seilheimer edged weapons catalog. Hundreds of photographs of all types of metal uniform insignia such as cap and specialty devices, belt buckles, buttons, clasps, badges, medals, etc., for all branches of the Wehrmacht as well as the various Nazi Party organizations in the Assmann catalog, plus illustrations of the various swords, knives and bayonets and their scabbards in the Seilheimer catalog.

In the years after World War I, the defeated and much-reduced German Army developed new clothing and personal equipment that drew upon the lessons learned in the trenches. In place of the wide variety of uniforms and insignia that had been worn by the Imperial German Army, a standardized approach was followed, culminating in the uniform items introduced in the 1930s as the Nazi Party came to shape every aspect of German national life. The outbreak of war in 1939 prompted further adaptations and simplifications of uniforms and insignia, while the increasing use of camouflaged items and the accelerated pace of weapons development led to the appearance of new clothing and personal equipment. Medals and awards increased in number as the war went on, with grades being added for existing awards and new decorations introduced to reflect battlefield feats. Specialists such as mountain troops, tank crews and combat engineers were issued distinctive uniform items and kit, while the ever-expanding variety of fronts on which the German Army fought – from the North African desert to the Russian steppe – prompted the rapid development of clothing and equipment for different climates and conditions. In addition, severe shortages of raw materials and the demands of clothing and equipping an army that numbered in the millions forced the simplification of many items and the increasing use of substitute materials in their manufacture. In this fully illustrated book noted authority Dr Stephen Bull examines the German Army's wide range of uniforms, personal equipment, weapons, medals and awards, and offers a comprehensive guide to the transformation that the German Army soldier underwent in the period from September 1939 to May 1945.

Covering a wide range of the uniforms and personal equipment of the Waffen SS during World War II, this is an invaluable book for military historians, modelers and collectors. Peaked and soft caps, helmets and camouflage jackets, insignia and miscellaneous items such as belt buckles, shoulder straps, and documentation are included. Among the rare items of equipment are named articles from SS generals and colonels.

All of the uniform-specific insignia used by the Waffen-SS in World War II are presented in this concise, all-color book. Included are sleeve and cap eagles in their various versions, collar tabs, sleeve shields, and cuff titles, as well as shoulder boards and straps, and rank insignia. Using nearly 300 color photographs, this book shows the scope in insignia the Waffen-SS achieved by war's end, and how far it deviated from Himmler's earlier principles as a result of the steadily deteriorating war situation. Some of the rarest insignia shown are those from Waffen-SS units using Armenian, Bosnian, Indian, and Georgian troops. Also included are numerous war-era photos that document the wearing of the various insignia shown.

The first edition of this now classic work truly broke new ground. It was the first reference work supported by full photographic evidence to cover in detail every aspect of the military uniforms, insignia and accoutrements of the German Army during the Third Reich. Now updated with extra notes and corrections, it remains the standard work on the subject. There are over 460 illustrations that cover all types of uniform dress from helmet to footwear. Included are badges and insignia of rank, arm of service colours and insignia, trade as well as specialist and qualification badges.