The Polizei division first took shape in 1939, drawing manpower from the civilian police. In February 1942, the unit was transferred to the Waffen-SS and redesignated SS-Polizei-Division (4.SS). The former policemen appeared on the Western Front in 1940, before being shipped to the Leningrad sector in 1941. Polizei remained on the Eastern Front for the duration of the war, including deployments in Greece, the Banat (Romania), Hungary, and Pomerania, before finally surrendering just northwest of Berlin. The subject is examined through many personal recollections, hundreds of photos and maps from private collections, and period documents, including extracts from official bulletins and the division's war diary. A brief history of the Polizei II division is included as an appendix.

This new book is a concise combat history of the six Waffen-SS panzergrenadier divisions in World War II. The formation and combat histories of each are discussed in detailed text, along with maps and rare photographs and includes: the 4th SS-Polizei Panzergrenadier Division; 11th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Nordland; 16th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS; 17th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen; 18th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel; 23rd SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Nederland.

The Waffen-SS, as with the Heer, possessed a great variety of divisional structures. The complexities of this variety were further complicated by a more or less continuous evolution of authorized division structures throughout the war. For example, the first Waffen-SS divisions were organized as motorized infantry ones, with little armor. Four of the earliest divisions (SS-LAH, SS-Das Reich, SS-Totenkopf, and SS-Wiking'] were then reformed as Panzer (armored)- divisions, and three new-armored divisions joined them (SS-Hohenstaufen, &S-Frundsberg, and SS-Hitlerjugend). Four additional divisions were raised as Panzer-Grenadier (armored infantry) (SS-Nordland, SS-Reichsfuhrer-SS, SS-Gotz von Berlichingen, and SS-Horst Wessel). The motorized SS-Combat Group Nord evolved into SS-Nord, which set the standard for the establishment of an SS mountain division. This was used as the intended structure for SS-Prinz Eugen, SS-Handschar, SS-Skanderbeg, and SS-Kama, though the last two didn't complete formation. Similarly, the SS-Cavalry Brigade developed into SS-Florian Geyer, which had a structure copied for SS-Maria Theresia (though not for SS-Lutzow, which had a structure similar to an infantry division). The SS infantry divisions, in particular the 14th, 15th, 19th, and 20th Waffen-Grenadier Divisions and the 31st SS-Volunteer Grenadier Division, used a standard Heer infantry division structure, first found in the 1940 version of SS-Polizei (which by the spring of 1944 had reformed into a Panzer-Grenadier division of the same structure as SS-Nordland). This was also the intended model for the 25th and 26th Waffen-Grenadier Divisions, the 27th, 28th, and 32d SS-Volunteer Grenadier Divisions, and the 35th SS-Polizei-Grenadier Division, none of which completed their formation, though they did take the field in a semblance of what was intended. The remaining divisions of the Waffen-SS were essentially enlarged brigades or combat groups, and had unique structures, especially as they often fought in several separate parts. This sounds like, and is, a complex subject. The following represents the idealized structure of Waffen-SS early war motorized, Panzer, Panzer-Grenadier, mountain, cavalry, and infantry divisions. Each division usually differed slightly in one way or another, and the divisional list in this book is the best way to trace each individual Waffen-SS division. Only the major combat elements are included; the supply regiment, for example, is not listed in detail. Units that are not described as "motorized" or "armored" can be assumed to be horse-drawn or dismounted, as appropriate."

A photo chronicle of the HJ in over 230 b/w and 30 color photos including its late war formation and campaigns throughout Normandy and Austria.

Formed in 1939 SS-Polizei Division were not considered initially as an SS fighting force, and this status was reflected in the quality of the equipment they were issued. Following operations in France, Greece and then Russia, it was not until 1942 the division was transferred to the Waffen-SS, and eventually upgraded to a Panzergrenadier division, the 4th SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier Division.The book describes how the SS-Polizei Division fought across the Low Countries, the Eastern Front, before deploying to the Balkans and Greece where it committed numerous atrocities. During the last days of the War it was assigned to Army Detachment Steiner defending Berlin where many soldiers fought to the death.This book is a unique glimpse into one of the most infamous fighting machines in World War Two and a great addition to any reader interested Waffen-SS history.

A world-renowned British historian recounts the actions of one of Hitler’s most elite armor units in one of World War II’s most horrific months. June 1944, the month of the D-Day landings carried out by Allied forces in Normandy, France. Germany’s 2nd SS Panzer Division, one of Adolf Hitler’s most elite armor units, had recently been pulled from the Eastern Front and relocated to France in order to regroup, recruit more troops, and restock equipment. With Allied forces suddenly on European ground, the division—Das Reich—was called up to counter the invasion. Its march northward to the shores of Normandy, 15,000 men strong, would become infamous as a tale of unparalleled brutality in World War II. Das Reich is Sir Max Hastings’s narrative of the atrocities committed by the 2nd SS Panzer Division during June of 1944: first, the execution of 99 French civilians in the village of Tulle on June 9; and second, the massacre of 642 more in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10. Throughout the book, Hastings expertly shifts perspective between French resistance fighters, the British Secret Service (who helped coordinate the French resistance from afar and on the ground), and the German soldiers themselves. With its rare, unbiased approach to the ruthlessness of World War II, Das Reich explores the fragile moral fabric of wartime mentality. Praise for Das Reich “A gripping blend of narrative and investigation.” —Evening Standard “This classic account of WWII is a microcosm of the global conflict. Hastings brings to life the horror that the 2nd SS Panzer division, Das Reich, inflicted upon the citizens living in a bucolic corner of France.” —Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel and Hitler’s Panzers

The 17th Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier Division "G�tz von Berlichingen" was one of the few SS formations to be employed exclusively on the western front during World War II. From the time of its formation in France in 1943, "G�tz von Berlichingen" saw bitter and bloody fighting in Normandy, the Seine front, Metz, the Saar, the Palatinate, and later the defense of the west wall until the final battles in Germany. Despite the overwhelming superiority of Allied forces, the units that comprised the division always managed to offer dogged resistance, counterattacking ferociously, and defending every foot of ground with great courage and determination. The units of "G�tz von Berlichingen" received praise, not only from the German high command, but also earned the respect of its Allied adversaries. In addition, the "G�tz von Berlichingen" division was never involved in any war crimes, or in crimes against civilians. Detailed operational history, rare combat images, maps, and personality profiles make this book the definitive history of "G�tz von Berlichingen."