These ground-breaking volumes present, for the first time, a comprehensive view of the World War II German Army's most elite formation: "Großdeutschland". Exceptional detail of rare uniforms and unique insignia are woven with Großdeutschland's history and development from an independent motorised regiment in 1939 to a panzergrenadier division within a corps that adopted its name in 1944. Its two closest sister units, the "Wachbataillon Berlin" and the "Führer Begleit Battalion" are also covered in the same superb level of detail. Awards, decorations, portraits and personal effects of common soldiers and noted personalities, covering every arm of service within the units, are presented in over 3,000 spectacular colour and black-and-white images.

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.

Investigates the history and evolving appearance of the 'Grossdeutschland' Division, the German Army's premier combat unit during World War II. Featuring eight pages of original artwork and carefully chosen photographs depicting personalities, uniforms, insignia and personal equipment, this is the absorbing story of the German Army's elite 'fire brigade' during 1939–45. The unit began its life as an elite guard detachment; expanded to regimental size in 1939, it saw action in France in 1940 and Yugoslavia in 1941 before participating in the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union. Reinforced to divisional status, 'Grossdeutschland' fought on the Eastern Front in 1942–44, notably at Rzhev in late 1942 and Kharkov in early 1943. Refitted and redesignated a Panzergrenadier-Division, 'Grossdeutschland' played a key role in the battle of Kursk in July 1943, before acting as the Wehrmacht's 'fire brigade' in 1943–44. In late 1944, 'Grossdeutschland' was expanded to Panzerkorps status, with Panzergrenadier-Division 'Brandenburg' also taking the field. Further units joined the order of battle, the Führerbegleit-Brigade fighting in the Ardennes in 1944–45 before also being redesignated a division. All of these campaigns are covered in this book, which charts the evolving appearance of this elite formation over nearly six years of brutal warfare.

Few items of Third Reich militaria collecting hold as much fascination as the uniforms of the German armoured forces. Germany revolutionised armoured warfare and in the process developed some of the most striking uniforms ever worn. This four volume set by Scott Pritchett leverages research from vast amounts of information and sources as well as the superb books written in the last several decades by the most notable collector/historians to cover the topic. The uniforms and insignia of all branches of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who wore them are detailed in over 5,600 illustrations made available through unprecedented access to the best Panzer collections worldwide. The four volumes cover: Volume 1: Heer - Part 1; Volume 2: Heer - Part 2; Volume 3: SS-VT & Waffen-SS; Volume 4: Luftwaffe.

Few items of Third Reich militaria collecting hold as much fascination as the uniforms of the German armored forces. Germany revolutionized armored warfare and in the process developed some of the most striking uniforms ever worn. This four volume set by Scott Pritchett leverages research from vast amounts of information and sources as well as the superb books written in the last several decades by the most notable collector/historians to cover the topic. The uniforms and insignia of all branches of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who wore them are detailed in over 5,600 illustrations made available through unprecedented access to the best Panzer collections worldwide. The four volumes cover: Vol.1: Heer Pt.1; Vol.2: Heer Pt.2; Vol.3: SS-VT and Waffen-SS; and Vol.4: Luftwaffe.

Few items of Third Reich militaria collecting hold as much fascination as the uniforms of the German armored forces. Germany revolutionized armored warfare and in the process developed some of the most striking uniforms ever worn. This four volume set by Scott Pritchett leverages research from vast amounts of information and sources as well as the superb books written in the last several decades by the most notable collector/historians to cover the topic. The uniforms and insignia of all branches of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS who wore them are detailed in over 5,600 illustrations made available through unprecedented access to the best Panzer collections worldwide. The four volumes cover: Vol.1: Heer Pt.1 Vol.2: Heer Pt.2 Vol.3: SS-VT and Waffen-SS Vol.4: Luftwaffe