Formed in 1942, the 8th SS Cavalry Division "Florian Geyer" was one of the most controversial units in the Waffen-SS. Created with the intention of making it an elite unit within the Waffen-SS, it instead saw its main employment from the beginning of the war in Russia as a rear area security force against partisans. The SS cavalrymen carried out these duties with terrible effectiveness, demonstrating the full capabilities of horse-mounted units in securing terrain that was militarily difficult. Late in the war, "Florian Geyer" was employed on the front lines against regular units of the Red Army. The unit was wiped out during final battle of Budapest in February 1945. Detailed operational history, rare combat images, maps, and personality profiles make this book the definitive history of "Florian Geyer."

This new book is a concise combat history of the three Waffen-SS cavalry divisions in World War II. The 8th SS-Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was established out of the SS-Cavalry Brigade under Hitlers future brother-in-law Hermann Fegelein. The 22nd SS-Freiwilligen Cavalry Division Maria Theresia was formed out of ethnic Germans from Hungary. The 37th SS-Freiwilligen Cavalry Division Lützow was built out of the first two cavalry divisions along with new volunteers from Hungary including ethnic Germans and Hungarians. The formation and combat histories of each are discussed in detailed text, along with maps and rare photographs.

The story of Western Front from a German perspective ranges from the collapse of the Normandy line in the summer of 1944 until the Germans were able to bring the Allied juggernaut to a halt on the borders of the Reich itself.

Covers the operations of a leading SS Calvary Regiment and describes fighting under desperate conditions on the Eastern Front. Formed in 1942 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was soon deployed to the Eastern Front where Hitler’s ambition to conquer Russia was stalling badly. In common with other SS units the Division was responsible for razing towns and villages, poisoning wells and genocide often against unarmed civilians. This scorched earth policy was aimed at hindering the Red Army’s advance. After moving South, the Division took part in the retreat from the Dnieper River before operating in Hungary and Croatia. The end came when trapped in Budapest by Soviet and Romanian forces, the Division was destroyed in December 1944. By the end of the siege only 800 of the 30,000 men in the SS Corps reached German lines. Using many startling contemporary images, this latest book in the Author’s Images of War series vividly illustrates the horror of warfare on the Eastern Front.

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 book is the complete history of the 6th SS Gebirgs (Mountain) Division "Nord" in WWII. Formed in 1941, "Nord" was employed along the Finnish-Lapland front against battle-tested Soviet forces from 1941-44. Following the signing of the armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union in the summer of 1944, the division was moved to the western front. "Nord" units took part in Operation "Nordwind," the final German offensive on the western front in late December 1944, where they fought against American units for the first time. Tough defensive fighting along the Moselle and Rhine fronts followed up to the armistice in May 1945. The units of the division fought to the last, always with courage and valor, distinguishing itself as one of the best German units employed on the western front. Detailed operational history, rare combat images, maps, and personality profiles make this book the definitive history of "Nord."

Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland was one of Germany's most celebrated military formations of the Second World War. Formed in 1942 by the expansion of Infantry Regiment (motorized) Grossdeutschland, the new division quickly earned its reputation on the Eastern Front of being the elite of the German Army. Twice the size of most other divisions, it was an immensely powerful and hard-hitting mechanized formation that cut a large swath through the Red Army, whether in the attack or on the defense. Its carefully selected officer and non-commissioned officer corps ensured that no matter what the odds, the division would always give a good account of itself in battle and would possess an esprit de corps enjoyed by few other comparable divisions, including those of the Waffen-SS. The thousands of volunteers from every land and province in Germany who fought and died while serving in the ranks of Panzergrenadier Division Grossdeutschland represented a cross-section of German society, a radical departure from the manner in which most German divisions of the era were created. Now for the first time, the faces of these men, at rest and in battle, can be seen through the images gleaned from hundreds of photographs taken by the division's war correspondents or Kriegsberichter. This outstanding selection of photographs, which until recently remained unseen for decades in a European archive, have been recovered and painstakingly researched by authors Remy Spezzano and Thomas McGuirl. Together with the assistance of the division's Veterans' association, they identified hundreds of men, living and dead, as well as dozens of combat vehicles, items of equipment, and specificengagements the division took part in from April 1942 to September 1944. Accompanied by a detailed narrative that ties each of the photos within the context of the war on the Eastern Front, God, Honor, Fatherland represents a milestone in the study of the war in the East and shows the face of the German soldier as he has never been shown before.