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About this book:
Despite being disdained by the German Army’s professional officer corps, the military branch of the Nazi SS security organization grew from an initial strength of only a handful of battalions at the outbreak of war in 1939 to hundreds of thousands of troops in dozens of divisions. The battlefield reputation of the premier armored and mechanized divisions would become second to none; lavishly equipped and regarded as utterly reliable, they were thrown into many desperate battles on both Western and Eastern fronts, often achieving remarkable results. Illustrated with rare photographs, this first of four Men-at-Arms titles details the organization, uniforms and insignia of the Waffen-SS.