Download or read book The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich written by Yves Buffetaut and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-08-19 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Certainly my first recourse from now on when looking at the SS panzer divisions. Give yourself a treat and buy a copy ASAP if tanks are your thing” (Army Rumour Service). The Das Reich Division was the most infamous unit of the Waffen-SS. Originally a paramilitary formation raised to protect the members of the Nazi Party, it was founded in 1934 as the SS-Verfügungstruppe. During the invasion of Poland, the unit fought as a mobile infantry regiment. After the Battle of France, the SS-VT was officially renamed the Waffen-SS, and in 1941, the Verfügungs-Division was renamed Reich, later Das Reich. By the time Das Reich took part in the battle of Moscow, it had lost sixty percent of its combat strength. It was pulled off the front in mid-1942 and sent to refit as a panzer-grenadier division. Returning to the Eastern Front, Das Reich took part in the fighting around Kharkov and Kursk. Late in the year, it was designated a panzer division. In 1944, the unit was stationed in southern France when the Allies landed in Normandy. The following days saw the division commit atrocities, hanging one hundred local men in the town of Tulles in reprisal for German losses, and massacring 642 French civilians in Oradour-sur-Glane, allegedly in retaliation for partisan activity in the area. Later in the Normandy fighting, Das Reich was encircled in the Roncey pocket by US 2nd Armored Division, losing most of their armored equipment. Das Reich surrendered in May 1945. “Another fascinating piece of military history from the opposite point of view . . . this doesn’t purport to be an illustrated history of the Reich, but it damn well is!” —Books Monthly

Download or read book Das Reich written by Max Hastings and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2013-06-15 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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

Download or read book Das Reich written by Philip Vickers and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 1999-07-27 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follow the infamous 2nd SS Panzer Division on its march through Southwest France to the Massacre at Oradour with this illustrated battlefield guide. The 2nd SS Das Reich Division Das Reich committed was an elite division known for its ruthlessness. Stationed in the French village of Montauban, near Toulouse, when the Allies invaded Normandy in 1944. When ordered to rush North, they ran into a series of French Resistance, SAS, and SOE delaying actions. The Division responded with vicious reprisals that culminated in the Massacre at Oradour. Illustrated with maps and photographs, this battlefield guide offers in-depth historical context for these events. Bringing to life the heroism and tragedy, the author presents the British, French, and German viewpoints.

Download or read book Das Reich written by Max Hastings Sir and published by Zenith Press. This book was released on 2013-06-10 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Das Reich is world-renowned British historian Sir Max Hastings’s unbiased narrative of the World War II atrocities committed by Germany’s 2nd SS Panzer Division in France during June of 1944.

Download or read book Das Reich written by Max Hastings and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Das Reich 1940 1941 written by Otto Weidinger and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book SS Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front written by Bob Carruthers and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2016-05-30 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This book is chock full of striking photographs taken throughout the war, from the invasion of Poland, to the last battles in Hungary . . . a treasure.” —Western Slope Division This book follows the path of the 1st SS Panzer Division “Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler,” 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich,” 3rd SS Panzer Division “Totenkopf,” and 5th SS Panzer Division “Wiking” from the opening stages of the war and the challenges of Barbarossa, through to the long and bloody retreat to Berlin. This exceptional collection of images captures the titanic struggle endured by these divisions, and the chain of events they set in motion that proved so critical in shaping the face of the Second World War. Featuring rare images, this is the definitive record of SS Panzer Divisions on the Eastern Front, and an essential addition to any enthusiast’s collection.

Download or read book SS Das Reich written by Gregory Louis Mattson and published by Spellmount, Limited Publishers. This book was released on 2002 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This military history examines the Second Waffen-SS division, covering its formation, through to its involvement in the invasion of poland, Holland, France, the Balkans and Kursk on the Eastern Front, and on to Hitler's final defeat.

Download or read book SS Das Reich written by Gregory L. Mattson and published by Amber Books Ltd. This book was released on 2016-03-14 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Waffen-SS divisions were the elite of Hitler’s armies in World War II. SS- Das Reich is an in-depth examination of the second unit to be formed. The book explores the unit’s formation, including its origins as the SS-VT Division, the men it recruited, the key figures involved throughout its war service and its organisation.

Download or read book Das Reich written by Max Hastings and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book 2nd Waffen SS Panzer Division Das Reich 1933 1945 written by Gustavo Uruena A and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2013-03-04 with total page 746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" was an elite division during World War II. It is considered to be one of the better fighting formations amongst the thirty-eight divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS. It served during the invasion of France and took part in several major battles on the Eastern Front (particularly in the Battle of Prokhorovka against the 5th Guards Tank Army at the titanic Battle of Kursk). It was then transferred to the West and took part in the fighting in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, ending the war with desperate fighting in Hungary and Austria.Early war and the SS-VT - 1939/1940In August 1939 Adolf Hitler placed the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler and the SS-Verf�gungstruppe (SS-VT) under the operational command of the OKH - Oberkommando Heer, (German army supreme headquarters). Thus, at the outbreak of hostilities, there were four SS military regiments: Leibstandarte, Deutschland, Germania and the new formation from Austria, Der F�hrer (although this unit was not yet combat-ready). Events during the Invasion of Poland raised doubts over the combat effectiveness of the SS-VT. Their willingness to fight was never in any doubt; at times they were almost too eager to fight. The OKW - Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme headquarters, German armed forces) reported that the SS-VT had unnecessarily exposed themselves to risk and acted recklessly, incurring heavier losses than Army troops. They also stated that the SS-VT was poorly trained and its officers unsuitable for command. In its defence, the SS-VT insisted that it had been hampered by its fighting piecemeal instead of as one formation and improperly equipped to carry out what had been required of it. Reichsf�hrer-SS Heinrich Himmler, insisted that the SS-VT should be allowed to fight in its own formations, under its own commanders, while the OKW tried to have the SS-VT disbanded altogether. Hitler, unwilling to upset the army and Himmler, chose a different path. He ordered that the SS-VT form its own Divisions but that they would be under Army command.

Download or read book 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich written by and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Das Reich written by Max Hastings and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Within days of the D-Day landings, the Das Reich 2nd SS Panzer Division marched north through France to reinforce the front-line defenders of Hitler's Fortress Europe. Veterans of the bloodiest fighting of the Russian Front, 15,000 men with their tanks and artillery, they were hounded for every mile of their march by saboteurs of the Resistance and agents of the Allied Special Forces. Along their route they took reprisals so savage they will live for ever in the chronicles of the most appalling atrocities of war. Max Hastings' Das Reich is a powerful account of their progress and a true military classic.

Download or read book The Waffen SS in Normandy written by Yves Buffetaut and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2019-02-19 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of how the Waffen-SS fared in Normandy in June 1944 and whether they deserve their reputation of being the ultimate fighting soldiers. One of the greatest paradoxes of the Battle of Normandy is that the German divisions found it much harder to reach the front line than the Allies, who had to cross the sea and then deploy in a cramped bridgehead until the American breakthrough of late July 1944. The Waffen-SS were no better off than the Heer units and German high command never quite got on top of operations, as the divisions were thrown into the melee one by one. During the month of June 1944, the Panzer divisions present succeeded in containing the Allies in a small bridgehead. In July, the arrival of more SS divisions should have finally allowed the Germans to counterattack decisively. This was not the reality. The Allies had also strengthened in number and kept the blows coming, one after another. Each SS-Panzer division had a different experience of the fighting in July. This Casemate Illustrated looks at the divisions one by one throughout Operations Goodwood and Cobra which saw large tank battles and the collapse of the German front in Normandy. It includes over 100 photographs, alongside biographies of the commanders and color profiles of trucks and tanks which played a key role in operations as the Americans succeeded in breaking through the German line of defense. “A superb series.” —Miniature Wargames

Download or read book Das Reich written by James Lucas and published by Cassell PLC. This book was released on 1999 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The remarkable and courageous war record of the famous Das Reich 2nd SS Division, a fearsome unit which saw heavy fighting throughout the war, from France to the Eastern Front and back to Germany. The 2nd SS Division was an elite, highly trained, volunteer fighting force, the premier Division of the Waffen SS and far removed from the more familiar SS Nazi Police role. Driven always by the military virtues of courage, duty and loyalty, it saw action in some of the bloodiest battles of the war, in particular on the Eastern Front. It fought a hard war, suffered terrible casualties, and set new standards of battlefield excellence. Through extensive research, James Lucas tells a gripping story of close quarter hand-to-hand combat, of commanders who led from the front, of camaraderie and unit pride. This is a book about the best of soldiers in the worst of times.

Download or read book The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment written by Pierre Tiquet and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2020-07-30 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fascinating look into the experiences of the men of an elite armored unit that fought on the Eastern Front, written essentially in their own words.” —AMPS The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment was part of the Totenkopf Division—one of the thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions active during World War II. Notorious for its brutality, most notably a mass execution of British prisoners in the Battle of France, Totenkopf had a fearsome reputation. The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment was formed in France in late 1942, and transferred to the Eastern Front in early 1943, where it fought for the rest of the war. The regiment participated in a number of battles, and would be reduced and rebuilt a number of times. The panzers of 3rd SS Panzer Regiment fought at Kharkov, took part in Operation Citadel, fought in the battle of Krivoi Rog, and the relief of the Korsun Pocket. The regiment then retreated over the Dniester. They fought in Poland against the Russian advance, before being moved to Hungary where they participated in the attempt to relieve Budapest. They eventually surrendered in Czechoslovakia to the 11th US Armored Division. This book tells the story of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment through the words of the veterans themselves. Among the veterans whose accounts are included are Walter Weber, a member of a tank crew in 5. Kompanie who recounts their optimism and high spirits at the start of Operation Citadel as the Germans made initial advances, followed by retreat as winter set in and the Russians began to push them back. Unterscharführer Stettner recalls the fierce tank battles and the difficulties advancing across minefields and evading an often well-concealed foe. Corporal Fritz Edelmann records the attempts to relieve Budapest in 1945 that Totenkopf took part in, which ended in encirclement, defeat and surrender to the Americans on May 9, 1945. In addition, it is illustrated with a wealth of contemporary photographs, original documents, and artifacts.

Download or read book Comrades to the End written by Otto Weidinger and published by Schiffer Military History. This book was released on 1998 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by Swords to the Knight's Cross holder and last regimental commander Otto Weidinger, Comrades to the End is the complete history of SS-Regiment "Der Führer." One of the original infantry regiments of the pre-war SS-Verfügungstruppe (Special Purpose Troops), "Der Führer" was formed in 1938 and fought throughout the war as a component of Division "Das Reich." Being among the most successful and decorated regiments of the Waffen-SS, this complete history was written with the full assistance of four highly decorated regimental commanders. In addition to Otto Weidinger, portions of the text were contributed by Georg Keppler (Knight's Cross), Sylvester Stadler (Swords to the Knight's Cross) and Otto Kumm (Swords to the Knights Cross). From its creation from primarily Austrian recruits through the Western Campaign, to the bitter battles in Russia where it was almost completely destroyed, the authors explain the engagements of this famous unit in full detail. Later it fought in Normandy and finally in Austria at the end of the war as one of the last fully battle ready units of the Waffen-SS. This classic study is now available for the first time in a complete English edition. With a preface by famed Waffen-SS commander Paul Hausser, the detailed text is illustrated by more than twenty regimental maps in addition to photographs.