Germany Books

This book is indeed a godsend for parents. Although it's geared to Western Europe, over half the book focuses on universal tips that would also be helpful in Turkey or Transylvania, such as how to get kids to try different foods or appreciate museums. I loved this book, and found the author's advice invaluable when I took my two daughters to Europe.

We live in London, and travel every chance we have. This book provides great ideas for structuring trips and helping children enjoy the sights and experiences. It's a good companion for families planning European vacations. I am very glad to have this information and always review it before we travel.

The payoff for reading Cynthia Harriman's "Take Your Kids to Europe" carefully is tremendous. We have a five-week trip to Europe coming up and our copy if already getting dog-eared from overreading. This guidebook is different and better. Most "what to do with the kids overseas" books are filled with things you already instinctively knew - i.e. your kid will like Legoland and here is how to get there and the hours it's open. Harriman's guide acknowledges there is more to a successful family trip than just picking the right things to see, and she uses the reactions of her own actual kids to back up her suggestions. For example, she is a master of managing family dynamics on a trip. Here are a few of her suggestions:

1) Everybody wants to do something different, and nobody likes to compromise. It's just about impossible to agree, so Harriman suggests a "leader of the day" system - each member of the family gets a day or part of a day to pick what the "team" will do, where it will eat. Everybody gets to do some of their favorites eventually. This takes some self-discipline on the part of the parents - if the kids want to spend the morning by the pool, you'll have to agree - but you'll get to see that church you want to see in the afternoon.

2) You are looking for family togetherness but in fact that much togetherness can be stressful. For example, your teenager is all about independence. Go ahead and let said teenager hang out alone in the hotel room for an afternoon if that's what she needs. You and your spouse will argue about giving directions; Harriman encourages you to loosen up and learn about each other.

3) Harriman has a lot of good suggestions about how to make a lengthy trip affordable, and gives good suggestions for budgeting in advance.

In additional to general advice, Harriman shows excellent good sense in sections on what attractions to see - she's frank about things the kids were underwhelmed by (most chateaus just aren't as interesting as you'd think to a 9-year-old), and points out things that are actually more fun than they would sound on paper. So rather than 50 kid-oriented attractions in a country (like other books), all presented with equal breathless interest, she might have 20 - 15 her kids really liked (and why), and 5 they didn't like.

Harriman does not recommend many specific hotels and restaurants (there are other sources for those), so you may find you supplement this book with others. But you can't do without this one - I really love it.

This book has great ideas on dealing with budgets, luggage, etc. I especially like that they were keen on the idea of an 'extended' stay in Europe e.g., several weeks, and provided some sound examples of how it really doesn't cost much more to do that if you're willing to be flexible with accomodations & meals.

I lived in Europe for several pre-teen and teenage years, and we travelled widely. At the time I was always amazed at the number of people who take these "8 countries in 2 weeks" style tour packages -- the pace is so hectic there's no time to enjoy or experience the places, and they are wholly unsuitable for children.

The book is also good at pointing out attractions that would appeal to kids, which is helpful since most guidebooks focus on the 'serious' sites that kids would find less appealing.

One of the most comprehensible works for a range of interests in Germanic culture, "These Strange German Ways" approaches the question of "What is German?" with direct, unique descriptions. As a professor at the University of Frankfurt and someone who hast lived in Germany for more than thirty years, Suzanne Stern's occasional, enlightening quips give the impression of an intimate friendship with the Germans. Though Germans may not appreciate her humor, it reflects an Anglo-Saxon perspective on the Teutonic culture (Stern herself is British) whose style is both light and informative. From how to present flowers to the German "Kreislaufstoerung," this book will either picque further interest in this enigmatic people or provide some laughs at their peculiarities.

I'm amazed! This book shows a detailed understanding of the German psyche. I as a German myself was totally amazed how highly accurate the descriptions are. Although the author sometimes strays a little from the truth (as I see it) in order to help understanding the Strange German Ways, I feel quite at home reading this book. As I have been to the US for a year and tried to explain Germany and the Germans to 'you folks', I would have been really grateful for this book as a companion. This is definitely a 'must have' if you deal with Germans a lot or intend to visit Germany.

i guess this is the first book telling about the sometimes really strange german ways. i, as i am from germany, can just say: the author is right. the book contains everthing important (or not important but funny) and will probably do very well, helping you to understand us strange germans. i am now in the us as an exchange student for 11 month and brought it as a present for my host family - it was real fun reading it together and i guess it made the life with me a little easier for my host family. but: only 4 stars because some things aren`t up-to-date

Susan Stern is a remarkable author. She has helped me not just to understand German culture more, but also my understanding of my native American Culture. I met Susan Stern once at a convention at the University of South Carolina with a few of my fellow German students. She is just as remarkable in person as in this book. If you plan on traveling to Germany, be it for Business, to live there, or for tourism, I highly recomend this book. Even if you're not traveling to Germany, this book is great for understanding and comparing your own culture with that of others. One last thing. Read the up-dated book which was published in 2000, not the 1998 version.

Catherine Meyer's book really hit home. There were tears as I read every page. The tragedy of Mrs. Meyer's children and her relationship is becoming more and more evident in our society. All parents and childcare workers should read this book. I too, live in this terrible situation with Mrs. Meyer and can feel her pain. It has been four years and we see little or no results. Prayer has been the only answer to this. My heart goes out to all children, mothers, fathers, and

grandparents who are alienated from each other. Blessings to all of you.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I knew that I had to include it as part of my library for reference. I found some familiar phrases, thoughts and ideas within the covers. I am also a left behind parent. My daughter was unlawfully abducted from the United States to Austria in 1995. I think it is important to communicate the harsh reality of International Parental Child Abuction and the responses of various countries involved in this matter. I thought that the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was explained clearly in the book. It is most noteworthy to be made aware that there are countries which demonstrate a pattern of non-compliance to its obligations of the Hague Convention. I applaud Catherine Meyer and the publisher for bringing awareness to this tragic problem that affects thousands of children and parents worldwide.

If this horrible thing can happen to Catherine Meyer with little hope for resolution, think of how many others out there who are not as visible but are experiencing the same nightmare. The whole thing is tragic and wrong!

This is a heartrending and moving account of a mother's worst nightmare. To look to the law for justice and to have the system turn against you must be the most horrendous experience of all. Everyone should read this brilliant account in order to realize how unprotected one is as a parent and worse still, how unprotected children are today. This is an eye-opener. Who would ever suspect that in our democratic society that such a travesty of justice can still happen and affect so many families. When I started reading this book, I simply could not put it down.

Loved this story about family relations.

I enjoyed this short story very much.

I really enjoyed this cute family type story.

This story brings tears to one's eyes, then contentment to the heart. The children and their pets remind the reader of happy times in their own childhood. Short and to the point good reading....No boring 'fillers'.

I had the priveledge of hearing Louis Posner speak last year. Not only was he incredibly inspirational, but he was full of life. It was an honor to meet him. Listening to his story changed my life. If anybody is thinking about buying this book, don't hesitate. It's worth every penny, plus more. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Mr. Poser speak. For over an hour I was held spellbound by his enthusiasm, knowledge and ability to encapsulate a period of time in our history that was so devastating to so many people. He has accomplished the same with his book. Writing about his own personal experiences and weaving in historical facts adds a dimension and flavor to that period of time that you can genuinely feel. History and non-history buffs alike will find this book enlightening and thought provoking.

I have listened to the author give lectures so I was interested in the book version where he adds details and am very pleased with the result. The content is neither depressive nor heroic. It has a balance as seen from the perspective of an adolescent, alone and hunted by the Gestapo, who has courage and will to survive Auschwitz for two years. I highly recommend it for high school libraries.

I realy enjoyed this book. It was delightful to see how the indomitable human spirit can survive. This book is a true inspiration.

If you're into German armor or Tiger tanks, this one's pretty much a standard. The price is right and the quality of the book's quite good. It's not an end-all volume, but it does cover a lot of ground well and typical of Schiffer books, the quality is hard to beat.

Fantastic book for the military modeler. Tigers up close and personal, and on all fronts. Lots and lots of photos for you to use in your research and to finish off your Tiger Tank archives. I think this is the 8th book dedicated to the Tiger in my library. Great addition.

If you like armor, this is great stuff. Jentz is probably the foremost authority on the Tiger, and he shows it again here. It's mostly pictures, large format, but what pictures they are! Clearly captioned, they provide endless entertainment for the armor nut and the modeler.

An excellent book,just what I was looking for,it focuses on images of Tiger tanks in frontline action,great if you are looking for photos,just dont expect a lot of words to go along with them.

After visiting the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, I was interested to firnd out more about the capture of the U-505. U-505:The Final Journey is well written and reviews the history of U-505 and its officers and crew setting the stage for its capture by Task Force 22.3. The background on Commander Robert Gallery who wanted to capture a U-Boat and how the US Navy accomplished it is amazing and good reading. The heroism of the sailors boarding the 505 and how they figured out how to keep from sinking and then making the sub seaworthy for the trip to Bermuda is most interesting and quite amazing. So is the story of how 505 ended up in Chicago. Beautifully produced, The Final Journey is a must for anyone interested in US Naval history.

This account of the Battle of the Atlanctic provides valuable background about the situation for establishment of the submarine arm prior to WWII, and the political and scientific developments that had a such great influence on the outcome of the Battle. It could have benefited from more pictures and diagrams, but still well worth reading.

The story of the U-505 has been told numerous times, but never quite like this. Author/historian Jim Wise has written an exceptional work - with a superb collection of photographs - that should be in the library of anyone interested in the Second World War.

The type IX U-Boat was the larger, long range boat developed by the German Navy for operations in more distant areas such as the American East and Gulf coasts. The U-505 built in Hamburg was launched on May 24, 1941. She was not a lucky boat. While she made several war patrols with modest success, she aborted several patrols to return to port with one kind of problem after another. She was so unlucky that on June 4th of 1944 (two days before D-Day) she was captured just off the coast of Africa. She was the first ship captured by the American Navy since the War of 1812.

After capture the U-505 was taken into the American Navy and made several tours to Atlantic and Gulf ports to promote the sale of War Bonds.

Finally she was towed three thousand miles to the mouth of the St. Lawrence, across four of the great lakes to Chicago. There she was made a part of the permanent display of the Museum of Science and Industry. Remodeled to war time condition, the U-505 now sits in a specially constructed building to create a U-Boat experience dedicated to the people who fought the Battle of the Atlantic.

Does not get better than this. Simply the most informative source in English on the structure, organization and development of uniforms and equipment of the German Army during the Second World War. A must have set for anyone interested in the German Army during the Second World War. A tome of valuable information on the subject. Never replicated, perhaps never to be, written by a WWII German Army Officer Adolf Schlicht and United States Army Col. John Angolia, original photos throughout and essential information on subject matter. Known as the "bible" for collectors and justly so.

I have been an avid reader of Mr. Angolia's work for many years and am always impressed by the detailed research that goes into his projects. The Uniforms and Traditions of the German Army 1933-1945 series is an excellent example of this. Through primary documentation and photographs of the uniform items being described, Mr. Angolia has created a valuable resource for historians and collectors of militaria alike. No aspect of the Nazi era army is left out--even military issued condoms are included! I highly recommend these books, or any of Mr. Angolia's works, to anyone interested in the history and uniforms of the Third Reich

As usual, Mr. angolia's works represent the most authoritative approach to this subject. As a collector of militaria, especially German WWII army, who owns over 150 reference books on German militaria alone, I always find myself reaching for one of Angolia's books first whenever I need info. The information is inteligently presented with many B&W photos, some line drawings, and a few color pics illustrating the items described. The only real fault is the lack of a index, which is made up for by excellent tables of contents in all three volumes. All aspects of german army uniforms, field gear, weapons, and the history and developement of said items is tackled in these volumes. There are many other fine books on the subject that offer many fine color plates of the items described in these books (many make fine companions to Mr Angolia's works, including several published by Schiffer military books) but none offer the well-educated scholarship of this author. These three volumes are a must-have for any serious military collector whether thay are beginners or veterans, as are any of Mr. Angolia's books or any other published by R. James Bender. Mr. Bender's books, with few exceptions, represent the most well-researched unbiased presentation of this material for the colector or historian interested in these subjects.

I have been a collector of WWII German Army uniforms and insignia for many years. The authors' series on this very complex subject is, quite simply, the Bible. The various subjects are covered extensively in text, to include even the institution dates of regulations. In addition, the work is illustrated extensively with both period and contemporary photographs of the various uniforms and insignia, not line drawings as some other reference books use. In particular, the charts and tables detailing the various shoulder board insignia are indispensable for any serious collector. There is simply no finer author or reference available on this subject.

No matter how many times I think I've read it all when it comes to the Eastern Front of the Second World War, there comes a book which again proves to me that there is always something new to discover. In the end this book is much more than a simple memoir about the Eastern Front.

The author was under German occupation in his hometown of Kremenets, which had been in an area that before WWI belonged to Russia, then after the Russian Civil War and all the border changes became a part of Poland. In 1939 after Poland was invaded, conquered, and split up amongst the USSR and Germany, it became a part of the Soviet Union, then when Germany invaded it became part of German-controlled Ukraine. After WWII it returned again to the Soviet Union and after the breakup of the USSR it became a part of Ukraine. This long and winding process of moving borders sets the stage for the authors impressions during the occupation period by both the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

The author's father was in the Russian Army during the First World War and finished it as a Captain. He was very proud of his services to Russia and was even a recipient of the Cross of St. George as well as the Order of St. Anne with Swords. This would eventually get him in trouble with Soviet authorities when Poland was invaded in September of 1939. The reason this book presents such a surprising read is because the author kept a diary during his occupation years. For around three years whatever he witnessed he wrote down, in between these entries the author also puts in other snapshots, as he calls them, of memory that fill in the picture further with events that he might not have deemed important to write in his diary or information he feared might implicate others if his diary was ever found.

The reader is presented with the author's traumatic experiences with Poles before the war began: he was abused because he was a Russian living in Poland. Then when the Soviets came his father was taken away to prison because of his past. Later still his father returned and the Soviets had to retreat as the Germans invaded the Soviet Union. It is this event that the majority of the book is based on. Kremenets is situated in Western Ukraine which means within its population you can find Ukrainians, Poles, Russians, and Jews amongst others. Throughout the occupation the reader will be interested to find out how these various peoples responded to the Germans and their occupational policies. But aside from the different nationalities there were also different political motivations and of course religion as always played a large role.

The author tragically recounts his last view of a Jewish girl whom he befriended and developed feelings for as she was taken away in a truck to be executed. Another girl who he was friends with was killed during the first few days of the German invasion of Poland during a bombing. Partisans run wild in the countryside and villages are burned to the ground on a daily basis as retaliation. What started off as accounts told again and again about these acts turns to a mundane acceptance of the fact that people are dying and their homes are being systematically destroyed. The Jews of Kremenets numbering around 10,000 were massacred and aside from some what might think, the town knew all of what was happening. Burglars ran into the now empty ghetto that had been set up for the Jews and looted what they could, inadvertently causing fires to spread throughout the ghetto because they had to use candles to see in the dark when robbing the dead.

The author explains how he used to listen to the radio and write down in shorthand all the information he could so as to know where the front was moving and what was going on in other parts of the world. Rumors were spreading through the town (marked by the phrase 'they say that'), some accurate, others false. He had a few encounters with the Germans throughout the occupation but none turned violent or deadly. In the end, after liberation, he decided to enlist in the Red Army. To a large degree he wanted to make his father proud and he wanted to make a contribution and prove his worth to his land and people.
The author's career in the army isn't as well documented and covered because he did not keep a diary since it wasn't allowed nor did he have time to write one. Despite this a few interesting episodes are recounted and make for interesting reading.

One episode which stood out to me was how he mentions that the Red Army fought to liberate territory, not occupy it. Specifically on page 213:
"I will never again be in those parts and visit those graves [speaking of Latvia and those who Red Army men who died there]: I'm not that strong anymore. State borders separate us now, with all the different visas and invitations required. Why will invite me there since the latvians now see Soviets as 'occupiers'? I thought we were the liberators. Those, resting in the mass graves, who are they?"
I don't think I could have said it any better, these men did not fight to occupy and enslave, they fought to free and liberate!

As much as some like to think that the Red Army was a barbaric 'horde' encouraged from Moscow to plunder and rape the Germans, that popular image does not match with the author's experience. The author did see Soviet vandalism but also witnessed an execution of a Red Army man charged with looting. He also describes how he translated for a German woman who stated that she had been gang raped. The author is certain that she indeed was raped by soldiers of his own army, but he cannot testify about a rape spree. He does not dispute such a spree outright. He simply can't provide any personal evidence to support that image.

As with other incidents like looting, rapes occurred sporadically and at an individual's initiative, not as part of any Red Army policy. One has to keep in mind that war is war and no one involved in a war comes out with clean hands. While this doesn't justify what the Red Army did, and nothing should, it does put it into perspective and into context. One should recall that everyone was drafted, from the boys that just turned 17 to hardened criminals who were being given a second chance.

There are many more stories and episodes which are related in the book and that will hold the reader's imagination and attention for a long time to come. As I mentioned, having read a great deal of literature on this time period and event I was surprised to see information here that I knew little to nothing about and for that I thank the author. It is a great addition to the literature on both the Holocaust and the war on the Eastern Front.

This book represents a very important contribution to the literature of World War II in several ways. Kravchenko's use of both a diary and his memories gives us a unique picture of a teenager experiences with the cruelty of war. He describes to us the life in Kremenets during the German occupation but manages also to describe and give a comment on the war on the Eastern front. We also get valuable information on the treatment of Soviet Prisoners of War, the mobilization of the Forced workers from Ukraine to Germany and the partisan movement. The book is in addition to this a very good source to the history of the Red Army and its soldiers.

The killing and deportation of the Jews of Kremenets is a history of horror and human suffering. Kravchenko writes that he feels awful and ashamed when his Jewish friend Frida is taken away to the prison by the Germans in august 1942. He describes how she is standing on the truck, proudly with her head held high. This occurrence gives us a brief insight in the strong emotions connected to a meaningless loss of a good friend. Kravchenko gives us a very close description of frightful experiences according to the massacre of the Jews of Kremenets. Being an eye-witness to the Germans brutal conduct in Kremenets the diary represents so much more than a ordinary journal of wartime experiences.

Kravchenko's years as a sergeant in post-war Germany provides the reader a different picture on how the Red Army soldiers behaved when they got to Germany. He writes that he never came across or even heard of any orders in the red Army to sack cities and to rape. Nor did he see evidence of Soviet atrocities of the scale suggested by other writers. This simply does not match with his personal experiences as a soldier in the Red Army.

"Victims, Victors: From Nazi Occupation to the Conquest of Germany as seen by a Red Army Soldier" reveals the human suffering during World War II on the Eastern front and it represent a necessary contribution to military history. This is a very important book for those who seek knowledge about and understanding of the Soviet struggle against the German occupiers.

Victims, Victors clearly fills a gaping chasm in the history of the Eastern Front by offering us the perspective of a young Russian boy who survives German occupation and later becomes a decorated Red Army infantryman. The historiographical record of Red Army soldier memoirs in English is truly sparse; in fact, I can count on one hand how many I have read. Although those previous accounts have been critical in their own right, Roman Kravchenko's personal odyssey is both unique and compelling because it chronicles the psychological angst of a young man who must first live among his enemy (the German Army) before taking up arms to fight that very same nemesis and push him back to his own borders. The immediacy and accuracy of Kravchenko's narrative resonates deeply because he bases much of it on a secret diary he kept during the German occupation -- a document that later became a piece of evidence during the post-war Nuremburg trials. Mixing both diary entries and memory, Kravchenko takes us on a physical and psychological journey of life on the Eastern Front and reveals to us the emotions, feelings, and hopes of the average Russian who is thrust into extraordinary circumstances and must find ways to survive and bear witness to the horrors of war. Kravchenko's account is a primary-source document of the highest caliber that strips away some of the mythos surrounding the Red Army and its soldiers. He gives life and dimension to characters like his company's senior sergeant, the starshina, who mentors the awkward youngster and in turn reflects a level of soldierly professionalism that easily matches that of the German, British, or American armies of the time. No more do we see mindless Russian hordes who nihilistically throw themselves into the Wehrmacht's meat grinder time after time. We see fellow human beings who value life, who see life's potential, and who want to live to fulfill their own dreams and aspirations. The sensitive and insightful Kravchenko is therefore the Red Army's best chronicler of these important facts, and his book stands as an important addition to the continued study of the Eastern Front and the clash of titans that occurred in that bloody part of the world from 1941 to 1945. True historians of World War II cannot fail to include this critical book in their libraries of 'must-have' tomes.

I read Russian version of his memoirs published in 1998, and it was very impressive in many respects: presentation of historic events, details of personal history and writing style. I hope that this new one will be even better.

If you have Part 1 of Yerger's study, be sure to get this book. It follows up his previous book in the same fashion. Yerger obviously has great sympathy for his subjects, but is willing to criticize those Waffen SS commanders who in his view were less than professional soldiers, especially the Higher SS and Police leaders who were given commands because of their political loyalties rather than their skills in combat. This contrast is shown in the section on the Krueger brothers, the only two brothers to achieve general rank in the SS. Walter Krueger, who was renowned for his command of the Das Reich division is favorably mentioned, as befits his combat leadership and prowess in battle, while his brother Friederich-Wilhelm, who rose through the ranks of the Polizei, is described as "a career SS officer with an interest in power and was brutal in controlling his administration within the General Government (of German-occupied Poland)." Officers who conducted themselves as worthy soldiers in Volume 2 include Felix Steiner, Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, Sylvester Stadler who ordered an immediate inqiry into the events at Oradour, one of the war crimes which the SS was accused of-a controversial event even today. Stadler was temporary commander of Das Reich and ordered a court-martial of the officer accused of the massacre of civilians of that village) and many others. In Volume 1, commanders such as Paul Hausser, Otto Baum, Heinrich Harmel (whose professionalism and humane treatment of prisoners and civilians during the Battle of Arnhem was praised by the Allies) and Karl Kreutz, are praised for their military compentency and bravery in combat while commanders who never faced true combat formations, for example Friederich Jeckeln, Curt von Gottberg, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski(who testified for the prosecution at Nuremberg not because of any remorse but instead out of self-preservation) are not looked upon with much sympathy.

Such criticism is refreshing, especially with regards to a subject as controversial as the Waffen SS. Certainly there were some SS commanders who were either overrated or extremely brutal, but the vast majority conducted themselves in as professional a manner as any commander on the winning side. That they served an ideology which was evil does not diminish their service to their country and Yerger depicts this in a non-judgmental way.

If you have Part 1 of Yerger's study, be sure to get this book. It follows up his previous book in the same fashion. Yerger obviously has great sympathy for his subjects, but is willing to criticize those Waffen SS commanders who in his view were less than professional soldiers, especially the Higher SS and Police leaders who were given commands because of their political loyalties rather than their skills in combat. This contrast is shown in the section on the Krueger brothers, the only two brothers to achieve general rank in the SS. Walter Krueger, who was renowned for his command of the Das Reich division is favorably mentioned, as befits his combat leadership and prowess in battle, while his brother Friederich-Wilhelm, who rose through the ranks of the Polizei, is described as "a career SS officer with an interest in power and was brutal in controlling his administration within the General Government (of German-occupied Poland)." Officers who conducted themselves as worthy soldiers in Volume 2 include Felix Steiner, Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, Sylvester Stadler who ordered an immediate inqiry into the events at Oradour, one of the war crimes which the SS was accused of-a controversial event even today. Stadler was temporary commander of Das Reich and ordered a court-martial of the officer accused of the massacre of civilians of that village) and many others. In Volume 1, commanders such as Paul Hausser, Otto Baum, Heinrich Harmel (whose professionalism and humane treatment of prisoners and civilians during the Battle of Arnhem was praised by the Allies) and Karl Kreutz, are praised for their military compentency and bravery in combat while commanders who never faced true combat formations, for example Friederich Jeckeln, Curt von Gottberg, Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski(who testified for the prosecution at Nuremberg not because of any remorse but instead out of self-preservation) are not looked upon with much sympathy.

Such criticism is refreshing, especially with regards to a subject as controversial as the Waffen SS. Certainly there were some SS commanders who were either overrated or extremely brutal, but the vast majority conducted themselves in as professional a manner as any commander on the winning side. That they served an ideology which was evil does not diminish their service to their country and Yerger depicts this in a non-judgmental way.

Waffen-SS Commanders is a two-part series on the major commanders of the Waffen-SS, perhaps the most controversial fighting formation in history. Yerger's sympathies with his subjects shows, but he is willing to distinguish between SS officers who conducted themselves in a professional manner and proved themselves in combat and the political favorites of Himmler who rose from the ranks of the German Polizei and whose units were particularly brutal in anti-partisan operations but were no match against professional soldiers. Examples of the former include Otto Baum, Heinz Harmel (whose treatment of prisoners and civilians at Arnhem earned praise from the Allies-General Harmel is still alive and at nearly 100 years of age still conducts his daily life in the same way as he did as a soldier), Paul Hausser and others. The lesser lights among the commanders of the Waffen SS include Friderich Jeckeln, Curt von Gottberg, and Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, who testified for the prosecution at Nuremberg out of survival and not remorse for any actions-his brutality during the 1944 Warsaw uprising and his granting of POW status to Polish insurgents to insure that he would not be branded a war criminal in the eventuality of a German defear are documented by Yerger. To his credit, von den Bach did not renege on his promise to the Poles, although had Germany somehow won the war or negotiated a separate peace with the West, the Poles probably would have suffered a different fate.

As controversial a subject as the Waffen-SS was, not all of the commanders could be considered brutal criminals or incompetent as portrayed by revisionist history. To be sure, they served an ideology which was evil and most of the commanders were members of the NSDAP, but the majority of SS commanders were in fact professional soldiers equivalent to their army counterparts in the Wehrmacht. Most of these commanders did conduct themselves in a correct manner and fought with honor for their country, even if the regime they served had few redeeming qualities. It is a tribute to these commanders that the Waffen-SS still arouses much passion, even today, and most modern armies today use tactics and innovations which originated with the Waffen-SS over 50 years ago.

Like other works by Yerger, "Waffen SS Commanders" is primarily a picture history. It also has nice 2+ page biographies of the military careers of senior Waffen SS officers. There are occasional passing references to their lives after the war, but nothing beyond 1-liners. Some of the biographies are of well known figures such as Dietrich and Hausser whom you can read of elsewhere, but this is probably the only place you will find biographies of minor figures such as Jungkuntz and Hampel. This is the first volume of what is intended to become a 4-volume series, and alphabetically only goes up to Kreutz. Guess who wrote the preface to this book!