From the moment Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, code-named Operation Barbarossa, Hitler was fixated on the capture of Moscow. Yet his fear of exposing the flanks of the German Central Front led to costly diversions north and south at Leningrad and Kiev, delaying the assault on the Russian capital. When the Battle of Moscow – Operation Typhoon – finally began on 30 September, the Panzerwaffe was already weakened while Soviet forces had fortified their defence...

A pictorial history of the two Nazi-German World War II concentration camps in Poland, featuring rare photographs from wartime archives.Auschwitz and Birkenau were separated from each other by about a forty-five-minute walk. Auschwitz was adapted to hold political prisoners in 1940 and evolved into a killing machine in 1941. Later that year a new site called Birkenau was found to extend the Auschwitz complex. Here a vast complex of buildings was constructed to hold ...

A pictorial history of the Nazi special forces group, their training, and the action they saw during World War II.Hitler's mountain troops or Gebirgsjager were a group of elite soldiers ready for battle, whatever the conditions. These mountain men were trained to ski, climb and endure long marches, survive appalling conditions and were given a role as crack shock troops. Yet many of the campaigns in which the Gebirgsjager fought were on level ground where they had l...

When the German war machine launched its attack against the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Adolf Hitler had given priority first to the capture of Ukraine, which was against the advice of his generals. In order to secure Ukraine quickly and effectively the German Army Group South entrusted its powerful Panzer Group 1 to lead the spearhead through the country. It included the III, XIV and XLVIII Army Corps (motorized) with five Panzer divisions and four motorized divisions (two of them SS) e...

"A chilling study of the . . . recruitment, indoctrination and performance of those responsible for the guarding of concentration camp inmates."—Inscale.orgThe conversion of human beings into murderers and individuals routinely carrying out appalling acts of cruelty are bound to be shocking. But it happened under the Third Reich on a massive scale.This book follows the development of concentration camps from the early beginnings in the 1930s (Buchenwald, Sa...

"German Guns of the Third Reich is an illustrated record of German light and heavy artillery, heavy mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns at war. Using previously unpublished photographs, many of which have come from the albums of individuals who took part in the war, it presents a unique visual account of the various German guns that were deployed for action between 1939 and 1945.The book analyses the development of the German gun at war and shows how it became of decisive importance ...

“… features 200 illustrations showing how Germany deployed more motorcyclists than any other combatant nation during the war and perfected their use. This book should hold great appeal for motorcycle buffs, modellers and toy soldier collectors.”– Toy Soldier Collector & Historical FiguresThe success of fast-moving Blitzkrieg tactics by the Nazi war machine depended on high mobility. With their on- and off-road capabilities, motorcycles became an important component...

The Crushing of Army Group North 1944-45 on the Eastern Front tells the story in words and images of the last bitter months fought on Russian soil and the battle of the Baltic States that ensued. Drawing on rare and unpublished photos it reveals in detail how remnants of Army Group North were driven back to the borders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In the battles that followed, the retreating German Panzer and infantry divisions were encircled and annihilated. With the remnants were pu...

The German Wehrmacht: Equipment, Weapons, Uniforms and Insignia offers a highly illustrated record of the German soldier in the Second World War. Starting with the early victories in Poland in 1939 and concluding with the desperate final defences of 1945, this volume provides an in-depth visual exploration of the uniforms and insignia worn by the Wehrmacht at that time.Featuring over 300 rare and previously unpublished photographs, 50 of which are presented in full colour, this boo...

Graphic, contemporary images show the bitter fighting between Hitler's SS armored units and the Allies in harsh terrain and winter conditions during WWII.In late 1944 under extreme pressure on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler realized he needed to force the Allies into negotiating a truce thereby saving Germany from total defeat. Using the Christmas period to enhance the vital element of surprise, he ordered a devastating attack through the rugged and mo...

A World War II pictorial history detailing Nazi Germany's Auschwitz concentration camp, its monstrous creators, and what went on inside.The concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was the site of the single largest mass murder in history. Over one million mainly Jewish men, women, and children were murdered in its gas chambers. Countless more died as a result of disease and starvation. Auschwitz Death Camp is a chilling pictorial record of this infamous e...

“The illustrations included serve as excellent resources for modelers, providing detailed vehicle imagery and inspiration for diorama creation.” – IPMS/USASelf-propelled anti-tank and anti-aircraft vehicles were a key element of the Nazi Army during the Second World War. Anti-tank weapons assumed great importance from the outbreak of war as combatants developed ever more effective armoured vehicles and tactics. Some were little more than stopgap solutions, such as ...