In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard. Originally labelled the 'Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler', they later became known as the SS - Schutz Staffeln, or 'protection squads'. From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to a nominal strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945, representing a sizeable portion of Germany's land forces and more importantly a quarter of her tank forces and a third of her mechanised infantry. This first of four titles covers the first five Waffen-SS divisions, including the famous SS Panzer Division 'Wiking'.

Author Biography

Gordon Williamson was born in 1951 and currently works for the Scottish Land Register. He spent seven years with the Military Police TA and has published a number of books and articles on the decorations of the Third Reich and their winners. He is the author of a number of World War II titles for Osprey. Stephen Andrew was born in 1961 in Glasgow, where he still lives and works. An entirely self-taught artist, he worked in advertising and design agencies before going freelance in 1993. Military history is his passion, and in the past few years he has established himself as a respected artist in this field. Since 1997 he has illustrated several Men-at-Arms titles including MAA 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49, and series on the German and Italian armies of WWII.