SS reference book?

[BOB COLEMAN]

Check Bender Publishing. Roger has been printing quality reference books since the 1960's.

[Wagriff]

For Anyone even considering collecting, good books are an Essential Must Have. I say "good books", as there are Many many garbage books as well out there-full of errors and misinformation and obsolete facts. The books above are All fine references and are to be recommended Highly. It can be quite an expensive hobby if a person keeps getting snared by fakes and rubbish. Books are expensive too, but they are an expense that pay back many times over their invested initial prices. If you ever have Any questions about which volumes are needed and which to be avoided, just ask here before purchasing. Unfortunately, there are no "cover all" books of any worth published, but for each and every branch of service there are books to assist. Books for Insignia, helmets, medals and awards, edged weapons, firearms-you name it. It's a learning process that never ends.

[Woolgar]

Yes Martin, my copy is English language

Nick

[Friedrich-Berthold]

I don't know the Fallschirmjäger book mentioned above, but I don't think there is a direct SS equivalent to it. You will probably have to go for a number of different publications to find what you seek.

As Ade said, Mollo's seven-volume "Uniforms of the SS" is still absolutely essential for anybody with a serious interest in SS uniforms, insignia and equipment. These books have long been out of print, but can normally be found with a little patience via militaria dealers, eBay etc., although they won't be too cheap. Vol. I - VI are also available in a collected paperback edition. (I bought a copy of that one at a fair in England in the late nineties and found myself a copy of vol. VII at Helmut Weitze's online shop a few years later.) If you buy only one work on the subject, this should still be it.

The three volume-series on Waffen-SS uniforms by the late Michael Beaver and its two follow-up works on SS helmets and SS headgear (completed, respectively, by Kelly Hicks and William Shea) are also highly recommended, beautiful works with excellent quality full-color photographs of the items supplemented by a vast number of period black & white (and sometimes color) photographs. (The one thing that slightly spoils my enjoyment of the headgear volume, though, is the often poor quality of the captions to the period images.) These are quite expensive titles, too, but worth their price.

Then, there are a number of titles on rather specialized subjects.

For example, when it comes to cuffbands, you coud get the two-volume "Collecting Third Reich SS & Political Cuffbands" from Ulric of England. It does include SA and NSDAP cuffbands, too, but about 90 % of its contents is about the SS.
"German Military Cuffbands 1874 - Present" by Gordon Williamson & Thomas McGuirl also has more than 130 pages (out of a total of 352) about Waffen-SS cuffbands.

SS headgear is covered in detail in volumes 2 and 4 of Wim Saris' "Headgear of Hitler's Germany" series, while his "Aiguillettes of the Third Reich" includes info on SS aiguillettes. All are highly recommended, as is everything written by Wim.

For edged weapons, there's "Exploring the Dress Daggers and Swords of the German SS" by Thomas T. Wittmann.

However, if I understand your question correctly, you are primarily interested in compact information on the field formations of the Waffen-SS specifically.
The four-volume series on the Waffen-SS from Osprey Military's Men-at-Arms range could be something for you. These titles were written by Gordon Williamson and feature very nice color plate illustrations by Stephen Andrew as well as many period images and photographs of insignia etc. They are:

• The Waffen-SS (1). 1. to 5. Divisions. (MAA # 401)
• The Waffen-SS (2). 6. to 10. Divisions. (MAA # 404)
• The Waffen-SS (3). 11. to 23. Divisions. (MAA # 415)
• The Waffen-SS (4). 24. to 38. Divisions, & Volunteer Legions. (MAA # 420)

Andreas is always right.

- - ------- - -

also read Longerich's biography of Himmler.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

and, for a teen age beginner, Lumsden's book is very good, too.

I won't list all my criticisms here again of certain things, especially some of the new English language picture books, certain of which have shocking editorial failures.

[HPL2008]

Also, if you want factual information without a political agenda, I would advise you to stay clear of Patrick Agte's works.

[ironcross13]

i cant find Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen SS by Michael D. Beaver in the uk
i found this Uniforms of the Waffen-SS, Beaver, Michael D., New Book 076431551X | eBay
Inside The Allgemeine SS: Meine Ehre heißt Treue 1925-1945: Amazon.co.uk: Ulric of England: 9788496658332: Books

any books on SS Totenkopf Div?

Thanks martin


@Woolgar can you send a link to the book please

[ironcross13]

I don't know the Fallschirmjäger book mentioned above, but I don't think there is a direct SS equivalent to it. You will probably have to go for a number of different publications to find what you seek.

As Ade said, Mollo's seven-volume "Uniforms of the SS" is still absolutely essential for anybody with a serious interest in SS uniforms, insignia and equipment. These books have long been out of print, but can normally be found with a little patience via militaria dealers, eBay etc., although they won't be too cheap. Vol. I - VI are also available in a collected paperback edition. (I bought a copy of that one at a fair in England in the late nineties and found myself a copy of vol. VII at Helmut Weitze's online shop a few years later.) If you buy only one work on the subject, this should still be it.

The three volume-series on Waffen-SS uniforms by the late Michael Beaver and its two follow-up works on SS helmets and SS headgear (completed, respectively, by Kelly Hicks and William Shea) are also highly recommended, beautiful works with excellent quality full-color photographs of the items supplemented by a vast number of period black & white (and sometimes color) photographs. (The one thing that slightly spoils my enjoyment of the headgear volume, though, is the often poor quality of the captions to the period images.) These are quite expensive titles, too, but worth their price.

Then, there are a number of titles on rather specialized subjects.

For example, when it comes to cuffbands, you coud get the two-volume "Collecting Third Reich SS & Political Cuffbands" from Ulric of England. It does include SA and NSDAP cuffbands, too, but about 90 % of its contents is about the SS.
"German Military Cuffbands 1874 - Present" by Gordon Williamson & Thomas McGuirl also has more than 130 pages (out of a total of 352) about Waffen-SS cuffbands.

SS headgear is covered in detail in volumes 2 and 4 of Wim Saris' "Headgear of Hitler's Germany" series, while his "Aiguillettes of the Third Reich" includes info on SS aiguillettes. All are highly recommended, as is everything written by Wim.

For edged weapons, there's "Exploring the Dress Daggers and Swords of the German SS" by Thomas T. Wittmann.

However, if I understand your question correctly, you are primarily interested in compact information on the field formations of the Waffen-SS specifically.
The four-volume series on the Waffen-SS from Osprey Military's Men-at-Arms range could be something for you. These titles were written by Gordon Williamson and feature very nice color plate illustrations by Stephen Andrew as well as many period images and photographs of insignia etc. They are:

• The Waffen-SS (1). 1. to 5. Divisions. (MAA # 401)
• The Waffen-SS (2). 6. to 10. Divisions. (MAA # 404)
• The Waffen-SS (3). 11. to 23. Divisions. (MAA # 415)
• The Waffen-SS (4). 24. to 38. Divisions, & Volunteer Legions. (MAA # 420)

yeah thats kind of what i wanted ivejust orderd theh Men at Arms The Waffen-SS vol -1-4 all for £ 31.74 witch is really cheap
i then can pick which section i want expert books on, i dont own any SS iteams yet so just want info so i can start
i really like the dead head Skulls

[ironcross13]

Thanks for all the help guys i did get the Men At arms Vol 1-4 has good info

i just orderd the Michael Beaver collection get them quite cheap on Amazon just though id share as most other places they cost alot more



Regards Martin

[Friedrich-Berthold]

You also need a good history of the SS, too. Use that of Robert Koehl. The colored pictures books from Schiffer are nice, but they hardly tell the whole story.