SS reference book?

[ironcross13]

SS reference book? i just got this book on Paratroopers GERMAN PARATROOPS: Uniforms, Insignia and Equipment of the Fallschirmjager in World War II (for Me! Book): Amazon.co.uk: ROBERT KURTZ : 9780764310409: Books
Adrian Stevenson recommend it

its really good SS books like this? that shows what different divisions wore and information about them

thanks Martin

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Martin, when it comes to SS material, you need all the volumes by Andrew Mollo, "Uniforms fo the SS". Sadly they are out of print now though, but they can be found. Now they are not big colour photos in them. But the info is solid and researched from primary documents.

Cheers, Ade.

[lebus12]

for the SS, you have 3 books, very complete!
Uniforms of the Waffen-SS Vol 2: 1942 ... Sports & Drill Uniforms

for FJ, you have also thhe book on FJ in Afrika, with many jump smocks.

[Woolgar]

I find this book a really useful resource

Nick

[HPL2008]

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)

[ironcross13]

thanks guys lots of good info

im just want a book with a general guild on SS uniforms weapons and info not to just so
i heard the 3rdSS Panzer Div Totenkopf was a really good fighting unit is there many others like these?
im interested in elite Divisions front line troops, not so much SS police type
Michael Wittmann SS division i do own Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in WWII: v. 1 (Stackpole Military History): Amazon.co.uk: Patrick Agte: 9780811733342: Books
but not had time to read it yet

Thanks Martin

[kirby]

Two books that have come out in the last coupe of years and might be easy to find.
Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen SS by Michael D. Beaver
Inside the Allgemeine SS 1925-1945 Ulric of England

The Mollo books are great and you may be able to find the soft back that has vol. 1-6.

[ironcross13]

I find this book a really useful resource

Nick

can you get that book in english?

Martin

[ironcross13]

Two books that have come out in the last coupe of years and might be easy to find.
Insignia and Artifacts of the Waffen SS by Michael D. Beaver
Inside the Allgemeine SS 1925-1945 Ulric of England

The Mollo books are great and you may be able to find the soft back that has vol. 1-6.

hi just looked them both up look really good are they information about the SS aswell as Insignia and uniforms?
thanks Martin

[severin]

Hi Martin,

Have a look at Hiscoll Military Antiques books section they have vol 3,4,5, and 6.
I don't know much on this subject but they look like the Mollo books mentioned above.
Anyway it's a great site to get lost in and send both time and money!

Jonathan.