Waffen-SS Soldier: 1940-1945 (Warrior, No. 2) (Warrior, 2)

Good overview with classic pics.

Thanks!

The photographs and describtions in this book are of very high quality. I even bought my brother (a history professor) a copy of this. The 64 pages are well concentrated to give a lot of info in a short, condensed version of a decent reference book.

Waffen SS Soldier is an uneven effort from Osprey Publishing. I agree with one review that said the photographs in the book are weak. The Waffen SS, perhaps more than any other Nazi Army organization, has unparalleled photographic documentation. I find it a shame greater use was not made of it.As with all Osprey titles this book is not meant to be anything more than a general overview and a jumping off point for greater research. On that basis I recommend it.However, there is one part of the book that I must criticize. On page 24 there is a reference to St. Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits. The author posits that Himmler took his organizational model from the Jesuits and that Hitler often referred to him as "my Ignatius Loyola".Of course none of these remarks are place in any kind of context and the reader is left with the impression that Hitler, Himmler and the SS were buddy-buddy with the Jesuits.That the editors allowed this to go to print I find appalling and insulting. The Waffen SS had about as much in common with the Jesuits as they did with the Salvation Army.It is a well known F-A-C-T that both Hitler and Himmler especially hated both Christianity and the Catholic Church. Nazi ideology, especially as practiced by the Waffen SS, was daimetrically opposed to everything the Jesuits stood for and for the author to leave his reader with any other impression is a gross error and monumental misrepresentation.This flaw almost makes the book not worth buying.

This book is fine if you know little of the Waffen SS or the German army during WWII. The photos are generally weak, providing few action shots. Most are typical portrait shots of significant SS figures. The four pages of color plates are drawings which provide little value. The text is general and provides no new insight for anyone who is a serious student of the German army in WWII. This book falls into the genre of those titles sold at hobby stores, to assist in the painting of military figures. Even in this context, it does not merit a strong review.

Osprey books are a mixed bunch. Some are of high quality, written by experts in their field (like Steven Zaloga, Paddy Griffith or-- most notably-- David Nicolle), others are middling (like Stephen Turnbull) and least of them all... books like these. This book-- like David Westwood's similar books in this series dealing with the Wehrmacht-- completely missed the political indoctrination, the atrocities and the general ideology that motivated the SS or the Wehrmacht. Like most books geared to military history amateurs, it focused on weapons and tactics and training, and only made throw away mentions of political indoctrination. Indeed, when it came to questions of motivations both for enlisting or in combat, the author makes much of the draw of the "elite" status of the SS, but not to the attraction of the racism or the ideology of the group.It's pretty much par for the course for Osprey. Osprey is geared towards amateurs who either don't want to bother or willfully don't want to view the cultural aspects of war in general, let alone the less savory cultural aspects that motivated soldiers like those in the SS. This book is part of the general trend in amateur military history of exalting the SS as just "elite" forces like Rangers or Commandos (a comparison Quarrie makes). Not only is this sanitizing history, it's also simply bad history, period. Modern military history has been integrating social and cultural factors into any analysis of a unit's operational or tactical behavior since the '70s and books like these are simplistic and giant steps back. Factors like the SS unit's political indoctrination in the field or their racist attitudes DID influence unit cohesion, morale or behavior. Atrocities aren't just some unfortunate bit of business on the side "real" military historians prefer to ignore in favor of tactics, they have actual and real consequences on the conduct and outcomes of battle.But I suppose that's not what an Osprey reader wants. He (always a he) wants to read about "elite" soldiers, acting as automatons so they can enjoy pretty uniforms or shiny weapons without any depth. War is a matter that has to be easily condensed for the sake of wargamers. In other words, shallow, amateur history. I don't imagine any wargamer has created dice-roll mechanics or simulates their little tin or plastic soldiers stopping to massacre civilians or captured enemy troops in the middle of battle.

Another excellent Osprey book. Informative and well illustrated. I am very happy with this purchase.

A bit dated but still useful info.

Good book. Focuses on the military aspect with little mention of the Nazis.

Comprado a un precio muy bueno a un vendedor externo a Amazon. Tan solo reseñar que no era la edición actual que aparece en el anuncio, sino una más antigua. Aunque el único cambio es de la portada, lo importante, texto y láminas es lo mismo.El libro es un recorrido resumido pero bien escrito y riguroso de lo que fueron y significaron estas tropas en combate. Desde su reclutamiento, entrenamiento, motivaciones, tácticas y uniformes y armamento. También se centra en algunos actos oscuros perpetrados en campaña.Las láminas están bien y ayudan a conocer más.En definitiva, un punto de partida básico y que es mejor adquirir a precio rebajado.

nice book