The SS: A History 1919-45 (Revealing History)
The SS grew out of Adolf Hitler’s and Heinrich Himmler’s obsession to prevent the treachery they believed to have caused the German defeat in the First World War. The SS was to be an elite corps of politically aware soldiers whose primary aim was to prevent the undermining of the Nazi Party by rendering its potential enemies “harmless.” This disturbing story reveals not only the inner workings of the SS, but also its paramount role in the mass murder of Europe’s Jews, homosexuals and gypsies; its organization of the death squads throughout occupied Europe; and the military campaigns undertaken by the Waffen SS.Robert Lewis Koehl was formerly Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has researched the SS for more than thirty years and has published widely in the field. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.