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by Lennart Westberg, Petter Kjellander, and Geir Brenden.
Hardback (9.0×12.0 inches). 414 pages. 2024.
Subtitle: The History of Himmler’s Favorite SS-Panzer-Korps 1943-1945
Subtitle: From the Baltics to the Final Apocalypse in Berlin 1945
This second volume completes the history of the corps, although history is a rather loose definition. It’s less a comprehensive narrative and more a collection of short articles interspersed with loads of first-person accounts, excerpts, and mini-biographies of officers and enlisted soldiers. You won’t find much about massacres or other war crimes.
Of course, tidbits and factoids populate the text. For example, up to June 30, 1943, 5,883 Germanic SS volunteers had resigned from the Waffen SS (p xlviii). I didn’t know the SS allowed volunteers to resign. In a September 1943 retreat, a unit towed vehicles “to save petrol” (p77). Denmark signed a quick surrender agreement allowing German occupation in 1940, but increasing acts of Danish sabotage — and German retribution — started in 1943 and 1944 (p93-106).
Tiger II tanks would open fire and destroy T-34s at 2,500m range (p182). The Tiger II kill ratio to loss was 41 to 6. Then again, the Tiger II needed one day of maintenance for every three days of operations (p192). On average, the Soviets lost 600,000 men per month during the war (p357).
A cornucopia of photos highlights individuals and actions, offering the modeler considerable visual references for dioramas. The book contains 495 black and white photos, 10 black and white illustrations, two black and white maps, and 13 color maps.
Of note, the Battle of Arnswalde in Feb. 1945 would make a nifty scenario. The map is a bit basic and you’ll have to pull a better OOB, but this German counterattack put a dent in the Soviet line at a time when hesitations in the retreats were the norm.
This accumulation of info is impressive, but this seems to have been put together in haste and editing typos and snafus are throughout. To wit: “Scrapped the bottom of the barrel” (p61) should be scraped; “opposed seven Soviet assaults white blank weapons” (p107) is a mystery to me; “thew now looked upon” (p152) is likely they; “to prevent ourselves from Russian surprise attacks” (p176) is likely protect; “hade in advance” (p207) has an extra e; “panzer crews were waisted” (p245) has an erroneous i; “without any frith” (p262) may be faith; and T-34/86″ (p321) is T-34/85. Sloppy.
That said, it is an impressive collection of information about the III SS Panzer Corps. Pair this with Volume I for a comprehensive look at the soldiers within the SS.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
