"The Waffen-SS was one of the most feared combat organizations of the twentieth century. Originally formed as a protection squad for Adolf Hitler it became the military wing of Heinrich Himmler's SS and a key part of the Nazi state, with nearly 900,000 men passing through its ranks. The Waffen-SS played a crucial role in furthering the aims of the Third Reich which made its soldiers Hitler's political operatives. During its short history, the elite military divisions of the Waffen-SS acquired a reputation for excellence, but their famous battlefield record of success was matched by their repeated and infamous atrocities against both soldiers and civilians. [This book] is the first definitive single-volume military history of the Waffen-SS in more than 50 years. In considering the actions of its leading personalities, including Himmler, Sepp Dietrich, and Otto Skorzeny, and analyzing its specialist training and ideological outlook, [the author] chronicles the battles and campaigns that brought the Waffen-SS both fame and infamy."--Provided by publisher.;Himmler's army -- Foundation stones -- Creating an elite -- The march to war -- The destruction of Poland -- Deployment in the West -- Invading the Netherlands -- The assault on France -- France defeated -- Transition and expansion -- Balkan diversion -- The greatest war in history -- Operation Barbarossa -- Advance on Leningrad : Army Group North -- Across the Ukraine : Army Group South -- Drive on Moscow : Army Group Center -- Holding the line : Eastern Front -- At the edge : Eastern Front 1942-43 -- Kharkov Counterstroke -- Kursk : clash of armor -- A call to arms -- An army of Europeans -- Defending the Ukraine -- Battle in the North -- Shoring up the line -- Partisan wars : the Eastern Front -- Partisan wars : the Balkans -- War in the West -- Battle for the beachhead -- Unequal struggle -- Collapse and recovery -- Final gamble in the West -- Fight to the last -- Disaster in Hungary -- The Waffen-SS destroyed -- Aftermath.