Publisher Description

The divisions of the Waffen-SS were the elite of Hitler's armies in WWII. SS-Hitlerjugend is an in-depth examination of the unit formed in 1943 from veterans of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division and members of the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) organisation. The majority of the recruits were 17-years-old fanatically devoted volunteers. The book explores the background of the unit's formation, the type of young men it recruited, the key figures involved in the division, and its organisation. It also looks at the division's uniforms and insignia. SS-Hitlerjugend provides a full combat record of the division, which fought on both fronts in World War II. The book outlines the unit's involvement in the defence of Normandy, the battle for Caen and the slaughter of the Falaise Pocket, as well as its service on the Eastern Front at the end of the war and the fight to recapture Budapest. Illustrated with rare photographs, and with an authoritative text, SS-Hitlerjugend is a definitive history of one of Germany's most fanatical fighting units of World War II.

Author Biography

Rupert Butler is an author and journalist who specialises in historical narratives on the origins of the Third Reich and on WWII. A contributor to many international newspapers and magazines, he is the author of a number of books, including SS-Leibstandarte, SS-Wiking, The Black Angels (on the Waffen-SS), and The Curse of the Death's Head (on the Totenkopf SS Division). Rupert Butler lives in London, UK.

Table of Contents

1 Beginnings 2 Training 3 Organization

4 Normandy

5 Falaise 6 Ardennes

7 Hungary

8 Key Figures

Appendices Index

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One of the most notorious German fighting units of WWII

Review Quote

Butler presents readers with a comprehensive examination of the beginnings, wartime activities, and eventual disposition of a unit of the Waffen-SS made up of veterans of the Leibstadarte Adolf Hitler Division and members of the Hitlerjugend, or Hitler Youth organization during World War II. He covers beginnings, training, and organization of the unit; their actions in Normandy, the Falais, Ardennes, and Hungary, as well as key figures and facts about the unit over the course of the book's eight chapters. The author is a journalist.

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