German Army Handbook 1939-1945 - James Lucas

From the opening shots of the Second World War in Poland in September 1939, through the Blitzkrieg to the fall of France and the Netherlands, the German Army was at the forefront of battle. It remained in the thick of the action - the Eastern Front, North Africa, the Balkans, Scandinavia, North West Europe - right up until the last desperate shots were fired over the ruins of a crumbling Third Reich in May 1945. As the instrument with which Hitler was to achieve his plan for world domination, the German Army was at the cutting edge of twentieth century military history. Before the emergence of the US Army as a force to be reckoned with later in the Second World War, for the Germany Army was the most powerful, efficient and well-equipped fighting force in the world. This book takes a comprehensive look at das Heer, or the German Army, as it evolved during the Second World War. In particular the book concentrates on the origins of the German Army in the post-Versailles Treaty era and its resurgence under the Nazi regime; training and organisation during the war years; equipment, vehicles and weapons; uniforms, ranks and insignia etc. The author also describes the parts played by the Waffen-SS and the airborne arm of the service, the Fallschirmjäger. Although neither force was strictly army, both fought as ground troops under Army commanders. Numerous historic original recordings, drawings and tables illustrate the work.

Paperback, 19.4 x 26.2 cm, 216 pages, over 200 b/w illustrations