In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard. Originally labelled the 'Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler,' they later became known as the SS - Schutz Staffeln. From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to the strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945.

The Waffen-SS grew from a handful of obscure infantry battalions in 1939, to a force of more than 30 divisions by the end of World War II, including units of every type and every level of battlefield value. The mid-war divisions covered in this third title represent that range, from some of the most effective German and Western European volunteer formations - e.g. the 12. SS-Pz Div 'Hitlerjugend', and the Scandinavians and Dutchmen of the 11. 'Nordland' and 23. 'Nederland' divisions - to the Bosnian Muslims of the anti-partisan 13. 'Handschar' Division. Illustrated with rare photographs from private collections and meticulous colour artwork, the text details their organization, uniforms and insignia, and summarizes their battle records.