The Waffen-SS in Normandy, 1944: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

By 1944, Waffen SS units had become the German Army's fire brigades. They responded to a variety of military crises on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Army. In June 1944, they would respond to the Allied invasion of occupied France. This Images of War publication has the story in pictures.Author Ian Baxter provides a concise narrative to stitch together a fascinating variety of images taken in Normandy. The Waffen SS units ended up fighting the British and Canadian armies to a standstill in the vicinity of the city of Caen, but at the cost of the nearly complete destruction of these units.The images themselves are a fascinating variety of formal and informal situations. They depict units on the move and also camouflaged in place. There are formal and informal portraits of various leaders. Perhaps most moving, they capture some incredibly young soldiers going about the business of war. Well recommended to students of the conflict.