FALLSCHIRMPANZERDIVISION ‘HERMANN GÖRING’

BRUCE QUARRIE

OSPREY PUBLISHING
1978

Hermann Goring, Hitler's corpulent and sycophantic Minister of the Interior and later Reichsmarschall of the Luftwaffe, was one of those men who simply had to have a finger in every pie. The result was his creation of a Luftwaffe field unit with its own recruiting standards, training and uniform, independent of either the Army or the SS, and under Goring's personal overall command. The division had an unhappy history initially: of their fighting record in Russia in 1941, von Mellenthin says that they were 'a creation which had no sound military foundation—the rank and file paid with their lives for this absurdity'. Only after it was virtually wiped out in Tunisia in 1943 did it receive experienced leadership in the form of officers transferred from the Army. But from that date a remarkable transformation took place, and within a year it had grown to the strength and status of a fully fledged Panzer division which gave the Allies serious problems in Italy and stubbornly resisted the Russians in the closing stages of the war.

Vanguard. A series of books describing the key units and weapons systems of the Second World War, prepared by leading military experts for the enthusiast and modeller, and illustrating authentic details of uniforms, insignia, armour, and supporting vehicles, camouflage, markings and weapons.

25 x 18 cm. 40 pp + 8 colour plates.

Very good + condition. Pages slightly age toned but otherwise very clean and tidy.