Totenkopf Archives
The 3. SS-Panzer-Division “Totenkopf” is marked by its dark origins, its first elements come from the regiments (7-Standarten) in charge of guarding concentration camps. Moreover, the division’s military beginnings in 1940 were mediocre, the military training of its soldiers and officers was insufficient, and the division committed several war crimes (including that of Paradise) and a massacre of civilians (see Aubigny, village martyr in this volume). However, from Operation Barbarossa in the summer of 1941, with a partly new recruitment , and the experience acquired, the Totenkopf proved itself and
demonstrated, until 8 May 1945, that it was a particularly solid unit, one of the most reliable in the entire German army. It will suffer terrible losses but will always maintain its positions in the worst conditions with incredible scores in battle. She will never give in. The constant influx of new recruits did not diminish its military qualities.
After the rapid exhaustion of the historical volume devoted to the Totenkopf, this complementary volume brought new photos, documents and information. In addition, “the author presents the background of the 259 officers who served in this unit who passed through the concentration camps, some of whom were convicted and executed. These documents also show that the mass of soldiers in this division had nothing to do with the men who passed through the concentration camp system. Thousands of them perished on the Eastern Front in apocalyptic battles. This new volume is a contribution to the history of a unit that has not been known until now.
Editions Heimdal Charles Trang 9782840482673
