The Allgemeine-SS (Men-At-Arms Series, 266) (Men-at-Arms, 266)

THE ALLGEMEINE-SS is yet another entry in Osprey Publishing's successful and seemingly endless series of handy-reference booklets on all subjects World War II. Although little more than an extended pamphlet in terms of length, like all of Osprey's books it manages to stuff an impressive amount of information and a hell of a lot of illustration into just shy of 50 pages. It makes for an eye-pleasing and easy read, and more importantly, a super-convenient reference manual.The Allgemeine (or "General") SS is a sadly neglected subject, standing as it does in the long shadows cast by the other, more toothly branches of Heinrich Himmler's sprawling organization, most notably Security Service and the Waffen-SS; yet it is the Allgemeine-SS, and not these later-comers, which gave the organization the distinctive "black-clad" character which it is still associated with today, and (despite what Hollywood would tell you) it is only the Allgemeine SS who continued to wear notoriously beautiful and ultra-distinctive all-black uniform until the end of the war.As the name implies, the General SS was made up of all SS men who were not part of the "full-time" (that is to say, paid) members of the organization - in other words, all SS men who had not been selected to serve as SS combat soldiers, concentration camp staff or security personnel. Except for their seniormost officers they were unarmed, part-time volunteers, who periodically traded in their civilian clothes for black uniforms and jackboots when so ordered, lending their hands as police auxiliaries, security officers, collectors for Winter Relief, etc. The General SS was a large, popular and highly selective organization in peacetime, turning down about 90 of every 100 applicants and stressing rigid adherence to National Socialist ideology and racial purity. When the war came, however, the vast majority of the General SS (being mostly fit young men) were either drafted into the regular army services or transferred into the Waffen-SS, trading in their black uniforms for the field gray of wartime. Though vastly reduced in numbers, however, Lumsden smashes the myth that this outfit and its famous black getup disappeared into the ether after 1939, pointing out that as late as 1944 some 40,000 men, exempt from the draft because of age, wounds or other infirmities, continued to serve as representatives of the "black SS."Lumsden is terse but efficient in overviewing the organization. He briefly but thoroughly explains the history, mission, organization, uniforms, recruitment standards, symbolism and ideology of the General SS, adducing a number of photos as he goes, but relying mainly on attractive illustrations by Paul Hannon to show the many variations of the infamous black uniform, from the regular service getup to the astonishing English-cut dinner jacket, from the silver-buttoned overcoat to the white-jacketed summer dress. Lumsden may not have much room to work with, but he manages to stuff information and illustration from cover to cover, and will leave even knowledgeable readers with a better understanding of the subject than whence they came.To sum up: the ALLGEMEINE-SS is by no means the end-all on this complex and ill-explored subject, but it makes for a very fine beginning.

Helpful "cliff notes" for the topic describing a complex organization, which, to some extent, was convoluted by design.

this book look at the unpaid volunteers of the SS that had little to do with the horror of the final solution but were older or physically unfit German citizens that wish to serve they country.

OK

Basic information about the sinister and black clad soldiers of the nazi party. Must read for historians, modellers and militaria collectors alike.

Bella collana ben fatta con illustrazioni uniformi disegnate bene