SS Foreign Divisions & Volunteers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia 1941-1945

Published on
Review Author(s)
Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
ISBN
9781399012980
Other Publication Information
Soft bounds, 119 pages plus 9 pages for notes. 161 photographs, all in black and white
MSRP
$22.95
Product / Stock #
Images of War Series
Provided by: Casemate Publishers - Website: Visit Site

The book is part of The Images of War series published by Pen and Sword Ltd. The book is divided into four chapters and three Appendixes with 9 pages at the end to allow notes by the reader. The first chapter deals with Invasion and occupation in 1941-1942 of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The second chapter talks about foreign recruitment. The last two chapters deal with the last years of the units, and the final end of the units. The first appendix is the Order of Battle of the units. Appendix two describes the Army Group North during June 1944, and finally the last appendix describes the formation of Army Detachment “Narva.”

The text shows how the Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia units were created and where they served during WWII. The only country out of the three that had no plans to provide the Germans with a National Legion was Lithuania. They were the ones with the least number of volunteers. In the case of Latvia and Estonia it was different. They provided volunteers to the Germans and the idea behind it was that once the Russians would have been forced to leave their country, they would have become a free and independent country. This would never take place, as once the Russian were expelled the countries became part of the Greater Reich.

Except for the pages dedicated to the explanation, description of the units, training and combat actions, the book is full of pictures. The reader will be able to see the troops in all situations, using different Weapons and equipment. The photos description is interesting and informative. There are several of instances in which one can see that the photos are in sequence, yet this does not detract from the overall presentation of the subject matter. Although I have seen many of photos from WWII, I have to admit that these are new to me. The author has done a very good job of selecting photos that are both interesting and informative. Even though, the written sections of the chapters are relatively short, the information given does suffice for the subject matter. Overall, I was satisfied with the book and as a lover of history, I really enjoyed the book.

Many thanks to Pen and Sword and Casemate Publishers for the opportunity to review the book.

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