The Waffen-SS was the military wing of Heinrich Himmler's SS and one of the most feared combat organizations of the twentieth century. During its short history, the elite divisions of the Waffen-SS acquired a reputation for military excellence, but their superb battlefield record was matched by their repeated atrocities against soldiers and civilians alike. The Waffen-SS was always more than just a simple combat force. Himmler envisaged it acting as the vanguard for a Pan-Germanic empire under the control of Europe's Aryan peoples. He actively sought out racially acceptable recruits from across the continent, ultimately transforming the Führer's protection squad into a vast multinational army with 900,000 men passing through its ranks. The role of the Waffen-SS in furthering the aims of the Third Reich is the central theme of this portrayal of Adolf Hitler's political soldiers. In this definitive single-volume history, the author considers the contribution of foreign troops to the Waffen-SS, examines its specialist training and ideological outlook, and describes the battles and campaigns that brought it both frame and notoriety. -- Dust jacket flap.