"[This book] is an authoritative account of Hitler's private army. Every aspect of the SS is examined in full: its units and their battles, the foreign legions, the various non-military departments, and the key figures who led formations in the field and oversaw internal affairs within Nazi Germany, such as Heinrich Himmler, 'Sepp' Dietrich and Kurt Meyer. In addition, the questions of atrocities committed against prisoners and civilians, and the SS's role in the concentration camp system, are addressed in full. The appendix includes biographies of some of the more notorious SS members, such as Adolf Eichmann, and Reinhard Heydrich. Ranging from its post-World War I origins to the fall of Berlin, the book will be of interest to both the student of military history and the general reader."--Publisher description.