SCHIFFER MILITARY HISTORY – serie

The story of Hanns Scharff, the master interrogator of the Luftwaffe who questioned captured American fighter pilots of the USAAF Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in World War II.

This is a brutal story – but, from the safety of fifty years distance in time – it is an extremely compelling one. It is also an enduring lesson that a military unit, formed under an evil ideology, led by a social outcast and composed of vicious criminals, will sink to its lowest common denominator – hate. The Dirlewanger Battalion, also known as “Sonderkommando (special commando) Dirlewanger” was perhaps the least understood, but at the same time the most notorious German SS anti-partisan unit in World War II. German propaganda correspondents and wartime photographers did not follow them in action. And for good reason. Wherever the Dirlewanger unit – named for and led by Oskar Dirlewanger – operated, corruption and rape formed an every-day part of life and indiscriminate slaughter, beatings and looting were rife. Formed as a battalion of convicted poachers in 1940, the unit operated in Poland until 1942, guarding Jews in forced labor camps and making life miserable for Poles in Lublin and Cracow. From there Dirlewanger spent two years combating partisans in central Russia, giving no quarter and expecting none in return, during vicious fighting against an elusive foe in the midst of inhospitable swamps and dismal forests. In 1944 Dirlewanger savaged Warsaw during the Polish Uprising, before moving to Slovakia to crush another rebellion there. The end of the war saw the unit, which was now a division in size, fighting for its life south of Berlin against the Soviet Army. Medieval in their outlook on war and certainly not indicative of many German military formations, this unit none-the-less remains a reflection of a segment of mankind gone mad in the inferno of World War II on the eastern front. Size: 6" x 9" over 50 b/w photographs, maps, fully annotated

This new, extensively researched volume is a comprehensive guide to the history, development, wear, and use of uniforms and equipment during America's involvement in the Vietnam War. Included are insignia, headgear, camouflage uniforms, experimental items, modified items, flak armor, boots, clothing accessories, paper items and personal items from the year 1965 to 1971, all examined in great detail. Using re-constructed photos the author recreates the look and appearance of the American Soldier in Vietnam. Rangers, medics, scouts, RTO’s, machine gunners, Pathfinders, and riflemen are all here and accompanied by detailed text. For the first time, see easily recognizable dating system used by the U.S. Government supply system to date the items on the manufacturer tag. A helpful appendix shows, for the first time ever, all forms of post war gear such as ALICE and camouflage like BDUs and the Rapid Deployment Force pattern, and all those that were never used in South East Asia during the Vietnam War. Included is also an easy to follow, detailed description of each item along with a comparison showing the actual wartime produced item side by side with the undesirable so the collector/Historian/Re-Enactor will never make the mistake of utilizing Post War Produced items again. Packed with over 500 detailed color photographs, and over 100 never before seen original photos from veterans, as well as many close-ups, this book fills an important gap in the collectors reference library and will be invaluable for collectors, living historians, re-enactors, modelers, curators, and artists alike.