Product Description

The only two divisions in the German Army that bore Hitler's name formed his I SS Panzer Corps. This is the story of their participation in the Battle of Normandy. Michael Reynolds has meticulously researched the battles between these young Waffen-SS soldiers and their Allied adversaries. He brings a new balance to the overall picture and uniquely qualifies 'the enemy' in each action, dissecting the British disasters at Villers-Bocage and in Operation GOODWOOD, describing the desperate effort of the Americans to stem the German counter-attack at Mortain and detailing the costly advances of the Canadians and Poles as they moved to trap the Germans. Major General Reynolds lays forever to rest the myth that these two remarkable Waffen-SS divisions were annihilated in Normandy, and concludes that we may not see their like again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #519927 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

Review
'I have never read anything so good on this subject by a foreign military historian.' Hubert Meyer, 1944 Chief of Staff of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend

From the Publisher
Steel Inferno - 1st SS Panzer Corps in Normandy
Only two German Divisions in World War II bore Hitler's name - the 1st SS Panzer Division, Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler and the 12th SS Panzer Division, Hitlerjugend. This authoritative account describes the tactical battles in Normandy between the young Waffen-SS soldiers of these elite divisions and their British, Canadian, Polish and US opponents.

About the Author
Sandhurst-trained Major General Michael Reynolds CB retired from the British Army in 1986 after a distinguished military career during which he commanded at every level from infantry platoon in the Korean War to international Division. He is one of a rare group of men who have commanded American, British, Canadian and German soldiers. He lives in East Sussex.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating book
This is a quite detailed account of 1st SS panzercorps exploits in Normandy, and as such is not for the faint hearted. Reynolds is a thorough researcher and presents his material with great authority. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and found some of his conclusions very enlightening. However, the subject is quite complex with the various units of the corps often being widely dispersed, and somehow Reynolds fails to string the story together. As a consequence I found myself repeatedly having to go back to bits I had read previously to pick up the plot. This is a shame as this was one of the main strengths of his previous book on Jochen Peiper's kampfgruppe in the Ardennes - a coherent thread of a story. Another critisism is the lack of detailed maps (when will military authors realise a picture [map] is worth a thousand words?). Despite the above minor gripes I would still strongly recomend this book to the serious military enthusiast.