Holztraeger, Hans. (Translated by C.F. Colton.) In a Raging Inferno: Combat Units of the Hitler Youth, 1944-45. Solihull, England: Helion & Company, 2000

ISBN 1-874622-60-4
147 pages

Publisher's Note; Foreword; Introduction; photos; maps; color plates; Appendices; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index

   This oversized volume with four pages of color plates illustrating uniforms of the Hitler Youth, plus many black-and-white photos, covers combat operations of the Hitler Youth both inside and outside Germany on battlefields ranging from Transylvania to Berlin to the Rhine. Holztraeger describes how the Hitler Youth were committed to battle, with which units they fought, and a great deal of detail about specific actions and individuals. Also includes a chronology, eye-witness accounts of Hitler Youth in combat, reports of crimes committed by Hitler Youth, assorted wartime documents pertaining to the Hitler Youth, and propaganda leaflets.

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Zoepf, Wolf T. Seven Days in January with the 6th SS-Mountain Division in Operation Nordwind. Bedford, PA: Aberjona Publishing, 2001

ISBN 0-9666389-6-4
299 pages

Foreword; Acknowledgments; Editor's Note; Guide to Tactical Unit Symbols; maps; Editor's Epilogue; Rank Equivalences; Notes; Bibliography; Index

   Unlike the other three books covered here, Zoepf gives a first-person account of combat. The author was a battalion adjutant in SS-Mountain Regiment 12 of the 6th SS-Mountain Division, and he tells of a few action-packed days in Operation Nordwind when his unit attacked and held the town of Wingen against heavy odds. In the end, Zoepf was wounded and captured. A fine story by someone who tells all the nitty-gritty of this desperate action, all the while framing the engagement in the larger perspective of what was happening at higher headquarters and elsewhere during the German counter-offensive. All includes fifty pages about the division and the author in Finland during 1941-1944.

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Jentz, Thomas L. Germany's Tiger Tanks Series: Tigers at the Front. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001

ISBN 0-7643-1339-8
208 pages

Introduction; photos

   This volume is the fourth in Jentz's Germany's Tiger Tanks series. (See also Germany's Tiger Tanks, volume 1: D.W. to Tiger I, Germany's Tiger Tanks, volume 2: VK45.02 to Tiger II, and Germany's Tiger Tanks, volume 3: Tiger I & II: Combat Tactics.) Alone among the others in the series—and alone among the four books discussed here—this volume is strictly a book of photos and captions, with only a brief introduction and no other text. The photos are grouped into several sections based on geographical employment of the Tigers and the Tiger type. These include Tunisia and Sicily, Tiger I on the Eastern Front, Tiger II on the Western Front, and so on. Some great photos.

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Bando, Mark. 101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles at Normandy. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company, 2001

ISBN 0-7603-0855-1
156 pages

Preface; Glossary; photos; maps; documents; Index

   After three titles from the German perspective, here's one about Yanks in combat. Mark Bando seems intent on specializing in the 101st Airborne the way Danny Parker has specialized in the Battle of the Bulge. (See also Bando's The 101st Airborne at Normandy and The 101st Airborne: From Holland to Hitler's Eagle's Nest.) That's a noble goal, and this book on the 101st is his best yet, presenting a great deal of information on planning, tactics, equipment, battles, individual paratroopers, and even "Saving Sergeant Niland: The Real Story Behind the Film Saving Private Ryan." Thoroughly but not overwhelmingly illustrated with informatively captioned photos (including some in color). Very attractively laid out. Overall, Bando's latest proves not everything had already been written about the 101st in Normandy.

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   All of these books are recommended, and all are available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from the publishers.
   Thanks to the publishers for providing these review copies.