The Order of Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS

The author has drawn on primary historical sources in the form of secret SS archives, confidential papers and diaries and hundreds of personal interviews to reveal that the SS was not directed by some devilishly efficient system, but was the product of accident, inevitability and the grouping together of criminals, place-seekers and romanticists. 'A monumental achievement' - New York Times Review of Books -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The SS was the terror of Europe. Swearing eternal allegiance to Adolf Hitler, it infiltrated every aspect of German life and was responsible for the deaths of millions. This gripping history recounts the strange and, at times, absurd true story of Hitler's SS. It exposes an organization that was not directed by some devilishly efficient system but was the product of accident, inevitability, and the random convergence of criminals, social climbers, and romantics. Above all, this eye-opening book describes in fascinating detail the chaotic political conditions that allowed the SS-despite rivalries and bizarre conditions-to assume and exercise unaccountable power.