Afiero, Massimiliano/Bujeiro, Ramiro (Illustr.) The SS "Wiking" Division in World War II

The Wiking Division, one of the most famous divisions of the Waffen-SS, was the first to officially accept non-German volunteers at full strength. It participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, making rapid advances until the Wehrmacht was halted in November of that year. In 1942, the division participated in the German advance in the southeast before spending the winter in the Caucasus. The Red Army's victory at Stalingrad in February 1943 led to a large-scale German retreat into Ukraine. By January 1944, the Wiking Division was encircled in the Cherkassy Pocket (also known as Korsun), from which it led the breakout the following month. In August of that year, reconstituted as a Panzer division, the Wiking Division was back in action in Warsaw. In December, the division was sent towards besieged Budapest but was repulsed in early 1945. After another defeat in March, the Wiking Division withdrew to Austria. The remnants surrendered in May. All aspects of the division's combat operations are described and illustrated in this study, taking into account the latest research findings. Eight specially commissioned color illustrations depict the uniforms, personal equipment, weapons, key figures, and insignia of this feared Waffen-SS division during the Second World War.