Lehmann, R. Die Leibstandarte. 5 Bände

Founded in March 1933 as the Stabswache Berlin, the unit was renamed the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, or LSSAH or LAH for short, in September 1933. Initially, it had guard and representative duties to fulfil. In 1934 and 1935, the "Leibstandarte", together with the "Politische Bereitschaften" and the "kasernierte Hundertschaften", was expanded to become the SS's "Verfügungstruppe". In the event of war, it was to be "at the disposal" of the Wehrmacht. At the beginning of the war, it was still a regiment, but it was constantly expanded and strengthened, and from October 1943 it was called the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler".

The comprehensive, long out-of-print history of the division by Rudolf Lehmann - himself a Knight's Cross holder of the "Leibstandarte" - is now available in a new edition. The work deals with the formation, organisation, tasks and operations of the LAH from 1933 to 1945. During the war, the unit fought in Poland in 1939, in the West in 1940, in the Balkans and in the southern section of the Eastern Front in 1941. The "Leibstandarte" advanced as far as Rostov-on-Don and defended the front on the Mius in the winter of 1941/42. Reorganised in 1942 in France to the Panzergrenadier Division, it returned to the Eastern Front in the winter of 1942/43 and was involved in the recapture of Kharkov. Deployed in the "Citadel" operation against the Kursk Front Arc in the summer of 1943, the LAH was subsequently transferred to Italy. Hard defensive battles followed in the Ukraine in 1943/44, on the invasion front in 1944, and a last stand in the Battle of the Bulge. After the failed recapture of Budapest in 1945, the "Leibstandarte" covered the retreat of German troops to the territory of the Reich. Richly illustrated with documents, maps and photographs, the account also captivates the reader with numerous accounts of the experiences of its soldiers, authentically portraying the drama and horror of the battles.