JOCHEN PEIPER

Superb, definitive and thoroughly-researched biography of one of Germany's foremost Panzer commanders. An excellent soldier and tactician, Jochen Peiper always led from the front and by example. He was revered by his men, and the exploits of his armoured infantry battalion of the 1.SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" are legendary. After the Battle of Kursk, he became the commander of the Panzerregiment. He and his units fought at all the hot spots of the European theatre: Russia (1941, Kharkov, Kursk, Korsun Pocket), Normandy, Ardennes Offensive, Hungary 1945 and the last battles in Austria. Unjustly sentenced to death for the Malmedy incident, he spent many years in prison. After being released, he was always hounded by the Malmedy spectre. After moving to Traves, France, his home was attacked at night and set on fire by suspected French Communists. Jochen Peiper died inside his house when it collapsed as he tried to save his documents. This book documents the life of Peiper with 670 pages, including more than 850 photographs and thirty pages of documents. It is also an excellent record of the history of the premier division of the Waffen-SS, the "LSSAH", and the personal careers of many Waffen-SS soldiers and recipients of Germany's higher combat awards. The majority of the photographs are either new or rare and have been reproduced on glossy acid-free paper. Fantastic black and white photographs of Tiger II and other German AFVs! A quality Fedorowicz publication.