Book #1 of the Time Life Series, "The Third Reich." I read this after reading Book #4 of the series, "Wolf Packs." Since then, I had been impressed by the research, organization, and source material used, along with the outstanding black and white and color photographs used throughout the series. My goal is now to read the entire 21 Volumn series.
This book focuses on the birth and history of the Schutzstaffel or SS. It provides the reader a broad view of how they came about under Himmler's stewardship since the 1920's through the end of the war in 1945. It provides insight into how Germany created so many different divisions of the SS such as the Waffen-SS, and the Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler SS (body guards of Hitler).
It tracks key leaders within the various SS divisions, and also some of the war atrocities performed by the SS that had a negative impact on them during the Nuremburg trials after Germany's defeat. It touches some on the occultic interests of Himmler and devotes a few paragraphs to Wewelsburg Castle, and how Himmler dreamed of having a SS training school there.