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Hitler's Bandit Hunters: The SS and the Nazi Occupation of Europe | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip W. Blood
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $12.76
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New (23) Used (9) from $10.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 757421
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 440
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 159797157X
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9781597971577
ASIN: 159797157X
Publication Date: January 9, 2008
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
In August 1942, Hitler directed all German state institutions to assist Heinrich Himmler, the chief of the SS and the German police, in eradicating armed resistance in the newly occupied territories of Eastern Europe and Russia. The directive for “combating banditry” (Bandenbekämpfung), became the third component of the Nazi regime’s three-part strategy for German national security, with genocide (Endlösung der Judenfrage, or “the Final Solution of the Jewish Question”) and slave labor (Erfassung, or “Registration of Persons to Hard Labor”) being the better-known others.
An original and thought-provoking work grounded in extensive research in German archives, Hitler’s Bandit Hunters focuses on this counterinsurgency campaign, the anvil of Hitler’s crusade for empire. Bandenbekämpfung portrayed insurgents as political and racial bandits, criminalized to a greater degree than enemies of the state; moreover, violence against them was not constrained by the prevailing laws of warfare.
Philip Blood explains how German forces embraced the Bandenbekämpfung doctrine, demonstrating the equal culpability of both the SS police forces and the “heroic” Waffen-SS combat arm and shattering the contrived postwar distinctions between them. He challenges the traditional view of Himmler as an armchair general and bureaucrat, exposing him as the driving force behind one of the most successful security campaigns in history, and delves into the contentious issue of the complicity of ordinary German police, soldiers, and citizens, as well as the citizens of occupied territories, in these state-sponsored manhunts. This book provokes new debates on the Nazi terrorization of Europe, the blind acquiescence of many, and the courageous resistance of the few.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Much More Than Anyone Needs to Know April 1, 2008
The problem with the book from the gitgo is that it was a doctoral thesis and wasn't redacted by anyone who understood what a good history should read like. You better like long, real long (23 letters or more) german words that are repeated 'ad nauseum'. In most books, at some point the author will use an abbreviation for long words that are constantly repeated. But, like a kid writing a term paper, Blood repeats these words over and over, so that they interfere with the reading of the book. He also spends way to much time explaining justifications by the people in the book and then sometimes repeats them again in later chapters.
Questions also come up as to 'who' published this book. Who is/are "The Association of the United States Army (AUSA)" and "Potomac Books".
According to Wikipedia, AUSA is open to everyone and AUSA official mission is threefold:
1. Being the voice for all components of America's Army
2. Fostering public support of the Army's role in national security
3. Providing professional education and information programs
Makes them sound like a cold war, CIA front, maybe they still are
Potomac Books publishes histories of military battles and figures and sport figures.
Again the questions to ask is: These sound like such right of center organizations, patriotic and pro-USA; so why is this book printed in
CANADA?
A good examination of SS actions April 1, 2008
This book is a good examination of the actions of the SS and Waffen-SS and their criminal actions on the Eastern Front.
It vividly shows that the SS was not the innocent organisation that it has sought to portray itself as after the war.
The Waffen-SS is also indicted in this in depth study. This book goes hand in hand with Valhalla's Warriors by Goldsworthy in showing the true depth of criminality of the Waffen-SS.
Buy it, you won't regret it.
Dry Reading August 22, 2007
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a well researched book. If you desire information on the connection between ideologue and practice within the demented regime of Hitler's Third Reich, this work certainly fills the bill. It is rather dry reading. By that I mean, the flow of the information is sometimes overwhelming in detail and difficult to comprehend especially since the book lacks maps to show where the actions are taking place. The author includes a nice reference list of terms used and personalities involved. I found myself constantly checking these reference to ensure understanding. It is a labor to read and it took me well beyond the normal time I spend on a book to complete. It remains, however, the best book available on the brutality of Hitler and his followers. I left with a better appreciation of the planning and control the Germans employed to rid the conquered areas of those they considered hinderances to their dream of a new Germania. The cold blooded manner in which people and their possessions are handled brings a chill to your spine. How can human beings be so insensitive? Read the book to appreciate how man can inflict untold suffering on his fellow man without so much as a sigh of regret.
 A recommended pick for libraries seeking a scholarly reference. February 9, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Libraries strong in World War II history will find this an in-depth and detailed examination of Bandenbekampfung, a team which represented the German approach to security in occupied areas during World War II. Special military libraries will find the detail and depth satisfying and unique, with documentary and oral evidence considering policies, structures, and politics like. HITLER'S BANDIT HUNTERS: THE SS AND THE NAZI OCCUPATION OF EUROPE offers far more insight and detail than a more casual examination, making it a recommended pick for libraries seeking a scholarly reference.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Analyzing German anti-guerilla campaigns in Poland/Russia December 18, 2006
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
One of the longstanding beliefs of World War II has been the separation between the Waffen-SS, an elite combat arm, and the SS Police Forces who are blamed for deliberate killings, concentration camps, etc. In this book the author examines the actions of the two SS groups in fighting the guerilla forces left behind as the Soviet armies retreated into the Soviet Union.
His conclusion is that the two forces were not nearly so separate as the post war stories would have you believe. He points out that 'across all the years of research, no examples were found of SS officers refusing to participate in crimes, or to refuse medals for having so participated.
As an secondary point, this book discusses the techniques used in fighting irregular forces. As the US is now involved in such a campaign in Iraq, there is perhaps a lesson to be learned. On the other hand, it is not clear that the American forces could act in the way of the SS. This leaves the question open as to what to do in Iraq.
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