Massimiliano Afiero

As nuts-and-bolts military history, I really have no complaints about this booklet, which deals with two of the better regarded volunteer units recruited from countries occupied by the Third Reich for their ostensible "crusade" against International Bolshevism. That said, and keeping in mind that political commentary is not the point here, the author is remarkably bland in talking about the character of Leon Degrelle. This man was the driving force behind the so-called "Walloon Legion," and who worked very hard indeed to make himself indispensable to the Third Reich. To keep it short and to the point, Degrelle seems to have been the sort of individual who gives unfettered opportunism a bad name. This can be compared to Stephen M. Cullen's companion booklet in this series on the security troops of Vichy France, and who found ways to talk forthrightly about French fascist ideology in a critical, yet controlled, fashion.… (plus d'informations)

The 6th Waffen-SS, Gebirgs (Mountain) Division Nord was the first book I have purchased and read by author Massimiliano Afiero. I am reviewing his works as a “noob’ here, as this is the first and only of his works I have read. A quick search on Amazon shows that he has written much material on World War II from the German perspective. This particular book is part of a series from the publisher and the author on several, but not all of the divisions of the Waffen-SS.

The book is basically a chronological history of the unit from their formation, through their service in the Arctic region of Finland, and ending with their break up and end in May of 1945. The author provides much detail into the battles and operations of the Division, orders of battle and location at any given time. Also included in the appendix is information on awards and the reports leading to those awards for some of the recipients. Just about every page of the book has a picture of the unit, or a map of the area referenced in the narrative.

Pros: Detail, detail and more detail. There is a lot of information packed into this 184 page book. For those who are not aware, these are oversized books measuring 12+ inches by 9+ inches. Its more like a curl up at home and read book rather than a waiting in an airport for your next flight book. The size is neither a pro or con to me, but I thought it deserved a mention.

Cons: While the author provides many maps, they can be small and hard to read. I feel they should have been given at least a half page to a full page layout to help the reader, as maps are essential to follow any war narrative with soldiers on the move and allow the reader to follow along.

The book is an overall positive in my opinion. I do not give it the maximum amount of stars due to the maps presentation noted previously, but overall, this should not detract you from purchasing the book. It is a recommended read for those researching this particular unit.… (plus d'informations)