For the Homeland: The 31st Waffen-SS Volunteer Grenadier Division in World War II (Stackpole Military History Series)

The five star rating is conditional. If you're a researcher or a keen student who wants to know as much of the war as possible then this book is clearly five stars. On the other hand, if you're a casual reader you will probably think this book as dry and difficult and rate it lower.For me, this book was the lucky find of the year for the coverage dovetails closely with the two books currently being studied. The first book is "Last Laurels" which covers the German defense of its critical industrial and mining region in Upper Silesia. The second book is "Drama Between Budapest and Vienna" which mainly covers the fighting in the Budapest - Lake Balaton sector. The reviewed book predominantly covers two areas: the German defense south of Lake Balaton, near the Hungarian southern border and the Lower Silesia area. The other two books don't cover these areas so you will learn a lot about not only the 31st SS Division but also about Army Group South, Army Group F as well as some coverage of the actions of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts as they push the Germans westward.The story begins in late 1944 with the SS traveling throughout Europe looking for volunteers to bolster their dwindling numbers. Hungary was especially targeted for it had a large population of Germans living there. The 31st Waffen-SS Volunteer Grenadier Division was formed from many of these volunteers. It also consisted of the remnants of the 23rd Waffen-Gebirgs Division. After a brief history of the 23rd the story jumps back to the 31st SS with a detailed Order of Battle. The division was activated in October 1944 and was on the front line by November; there was just enough time to hand out uniforms and weapons but none for training.After describing the conditions in the area (Northwest Rumania and Southwest Hungary) of what the new division would be facing, the author begins the battle action of the 31st SS Division as it deploys along the western bank of the Danube, a little north of the Drau River. They were with the Brandenburgs, the 1st Gebj Div and Group Hanke trying to keep the 3rd UF from crossing the River. For the next five weeks, reaching into the first week of December, the author describes the failed attempt to hold the River and the subsequent retreat northward to Lake Balaton. These German units and especially the 31st SS took heavy casualties against a far superior force. There is a series of six maps that reflect this fighting. The maps are very basic but effective.At the end of the year the 31st SS Div was pulled out of the line for refit and then redeployed in late February to Lower Silesia. For the month of March, the division defended the line north and northeast of Hirschberg and Bad Warmbunn. By April, they were defending in the Strehlin area but still losing traction but not as quickly. By May the division was near the Czech border and fighting partisans that turned on Germany after six years of loyalty to the Axis. I won't spoil the ending but it was not a happy one for the 31st SS Division. The author provides another five simple maps to cover the Lower Silesia fighting.There were several secondary chapters following the operational history of the 31st SS Division. The most interesting was the chapter on the CO, Brigadefuhrer Gustav Lombard. A brief summary of his war record is given and his time as a POW in Siberia. He was released in 1955 to go back to his wife in Germany.There is a photo section of Lombard, some of his officers and men. There is also an Appendix, Endnotes, a Bibliography and Index.It appears to me Mr Pencz has done his homework and written a comprehensive story on this new, young division. He completes a competent operational history of the 31st SS Division that was defending an important but little publicized sector in the last months of the war. The author was trying to write a tribute to this forgotten Division which he did admirably but while doing so was also providing important historical data on two sectors of the Eastern Front that had been basically ignored by other historians. The author also develops the friction that occurred between AGS and AGF as well as the friction between the field commanders and Berlin. Throughout the narrative the author also weaves into the operational study, background information on the separate Regiments and Attachments of the Division and a few of its key people.For me, this was not an easy read; I know a second reading will be necessary to really appreciate everything that was discussed. I would suggest the ideal audience for this book to be researchers, avid students of the war or people with links to Hungary. Casual or new readers of the war may have difficulty maintaining an interest in juggling all the facts mentioned as well as the unfamiliar people and places that are discussed.

THIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE STACKPOLE MILITARY SERIES IS AGAIN A VALUABLE ADDITION FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN OBSCURE, OR LITTLE RESEARCHED SS DIVISIONS CREATED LATE IN THE WAR. NICELY WRITTEN BY MR. PENCZ, IT TELLS THE STORY OF THE 31ST SS MADE UP OF VOLKSDEUTSCHE (ETHNIC GERMANS) FIGHTING DESPERATELY NEAR THE END OF THE WAR. I CERTAINLY RECOMMEND YOU GIVE IT A TRY.

Received as advertised.

Excellent resource for my research of the E. front in Germany

One can feel the commitment of the author in collecting the few available informations and data about this little known Waffen SS division. Unfortunately mr Pencz in his prose is not enough authoritative. Lacking informations he must too often resort to rhetoric. Shame on Stackpole, the front cover photo (as well as 2 more photos inside) is from a reenactment.

A gift

This book gives an insight into a little known Foreign Division, from being raised, trained fighting to its final days.

Ich kenne einen Veteranen, dem ich das Buch geschenkt habe. Er konnte sich sogar noch an einzelne Gefechte erinnern, die darin beschrieben sind, und hat Tage nur mit dem Buch verbracht, obwohl er kaum Englisch kann. Inhaltlich ist das Buch an den operativen Einsatzberichten orientiert und vermittelt ein realistisches Bild von Rückzug und Niederlage Ende 44/ Anfang 45, was für unmittelbar Betroffene auch den Verlust der Heimat bedeutete. Wäre uns das nur erspart geblieben... da begreift man einmal mehr, was die Nazis angerichtet haben.

Probably the author was able to collect all possible informations -and there were not too many- about this little known Waffen SS division. Unfortunately mister Pencz seems to be not enough authoritative and so too often he must resort to rhetoric ("the soldiers fought with exemplary steadiness" and so on). Another small but annoying flaw: the front cover photo (and also 2 more photos inside) is a fake. Dear editor, readers are not stupid...

La 31.SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division est l'une des divisions plus méconnues de la Waffen-SS. Elle a été formée fin 1944 dans la région de Batschka, en Hongrie, avec des Volksdeutsche de l'endroit. L'unité n'a reçu, pendant sa brève existence, ni surnom, ni emblème distinctif, comme c'est le cas chez la majorité des autres unités de la Waffen-SS. A posteriori on l'appellera division Böhmen-Mähren (Bohême-Moravie). Dès la formation de l'unité, en septembre 1944, le recrutement n'est pas composé exclusivement d'Allemands de Hongrie puisque des Hongrois et des Allemands du Reich en font également partie. L'unité combat en Hongrie entre novembre 1944 et janvier 1945 avant d'être expédiée en Autriche après avoir subi de lourdes pertes. Remodelée sur la division type 1945, elle rejoint ensuite la 17. Armee en Silésie, région où elle combat jusqu'en mai 1945 avant d'être entièrement détruite ou capturée en Tchécoslovaquie sous les coups de l'Armée Rouge et des partisans tchèques. Elle participe notamment en mars 1945 à la contre-attaque allemande sur la petite ville de Striegau.Malheureusement l'ouvrage n'apporte pas grand chose d'utile au sujet, en raison de la partialité du propos. L'ouvrage est d'ailleurs préfacé par Otto Kumm, ancien général SS décédé en 2004, dernier commandant de la 1.SS-Panzerdivision Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, reconverti dans les affaires après la guerre et l'un des fondateurs de la grande association des vétérans de la Waffen-SS, la HIAG (démantelée en 1992). Ca donne le ton d'entrée... d'autant plus qu'on ne sait pas grand chose sur l'auteur, Rudolf Pencz, qui a plus l'air d'être un amateur passionné, un peu trop d'ailleurs...Les premiers chapitres sont les seuls intéressants : ils présentent la formation de l'unité, son recrutement et son ordre de bataille -encore que ce dernier point soit particulièrement indigeste car il est détaillé à l'extrême, sans doute trop... pour le reste, l'auteur s'appuie largement sur des témoignages de vétérans de l'unité, livrés quasiment bruts et sans commentaire critique. Les batailles elles-mêmes ne sont présentées que sous l'angle allemand, avec fort peu de considérations sur le côté soviétique. Par ailleurs, le style est très daté et touche à l'histoire-batailles ancien style, celui très critiqué dans les années 20-30 par l'Ecole des Annales en France. La typographie du livre étant petite, les chapitres se succèdent sans qu'on est l'impression de jamais en voir le bout. Les cartes sont des plus approximatives (genre croquis de situation dressé à la va-vite sur le champ de bataille) et n'aident pas à inscrire les événements abordés dans l'espace. Quant à la bibliographie, elle confirme la lecture puisqu'elle est assez ancienne, partiale (quasiment allemande à tout point de vue) et remplie d'ouvrages écrits par les Waffen-SS eux-mêmes...Enfin, et ce n'est pas une surprise au vu de ce que l'on a dit précédemment, l'auteur aime bien son sujet et n'échappe pas à l'accueil de la fascination malsaine et revendiquée pour les Waffen-SS, qui se battent pour leur patrie (voir le titre), pour leur honneur (certains passages font très "Mon honneur s'appelle fidélité"...sic), contre les innombrables hordes bolchéviques et surtout les partisans tchèques, qui réalisent un véritable carnage de Waffen-SS au moment de la capitulation (les faits sont sûrement exacts, néanmoins leur présentation est véritablement biaisée : on a l'impression que les SS n'ont rien à se reprocher, ils tiennent le rôle des gentils...). Bref, voici encore un volume qui ravira tous les aficionados de la branche armée de l'Ordre noir.Les éditions Stackpole Books se font une spécialité de ce genre d'ouvrage, qui en côtoient d'autres déjà plus intéressants. Il s'agit donc de faire le tri, à chaque fois, entre le nauséabond et le potable.