A compelling illustrated account of the 'Totenkopf' Division, examining its combat operations and role within Germany's armed forces during World War II. Formed in 1939, the SS-Division 'Totenkopf' fought in France in 1940 before participating in Operation Barbarossa , Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. This book traces the division's wartime career as it evolved from being a motorized infantry division in 1940 into a Panzergrenadier division in 1942, and ultimately a full Panzer division by late 1943. Follow the division's service alongside Panzergruppe 4 where it was encircled in the Demyansk Pocket in late 1941, through to its later involvement in the occupation of Vichy France, the fighting at Kharkov and Kursk and its participation in crushing the Warsaw Uprising. The final months of combat saw 'Totenkopf' deployed in Poland and Hungary before ending the war in Austria. Drawing on the latest scholarship, experienced military historian Massimiliano Afiero examines every stage of the division's combat service. Eight plates of specially commissioned artwork depict uniforms, personal equipment, weapons, personalities and insignia relating to this notorious Waffen-SS division during World War II.