In Nazi Germany the SS was an instrument of terror and repression. This powerful spearhead was known as the Waffen-SS. A hand-picked elite of magnificent fighting men whose courage was outstanding, but also a force of cruel fanatics capable of hideous atrocities against all accepted rules of warfare. This detailed history looks at both faces of the SS formations, giving a vivid picture of the diabolical architects of the world's most terrible private army ' Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.