Black Edelweiss
Johann Voss
ISBN: 0966638980

This is the memoir of a veteran of the 6. SS-Gebirgs-Division 'Nord'. Mr Voss describes his combat experiences in Finland, the retreat from Finland and the Western Front a fluid, well written readable way (unlike dry unit histories) and explains why he decided to join the Waffen-SS instead of the Heer, namely anti-Bolshevism and the view that the Waffen-SS was a pan-European army fighting against it.

Mr Voss reconciles his justifiable pride in his comrades and his unit which fought for their country with the fact that many other less noble men of the other branches of the SS Organization running the Concentration Camps wore more or less the same uniform.

Mr Voss ends the book with the justifiable and correct fact that despite having to fight for the corrupt Berlin gang, the youthful patriotic sacrifice of his comrades is something that each nation much have.

The excellent combat descriptions might have had something to do with the author writing the book in US captivity just after the war, when memories were still fresh, added on by the excellent English translation. The maps by Tom Houlihan were simple and helps to understand the military situation better than other much complicated ones in unit histories.

Overall the book is well written, honest, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Waffen-SS or the German side of the war.

K