Germany's Elite Panzer Force: Grossdeutschland

London: BCA. Very Good/Very Good. 1979. Hard Cover. 8vo BCA London, reprint. Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Original cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership marks. Photographs. 152 pages clean and tight. Grossdeutschland's historic rise from an Infantry Regiment to a Panzer Corps in six years with its consequent accretion in strength brought with it new military responsibilities. The Regiment started life Changing the Guard in pre-war Berlin, was later engaged in hard and testing battles in the central and southern sectors of the Eastern Front and eventually became `Fuhrer§ fire brigade'- put in wherever the need was greatest: whether for rock-like and unyielding defence or berserker courage in attack. Progenitor of military units of outstanding and unusual abilities, Grossdeutschland and its successors never failed, even though death or wounding was the almost inevitable fate of the grenadiers, fusiliers, panzer men or SP gunners who wore the cuff band which pronounced their allegiance. The Fuhrers Escort detachment was formed out of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment as was the Kurmark Panzer Grenadier Division and the Panzer Grenadier Division Brandenburg - Germany's cloak and dagger unit. In its own way this latter was a crack unit and was selected to join with Panzer -.Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland to form the Panzer Corps of that name. Grossdeutschland and its descendants fought almost exclusively on the Eastern Front and it was in the chaos of the final days that they died - not in death or glory battles but dispersed and scattered into little groups trying to escape from the omnipresent Soviet tanks. .