This book, The History of the Fallschirmpanzerkorps Hermann Göring: Soldiers of the Reichsmarschall, covers the history of the Hermann Göring units from their humble beginning as the Polizeiabteilung Wecke until the end of the war when it had evolved into the Fallschirmpanzerkorps Hermann Göring. The coverage of the pre-war activities are detailed and includes information of organization and guard duties as well as information on the march into Austria and the annexation of Bohemia and Moravia. The coverage of the war years begin with the anti-aircraft duties and interesting accounts of the HG soldiers taking part in the invasion of Norway and later France before moving to the invasion of the USSR. Next the fighting in Africa is covered and then the part played by the HG troops in Italy is covered in great detail. Finally the formation of the Fallschirmpanzerkorps is covered along with the fighting in the east during the final months of the war.

The book is divided into thirteen sections that you can find below:
I. Peacetime
II. The General Göring Regiment at war
III. The intervening period
IV. The African theatre
V. Gateway to Fortress Europe
VI. Battle zone Italy
VII. The western theatre
VIII. The war in the east - a general summary
IX. Formation of the Hermann Göring Parachute-Panzer Corps
X. The Hermann Göring Parachute-Panzer-Replacement and Training Brigade
XI. Decision in the east
XII. The Hermann Göring Parachute-Panzer Corps
XIII. Appendices

The appendices include a timeline of the evolution of the HG units from Polizeiabteilung z.b.V. Wecke until the formation of Fallschirmpanzerkorps Hermann Göring, a list of the commanders, the winners of the German Cross and Knight's Cross. It also includes information of the parachute forces at the end of the war and copies of period documents, including leaflets directed at soldiers of the HG units by the allied.

There are a lot of very interesting accounts of small unit actions from the men that took part, and though the wealth of detail provided can cause the book to be a slow read a times it also provides an excellent feel for both the individual actions and how the HG units (and German units in general for that matter) fought. It includes a large number of tables showing the organization, equipment and commanders of the HG units at different points in time. The maps in the book are generally of very good quality and are helpful when following the fighting described in the book.

The more than 50 pages of great quality photos includes some excellent ones of soldiers in the black Luftwaffe panzer uniforms as well as a very interesting photo of Oberst Meter-Schewe taken post-war that provides a excellent view of the denazified versions of awards such as the Iron Cross, Knight's Cross and German Cross.

My only complaint (and it is a very minor one) is that Hermann Göring is misspelled "Herman" on the spine of the book. A bonus would have been information and photos of the unique insigna worn by the HG units as well.

This excellent book is the one you should buy if you are looking for a very detailed history of the HG units, however if you are interested in things such as uniforms, vehicle markings or flags, I suggest you buy Hermann Göring: From Regiment to Fallschirmpanzerkorps by Roger James Bender & George A. Petersen instead.

(Reviewed by Marcus Wendel)