Oskar Dirlewanger

Through the utilization of source material from a dozen archives in four countries, author Soraya Kuklinska has produced the definitive biography of Nazi war criminal Oskar Dirlewanger. Oskar Dirlewanger is one of the most reviled war criminals in history. A tall, gaunt, ghoulish-looking man, he commanded a penal unit of the Waffen-SS. The Sonderkommando "Dirlewanger" grew from a company of men previously jailed for poaching into a formation of thousands, the majority of whom were former concentration camp inmates. Ranks comprised a diverse array of convicted persons, ranging from soldiers who committed minor breaches of discipline, to political prisoners, to foreign prisoners of war, to eventually even murderers and rapists. Dr. Soraya Kuklinska has combed through a mountain of source material related to Dirlewanger in critical detail. This includes images, 100 of which are included in this book. The work answers the decades-old questions about Dirlewanger's character and personality, his life, and his death. Further, the book provides new insight into who the men who served under him were, and how they conducted themselves on campaign.