Hitler's commandos

The Brandenburg Division was Hitler's special forces unit, comprised mainly of foreign nationals of German origin who used disguises and foreign language skills to undertake daring missions deep in enemy territory. The history of the division has been largely overlooked, as the stories of its members have been overshadowed by tales of their Allied counterparts, making these memoirs all the more extraordinary.

Giampietro’s highly personal and compelling memoir, first published in German in 1984, provides a vivid account of his experiences. He describes the reality of life in the unit, from daily routines and training to participation in the division's missions. He recounts in detail the often hazardous operations carried out under the command of Theodor von Hippel, including the capture of the Danube bridges at Daugavpils in June 1941 and the attempted seizure of the bridge at Bataysk, where half of his unit was killed.

Due to the extremely dangerous nature of their missions, very few of these highly trained soldiers survived the Second World War. As a result, much of the knowledge about this unit was lost forever, making this book a unique document of a specific chapter in German wartime history.

This gripping narrative brings the Brandenburg Division – widely regarded as the predecessor of modern special forces – and its role in the history of the Second World War to life in vivid and compelling detail.