Reich Minister Speer's book delves into Heinrich Himmler's and the SS's efforts to establish an industrial empire under their control. Speer draws extensively on primary source documents he discovered while researching for a planned book on the Armaments Ministry. He shifted focus to the present subject upon finding these documents in the archives. The book is rich with primary data on the SS's interactions with the Armaments Ministry and their plans to set up manufacturing operations within concentration camps, among other topics. Speer also details Kammler's involvement with the rocket program and subterranean factories. Addressing a range of subjects, the book examines the SS's bid to forge an economic and manufacturing powerhouse. It comes highly recommended for those interested in the SS's role in German armament production during WWII. On a personal note, I find it regrettable that Speer did not author a book on the Armaments Ministry and WWII armament production, a subject scarcely addressed in English-language literature. ( )

Albert Speer's work on the inner circles of the Nazi regime. ( )

In this book Albert Speer writes about the history of German armaments during World War II. Within these pages he includes information he found in his research that comes from SS records. These included the documents of its chief, Heinrich Himmler, who with Hitler’s consent was determined to infiltrate the war economy with his own people and build an SS industrial complex. Himmler had plan to make the SS completely independent. You will read how truly ruthless the SS were in their quest to follow Himmler’s orders and meet his production goals. ( )