Leo Kessler

Despite the dangers that came with targeting such a fortress, the Vulture and a few like him knew that the stronghold had to be taken no matter the cost. However, to even attempt the mission, SS Panzer troops had to be handpicked by Hitler first before undergoing intense training. The author has done a good job of merging fact with fiction and vividly describing the scenes, and bringing them to life.

The best place to start is the SS Wotan series, the earliest of Leo Kessler's multi-book series: it opens with SS Panzer Battalion (1974) and runs to 45 books across 1974–2014, ending with Some Desperate Glory (2014). Leo Kessler's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

Leo Kessler has 100 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1974 and 2014. 82 of them belong to 9 named series — the largest being the SS Wotan series with 45 books — and 18 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Leo Kessler's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are SS Wotan (1974–2014, 45 books), The Black Cossacks (1975–1978, 5 books) and Stormtroop Edelweiss (1977–1984, 9 books), plus 6 more.

This guide splits Leo Kessler's 100 books into 9 named series and 18 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: SS Wotan (45 books, 1974–2014); Stormtroop Edelweiss (9 books, 1977–1984); Otto Stahl (6 books, 1981–1984); The Black Cossacks (5 books, 1975–1978); Submarine (5 books, 1985–1987), plus 4 further series.