Order of Book Series
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Leo Kessler Books in Order

Leo Kessler has written 81 books, published between 1974 and 2008. The first book is SS Panzer Battalion (1974) and the newest is From Tyranny to Freedom (2008). Publication order is the reading order below.

Charles Whiting books in order are published under that pen name.

Books
81
Published
1974–2008
Pages on record
16,348 in 79 of 81 books
Reading time
272–409 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 16,348 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 79 of 81 titles with a page count on record.

See all 81 books in order Printable Leo Kessler checklist

Leo Kessler wrote war fiction set in World War II, with Germany, Russia, Africa and military campaigns among the catalogued subjects. The 81 books begin in 1974 with SS Panzer Battalion, Claws of Steel and Death's Head. Kessler's series include SS Wotan, Stormtroop Edelweiss, Otto Stahl, Black Cossacks, Submarine and Rommel. From Tyranny to Freedom (2008) is the last listed title, and Eric Taylor is co-credited on 1 book.

How many Leo Kessler books are there?

Leo Kessler has 81 books, released between 1974 and 2008. They include 8 series and 12 titles listed outside any series.

Leo Kessler Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 81 Leo Kessler books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of SS Panzer Battalion by Leo Kessler, book 1 of the SS Wotan series (1974)
  2. Cover of Death's Head by Leo Kessler, book 2 of the SS Wotan series (1974)
  3. Cover of Claws of Steel by Leo Kessler, book 3 of the SS Wotan series (1974)
  4. Cover of The Black Cossacks by Leo Kessler, book 1 of the Black Cossacks series (1975)
  5. Cover of Devil's Shield by Leo Kessler, book 5 of the SS Wotan series (1975)
  6. Cover of Forced March by Leo Kessler, book 7 of the SS Wotan series (1976)
  7. Cover of Blood and Ice / Frozen Mountain by Leo Kessler, book 8 of the SS Wotan series (1977)
  8. Cover of The Sand Panthers by Leo Kessler, book 9 of the SS Wotan series (1977)
  9. Cover of Blood Mountain by Leo Kessler, book 2 of the Stormtroop Edelweiss series (1978)
  10. Cover of Wolf by Leo Kessler, book 5 of the Black Cossacks series (1978)
  11. Cover of Hellfire. by Leo Kessler, book 11 of the SS Wotan series (1978)
  12. Cover of Ghost Division by Leo Kessler, book 1 of the Rommel series (1979)
  13. Cover of Himmler's Gold by Leo Kessler, book 5 of the Stormtroop Edelweiss series (1980)
  14. Cover of Slaughter Ground by Leo Kessler, book 13 of the SS Wotan series (1980)
  15. Cover of Yorkshire at War: The Story of Fighting Yorkshire at Home and Abroad, 1939-1945 (As: Leo Kessler, With: Eric Taylor)
  16. Cover of Flashpoint by Leo Kessler, book 14 of the SS Wotan series (1980)
  17. Cover of Cauldron Of Blood by Leo Kessler, book 15 of the SS Wotan series (1981)
  18. Cover of Death to the Deutschland by Leo Kessler, book 2 of the Sea Wolves series (1982)
  19. Cover of Hawks of Death by Leo Kessler, book 2 of the Stuka Squadron series (1983)
  20. Cover of Wave of Terror by Leo Kessler, book 7 of the Stormtroop Edelweiss series (1983)
  21. Cover of Otto and the Himmler loveletters by Leo Kessler, book 6 of the Otto Stahl series (1984)
  22. Cover of Fire in the West by Leo Kessler, book 3 of the Submarine series (1986)
  23. Cover of The Die-hards by Leo Kessler, book 2 of the Rebel series (1987)
  24. Cover of Flight to the Reich by Leo Kessler, book 5 of the Submarine series (1987)
  1. 1
    SS Panzer BattalionSS Wotan #11974 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Death's HeadSS Wotan #21974 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Claws of SteelSS Wotan #31974 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Black CossacksBlack Cossacks #11975 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Devil's ShieldSS Wotan #51975 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Hammer Of The GodsSS Wotan #61975 · 191 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Sabres of the ReichBlack Cossacks #21976 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Forced MarchSS Wotan #71976 · 188 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Mountain of SkullsBlack Cossacks #31977 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The TraitorsBlack Cossacks #41977 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Blood and Ice / Frozen MountainSS Wotan #81977 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Sand PanthersSS Wotan #91977 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Blood MountainStormtroop Edelweiss #21978 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    WolfBlack Cossacks #51978 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Counter AttackSS Wotan #101978 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Hellfire.SS Wotan #111978 · 194 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978194
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Ghost DivisionRommel #11979 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    MassacreRommel #21979 · 189 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Red AssaultStormtroop Edelweiss #41979 · 186 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979186
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Panzer HuntSS Wotan #121979 · 188 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979188
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Himmler's GoldStormtroop Edelweiss #51980 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Slaughter GroundSS Wotan #131980 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Yorkshire at War: The Story of Fighting Yorkshire at Home and Abroad, 1939-1945 (As: Leo Kessler, With: Eric Taylor)1980 · 112 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980112
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    FlashpointSS Wotan #141980 · 191 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980191
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Ottos Phoney WarOtto Stahl #11981 · confirmed 1/4
    1981–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Sink the "Scharnhorst"!Sea Wolves #11981 · 256 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Cauldron Of BloodSS Wotan #151981 · 223 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981223
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Death to the DeutschlandSea Wolves #21982 · 219 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982219
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Otto's Blitzkrieg!Otto Stahl #21982 · 254 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982254
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Fire Over KabulStormtroop Edelweiss #61982 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Leo Kessler series in order

Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Leo Kessler books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Black Cossacks in order

5 books
  1. 1. The Black Cossacks
  2. 2. Sabres of the Reich
  3. 3. Mountain of Skulls
  4. 4. The Traitors
  5. 5. Wolf

Otto Stahl in order

4 books
  1. 1. Ottos Phoney War
  2. 2. Otto's Blitzkrieg!
  3. 4. Otto And The Yanks
  4. 6. Otto and the Himmler loveletters

Submarine in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Wolf Pack
  2. 3. Fire in the West
  3. 4. Convoy to Catastrophe
  4. 5. Flight to the Reich

Rebel in order

4 books
  1. 1. Cannon Fodder
  2. 2. The Die-hards
  3. 3. Breakout
  4. 4. Death Match

Rommel in order

2 books
  1. 1. Ghost Division
  2. 2. Massacre

Sea Wolves in order

2 books
  1. 1. Sink the "Scharnhorst"!
  2. 2. Death to the Deutschland

Stuka Squadron in order

1 book
  1. 2. Hawks of Death

Standalone books

12 books

12 Leo Kessler titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Leo Kessler books in order?

You only need to read Leo Kessler books in order within each series: the books listed here span 8 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Leo Kessler

Start with the first book of the Leo Kessler series you want to read: SS Wotan starts with SS Panzer Battalion (1974) and Stormtroop Edelweiss starts with Storm Troop (1977). The earliest catalogued title overall is SS Panzer Battalion (1974).

What is the newest Leo Kessler book?

From Tyranny to Freedom (2008) is the newest Leo Kessler book released so far.

Is there a new Leo Kessler book coming?

No next Leo Kessler book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Leo Kessler at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Leo Kessler title on record dates from 2008, 18 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Leo Kessler books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
16,348 pages across the 79 of 81 books with a recorded length, a median of 192 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Leo Kessler books, 31 of 81, were published in the 1980s.

What the Leo Kessler books are about

49 of the 81 Leo Kessler books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: war & military is tagged on 30 of 49. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.