Massimiliano Afiero was born in in Afragola (Naples Province) in 1964. An information technology teacher and programmer, he has been interested in military history since his youth, specializing in the history of Axis units during the Second World War and particularly in the Waffen-SS.

He has published numerous articles in the principal Italian-language history magazines and has contributed to many military history websites and published numerous books dealing with foreign volunteers in the German armed forces during the Second World War.

In December 2015, he began publication of the magazine, The European Volunteer (L'Assalto Edizioni), dedicated to the military history of Axis units during the Second World War and in January 2017, he began publication of the magazine The Axis Forces. He lives in Naples, Italy.