New German Cross in Gold books from Mark Yerger

[pimberg]

Good points John. I must admit I too felt reminded about Gille when I viewed the excellent photos Mark has in the book on August Diekmann's funeral in 1943, having read years ago what some veterans wrote about the debacle at the Fuchsschwanzinsel. Although I never heard/read the comment "murderer with glasses" !
BTW: I have no problem with the German spelling = it gives it all the right feel (if that makes sense). It really is a GREAT book isn't it.

[Mark C. Yerger]

Regards John’s post on terms. In reverse of priority:

1) I see collectors and history readers complain they want books but can’t read German. The average adult has an 800 word vocabulary. You know what Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, and Stuka is. Learn more and more books can be bought with the ability to absorb a worthwhile percentage of content. There will be minimal translations to English at $30,000+ for a small press count. Being more literate also allows collectors to see most dealers can’t read inscriptions, documents or other items they claim to be experts about to include career descriptions of named items using units and positions that never existed.

2) Many terms there is no direct equivalent. Then will be a comment to much or too little. I can’t think 10th Armored Infantry Regiment “West Land.” As with SS-Engineer School “Hradischko,” the mixing of languages in term or titles is prose ignorant and improper.

3) While the publisher specifically requested just awards in English when I outlined the series, I will continue to implement author prerogative to use correct terminology in writing about a German unit and all subjects related to it as it has been over 9 volumes and 12 years. An officer will remain a Hauptsturmführer, not a Captain. And his command will be the III.Bataillon, not the 3rd battalion. And the plural of his command will be Bataillone, not battalions or Battalione per John’s post, the later from the original inquiry actually being incorrectly spelled in both languages.

Best wishes,
Mark

[Simon O.]

I can only agree with Mark on all three points, i could forgive the translation in a fictional work for the mass market, but these are specialist books of interest only to people who are, or should be familiar with the terms already.
In translating units and ranks meaning is almost always lost, far better to keep one policy for all. abteilung being translated to 'detachment' for example even if it is literally correct, it's incorrect in meaning more often than not as the word is used to describe different types of formation, for which we use different words in English, or even worse, different words within English speaking countries armies.

[John P. Moore]

Just to clarify, my suggestion related to the use of plural forms of German terms such as Battailone, Batterien and Kompanien in favor of the English equivalents in the interest of readability. The use of those terms in Mark's books appears strange to me when inserted in English text. Consider that other authors such as Stephen Rusiecki's "In Final Defense of the Reich", Doug Nash in "Victory was Beyond their Grasp" and "Hells Gate" and Scott Revell, Niall Cherry and Bob Gerritsen's in "Arnhem a Few Vital Hours" don't and that should tell people something. I was NOT suggesting that the singular forms of German units or SS ranks be changed.

Furthermore, just because someone follows a certain style for 10+ years does not mean that it can't be changed as we should all be striving for continuous improvement.

[Mark C. Yerger]

Just to clarify, my suggestion related to the use of plural forms of German terms such as Battailone, Batterien and Kompanien in favor of the English equivalents in the interest of readability. The use of those terms in Mark's books appears strange to me when inserted in English text. Consider that other authors such as Stephen Rusiecki's "In Final Defense of the Reich", Doug Nash in "Victory was Beyond their Grasp" and "Hells Gate" and Scott Revell, Niall Cherry and Bob Gerritsen's in "Arnhem a Few Vital Hours" don't and that should tell people something. I was NOT suggesting that the singular forms of German units or SS ranks be changed.

Furthermore, just because someone follows a certain style for 10+ years does not mean that it can't be changed as we should all be striving for continuous improvement.

To each their own as they wish in the books they write. And just repeating from my response:

While the publisher specifically requested just awards in English when I outlined the series, I will continue to implement author prerogative to use correct terminology in writing about a German unit and all subjects related to it as it has been over 9 volumes and 12 years. An officer will remain a Hauptsturmführer, not a Captain. And his command will be the III.Bataillon, not the 3rd battalion. And the plural of his command will be Bataillone, not battalions or Battalione per John’s post, the later from the original inquiry actually being incorrectly spelled in both languages.

So I feel John's complaint and personal opinion have now been sufficiently noted and replied to twice. I am sorry and apologize that you dislike the book for the correct terms being used, not sure what else to say because how I write is my decision, not yours. Likewise I cannot offer you a refund as the signed copy your received was sent to you free of cost. And I am posting my reply to your privately sent mail as to why this or that person did not have this or that image, or more images:

There is a limit on how much fits on how many pages, I have X amount of text and for a given number of signatures/pages have that much room for photos, the text having priority. Were it my choice I would have a cover photo and nothing else. I could not care less but the "I just look at pictures" mentality of a percentage of buyers requires them. I have a Bundesarchiv account and have used them often as seen in the Polizei Division volumes. If worth obtaining, needed, a determined priority, space available, and if I decide wanted, I get them direct from Bundesarchiv as 3MB or more scans from the original. At $25 each + 2 copies of the book they are used in (another $100+) is what further determines if used. As already posted did not use 8 other photos as they only took 11 pages of a printer smallest 16 pages signature, they do not print 8s or 4s.

From 2001 when the Silver book printed to volume 8 printer costs went up over 35% with no price increase. Roger made 1 minimal reduction in paper poundage to save costs. So I had an imposed limit on volumes 5 and 6 combined of 640 pages, and have a balanced photo count between the two. By alphabet or how many or of what is not how photos and documents are obtained, they are just obtained. volumes 5 and 6 are of near equal size, 5 has exactly 320 sheets of printable paper. 6 has 314: a difference between the of 6 pages total and within limits. Written and designed as I wrote to fit. And not all photos I had were used, parameters and fit. There is significantly more involved in doing what I do than printing whatever number of pages on a desktop printer.

Also not included, unless cramming allowed, are those obtained after 2-3 years of images needed postings and ads that are sent long after deadline. Books are written and pages calculated while being written. What is used involves more factors than simply should or want. And proper military terminology for a book on a German military unit being used, rather than mixing off/on at some interval or level, is how it should and will be. No offense, but was equally surprised at the complaint but to each their own as to how they write their books or series. As to lack of more or different images for whatever man, it is obvious no room wasted. Rank list and books area bibliography deleted to fit all possible, you can only put a gallon in a gallon container, so complaints in that regards are unjustified aside from rather irritating. Like people who watch sports on TV and think they know more than the coach or players, they are not the ones actually doing it with all the inherent factors, parameters, and limits.

[gkniep47]

Mark Yerger's German Cross winners of 3.SS Totenkopf

I have recently finished reading the final transcript of volume I (of 2) in the last books of Mark Yerger’s German Cross series which will cover the 3.SS-Panzer Division “Totenkopf.” This tremendous work, which I believe is his masterpiece, may well be the end of further writing that he can physically do. 
For a long time Mark has suffered from severe compounded neuropathy every waking hour and has also had close to a dozen serious, in fact, life saving surgical procedures. Grueling recoveries due to serious complications followed some of these surgeries. Refusing to let these physical issues stop him, he has consistently produced his works at the same intervals despite constant extreme pain, that would incapacitate most. I've known him for 20+ years since first writing to him (pre-Internet) while writing my first book. He has given continuous aid and support, while pushing me constantly as well. Not one in ten thousand could have suffered through what he has gone through and still be able to complete the unbelievably demanding research, while amassing an archive of enormous size as priority over what the rest of us deem normal life material goals. Mark has accomplished many "firsts" and done a great deal in regards the study of the Waffen-SS with discovery of new data and images, without ever resorting to rehashing old information.  In the last few years, fortunately, he has received a great deal of invaluable assistance from his colleague Ignacio Arrondo, and as always, his beloved cats.  
In size, amount of information and word count, this book is essentially several “books+ in one. 
The first “book” is the body of the text, the heart of which is the section about the structure and development of the combat elements of the division. This section is preceded by a brief but detailed history of a number of SS units which were utilized to form approximately 1/2 of the initial cadre of the division when it was first established. These units are shown below.
1. 1. SS Totenkopfstandarte “Oberbayern”
2.  2.SS Totenkopfstandarte “Brandenburg”
3. 3.SS Totenkopfstandarte “Thüringen 
4. SS Heimwehr Danzig 
The remainder of the division, in its initial establishment, was made up of men taken from various sources, including the Ordnungspolizei, Verfügungstruppe, reservists and new recruits.

The second “book” is made up of the footnotes, totaling more than 45,000 words, which contain biographical information, personal history and thousands of facts that Mark dug out of archives, unit records and information gathered during correspondence and personal conversations with veterans and/or their families.
To grasp the enormous amount of information contained in the the first Totenkopf volume, it can be compared to the newly released volume 7 in the German Cross series, the first of 2 volumes covering "Wiking." In that book, the Combat Elements chapter for "Wiking" is the largest published to date in this series.
The combat elements chapter in "Totenkopf" has SIX TIMES the amount of text, FOUR TIMES the caption word count, and FIVE TIMES as many photos as the "Wiking" volume.
   Any one familiar with Mark’s work knows that when he produces a book, his research on that book’s content doesn’t stop. In succeeding volumes he includes additional facts or corrections that he has found since the initial publication. Mark is obsessed with learning every fact about his subjects, which makes him more than an author. He is more accurately described as a research-historian who writes books. 
One does not do this kind of research for the money, I know what mailing expenses (particularly over seas mail) purchase or duplication of records, photo lab costs, etc are, but my expenditures are nowhere close to what Mark has spent. The financial (and time expenditures) over his lifetime doing this type of research and collecting what holdings he has accumulated are unbelievable. He'd rather find a new bit of information than eat, or sleep, as long as the cats got fed. Aside from the cost of obtaining his holdings, an unholy number of hours were invested in each book. 
Keep in mind that his German Cross series covers data for several thousand individuals, in both primary topic and secondary subjects, with careers with different units, data on where when what they did. The text covering these thousands of men, facts, and other information match between the so far 8 published (10 completed) volumes. I've visited him several times and we met at the archives a couple times; an incredible amount of information is contained "in his head" He knows where all of the information is and it’s cross referenced, in his mind.

  There are 28,000 words in the picture captions (5 times what the new "Wiking" volume has), many of which take up a half page and contain personal details and descriptions of men of the division. Speaking of the pictures, let me assure you that they will amaze even the most knowledgeable reader because of their clarity, sharpness and the fact that the majority are unpublished. I do not mean rare. I mean never before seen pictures. He expanded and covered the Knight's Cross holders who did not get the German Cross by using multiple images for their biographies and award proposals. Many of the new photos are of studio quality with amazing sharpness that clearly shows uniform and insignia detail that will please even the most critical reader. Division personnel such as Georg Bochmann, Max Simon, Otto Kron, Theodore Eicke, Otto Baum and many others are shown at various times during their careers with pictures of crystal clarity. The Combat History chapter is the longest of any unit in the series, incorporating in perfect flow some of the KC award proposals for individuals because, as he explained by phone when he mailed it to me, "I only had 3 new photos of some, I needed 4". In addition, the book contains a list of single handed Tank destruction awards won by men of the division. This award was instituted on March 9, 1942. The list is a long one, and contains names that even the most studious historian of the division will not be familiar with. 
One of Mark’s primary concerns was that the current book format is impossible to use for "Totenkopf" due primarily to the length of picture captions, and amount of text in the footnote biographies and other data. As a result, the 6 x 9 format may leave too little room for the images to be properly sized. The images have to be large enough to show the details and enjoy them, and they could be too small in the current format. However, if somehow done in the current format, the first volume should be 600+ pages and the second volume will be similarly sized. The previously published books in the series were in the 425 to 435 pages
"Totenkopf" is my own favorite unit of study, and Mark’s new data, including voluminous corrections to the enormous Vopersal study (all documented) makes these last two volumes of great interest to me. In addition to more than half the German Cross holder biographies for "Totenkopf," the book includes biographies for all the division commanders with more new photos, bios for the division’s First Staff Officers.
A date for publishing this book and the second “Totenkopf” volume has not been released yet.

George Nipe

[behblc]

I am one of Marc's average readers, I am not an expert in things Waffen SS , my own expertise in WW2 lies in other areas but this said I have done my fair share of reading on "the east" - Mr George Nipe's excellent books and Marc's writings over the years have contributed greatly to my own knowledge and I am grateful to both gents for providing me so much excellent material.

In recent years I have bought some prints and books from Marc and whilst I do not claim to know Marc well I have become aware of his very great individual courage and his dedication to completing the DK series - thank you Marc.

[markus]

Just got a snail-mail letter in the mailbox from Mark today with high-res photos to be used in my next book on Sepp Dietrich.

He could have simply sent me electronic scans by email, but no, Mark insisted on sending me physical prints to ensure better results in the final book...

Mark is a true gentleman who continously goes out of his way to ensure the top quality standard of his own books and the ones of other authors.

Already now legendary. Scholar. Impressive.

Thank you Mark.

[Klaus Richter]

I have purchased every book Mark has written and love all of them. Thank you so much for all your work, it is something that is now and forever a part of history...

[Mark C. Yerger]

I have purchased every book Mark has written and love all of them. Thank you so much for all your work, it is something that is now and forever a part of history...

Thanks for the kind words. Learning, writing it down, and thus sharing the information is the only motivation anyone who writes should have. Hope you enjoy the first volume of "Wiking."

Best,
Mark

[gkniep47]

Just a word or two to those readers who for many years, have found Mark's books to be of such great value in adding to the knowledge of the men who served in the Waffen SS units. Writers appreciate kind words, but we really enjoy comments and questions that make it obvious that you have actually read the books and have therefore added to your historical knowledge. Providing you the opportunity to increase your knowledge is one of the primary reasons Mark writes these books. For instance, the parts of the book covering August Dieckmann (15 1/2 pgs) Hans Dorr (17+pgs) and Willi Hein (11 pgs) are gold mines of facts about warriors that few people, other than students of the Waffen SS, are familiar with. For instance, you will find that Dorr was wounded in combat 16 times and yet returned to action each time until his luck finally ran out in January 1945.
Comments about stylistic points or criticism of the author's style or use of terminology adds nothing of value to the discussion of history. Of course, such peculiar complaints are the prerogative of the site members if they become so stylistically troubled that they feel compelled to comment on such a point, instead of discussing elements of the wealth of historical facts contained in each of Mark's volumes.

[MarcRikmenspoel]

Well, here's some additions.

Page 49, it says Kam was the only Dane to win the RK. It was probably intended to say he was the only Dane to win the award with Wiking. Egon Christophersen won the RK with Reg. Danmark, while Johannes Hellmers won it with Reg. De Ruyter.

Page 64, lower photo, besides Steiner and Wackerle is Otto Paetsch (between the first two), Christian Frederik von Schalburg (behind Steiner) and Dietrich Ziemssen (at right).


Page 174, the photos of Dieckmann's funeral were taken by Dutch war correspondent Cornelis Kok.

Page 228, this photo is from a set taken by the war correspondent leaning on the armored car (he obviously gave someone else his camera for this one shot). It was taken before a patrol in the summer of 1941 in Ukraine. This photo and others from the set are found in the Munin volume An der Spitze. The set is of particular interest became the two men atop the car in front are Eggert Neumann and Karl Heinz Lichte (the guy between and behind them is not identified). The photographer isn't identified for certain, but may be the same SS-PK Mann Kraus whose photos are found at NARA.

Page 298, lower photo, I have seen it mentioned that Hans-Georg Jessen is the officer on the left, though I can't confirm it for certain.

Page 334, Fredrik Jensen became a successful businessman after the war. He was very active until late in life, and passed away on July 31, 2011.

[Bobbe]

Dear All,

I have received my copy of this last wonderful Mark's work.

The book is in the same fine and detailed work as previous Mark's books.

I have appreciated the infos, documents and photos present into it, but much interesting it is the usually update at the end of book about previous books.

I want to read more pages and then I will be back here for further impressions on it.

But for sure I can already say that it is a book to have in our library!

Many thanks to Mark for the great work he had done.

Best regards,
Roberto

[Mark C. Yerger]

Well, here's some additions.

Page 49, it says Kam was the only Dane to win the RK. It was probably intended to say he was the only Dane to win the award with Wiking. Egon Christophersen won the RK with Reg. Danmark, while Johannes Hellmers won it with Reg. De Ruyter.

Page 64, lower photo, besides Steiner and Wackerle is Otto Paetsch (between the first two), Christian Frederik von Schalburg (behind Steiner) and Dietrich Ziemssen (at right).


Page 174, the photos of Dieckmann's funeral were taken by Dutch war correspondent Cornelis Kok.

Page 228, this photo is from a set taken by the war correspondent leaning on the armored car (he obviously gave someone else his camera for this one shot). It was taken before a patrol in the summer of 1941 in Ukraine. This photo and others from the set are found in the Munin volume An der Spitze. The set is of particular interest became the two men atop the car in front are Eggert Neumann and Karl Heinz Lichte (the guy between and behind them is not identified). The photographer isn't identified for certain, but may be the same SS-PK Mann Kraus whose photos are found at NARA.

Page 298, lower photo, I have seen it mentioned that Hans-Georg Jessen is the officer on the left, though I can't confirm it for certain.

Page 334, Fredrik Jensen became a successful businessman after the war. He was very active until late in life, and passed away on July 31, 2011.

Thanks for name adds, obviously wording for Kam intended to be with "Wiking." Not being a book on photographers, who took images irrelevant for me (in any book I have done) as not a book parameter (again not about photographers, though someone can write such a text of course). Same with using unidentified portraits for insignia, groups of troops in a field in camo, groups of named EM/NCO who are not in stated parameters (that is element commanders, 4 award holders, Ia, etc) etc. Not of interest for me to include as not an insignia/militaria book. When insignia seen is by accident, the individual being sought obviously.

Vehicle images used only for type example or general markings, then basically inserted to break up lengthy text passages. Unfortunately images found for those do not always happily fit alphabetically, sometimes none for 4 bios in a row, then another man find 10.

Postwar career/jobs are rarely included, priority parameters ending with end of war in most cases or could go on about children, grandchildren, where they worked, who married, etc. Not saying wrong, just not my general outline of data I wish to include and rather use space for career data, other aspects I feel relevant to said parameters. Family tree fine, or lengthy postwar activity fine, if a full length bio like Black or Messenger. Generally those active in OdR and HIAG noted, or those who contributed to specific postwar books (or authors of). Primary for all is entry into SS to end of war, then pre-SS (if other groups, units, etc). Then equally the non-high awards holders who were element commanders, and finally the physical composition and physical development of the formation as a whole.

But all this repeated multiple times throughout the series, along with the actual award process for higher awards, its changes (as per Introduction newer parameters data in volume 7).

For the smaller more obscure units, not covered as no award holders of units unless attached to divisions covered to date (in which case are), the various early small volunteer Freikorps type units units are more Marc's cup-of-tea and I'd refer those with interest in them to Marc's books. I basically start at Division level with some earlier, such as SS-Kavallerie Brigade then SS-Kavallerie Division in volume 4, because there were award holders (of the 4 primary) throughout the progression. Such also the case with Degrelle's unit, that Marc covers extensive as an Army unit but only 2 GC holders make the unit relevent for my series per attached to "Wiking"(Lippert and Degrelle).

Best,
Mark

[JG1944]

I bought Number 115 at Aberdeen Bookstore yesterday and loved the book, especially the end notes and the fact that there are more pages. I look forward to the "Totenkopf" Division next. Hopefully we will see future volumes on the remaining panzer division "Leibstandarte", "Hohenstaufen", "Frundsberg" and "Hitlerjugend"!