SS German Cross in Gold Holders volume 8

[Mark C. Yerger]

"German Cross in Gold Holders of the SS and Police," volume 8 ("Wiking" part II) design now done, due from the printer February 2015.

378 pages
191 illustrations

See attached cover

That's all for now, back to work.


Best wishes,
Mark C. Yerger

[pimberg]

Great to see this outstanding series continue at a steady publishing pace. Very much looking forward to this volume (part 2 of Wiking) after receiving volume 7. Hopefully it will come out in the next few months. Thanks for the update Mark.

[Bobbe]

Great! Another wonderful title after the Vo.1!!!

Thanks Mark for your beautiful works!

Best regards,
Roberto

[Klaus Richter]

can't wait

[Bobbe]

I'm reading the vol. 7 (Wiking part I) and I can't don't remain impressed from the high number of Close Combat Clasp in Gold winners in the Wiking division!

This is one of the best evidence of the valor of these men and this division!

I recommend to everyone fans of SS division to read this wonderful series of book masterfully written .... thanks again Mark for your work!

Best regards,
Roberto

[Klaus Richter]

I agree. I think the CCC in silver and gold are the highest combat awards that you can receive. We have a list of all the winners of the CCC in gold, hopefully a list can be made for the CCC in silver one day.

[Mark C. Yerger]

Book printed and already left the Far East for California per phone call with the publisher today.

Happily, ship departed before their several-weeks-long New Year holiday.

[JG1944]

Another masterpiece for the bookshelf!!

[macmoeller]

What`s about the DKiG holders from LAH? Is a book planned?
Thanks in advance

[Mark C. Yerger]

What`s about the DKiG holders from LAH? Is a book planned?
Thanks in advance

With vol. 8 and two 500 page Totenkopf volumes my brain ahead as far as it goes. Sequence partly depends on images and few with "LAH" German Cross material have contributed anything of worth. After a book is done and printed material is obviously of no use, and not having enough to start means not starting. I have the text material, a lot, for "LAH" but many only look at images.

[ibrahim ahmad]

Well done Mark !!!

---------------------------
Looking for all relevant info & items on WW2 German U-boats in Singapore and Asia for my research.
http://monsun-uboats.blogspot.com/

[Mark C. Yerger]

Publisher sent me the below site link. Cover shown and when short-term discount available will be posted, that discount being allowed though book will have arrived by then. He will also have all the signed/numbered copies.

http://www.bender-publishing.com/Home.html

[macmoeller]

With vol. 8 and two 500 page Totenkopf volumes my brain ahead as far as it goes. Sequence partly depends on images and few with "LAH" German Cross material have contributed anything of worth. After a book is done and printed material is obviously of no use, and not having enough to start means not starting. I have the text material, a lot, for "LAH" but many only look at images.

I understand. Thanks for your answer!

[Mark C. Yerger]

I agree. I think the CCC in silver and gold are the highest combat awards that you can receive. We have a list of all the winners of the CCC in gold, hopefully a list can be made for the CCC in silver one day.

I tried to compile lists of certain awards, parameters, etc for just "Das Reich" over the past 30 years as I have more archive and personal records for the division than any other.

For the Silver I gave up as:

1) Many qualified but did not receive, a LOT more.
2) no divisional award lists exist for any period exist while they do for some far lower awards at various times. Unknown why.
3) Even Gold clasp holders did not all get the Bronze and Silver grades

I hit the same rather "dead end" with a list of single-handed tank destruction awards, a far higher number were earned compared to those actually awarded. But I did add the 90+ recipients of that award with "Totenkopf" to volume I of that study.

The "Wiking" Gold clasp holders in vol. 8 I was happy to have images of a number of the significant recipients courtesy of my mentor Otto Weidinger. He originally asked me that they be included in the German Cross series during the years we were gathering data/materials/planning before his death in January 1990.

A case of need it all before doing as all data must match, cross reference, etc in something already at 9 volumes printed if you count the Silver volume. And produce completed volumes on a regular basis: 9 volumes completed and handed in 12 years (despite that many major author surgeries).

Otherwise you end up (as many have done) with a "series" but only 1 or 2 volumes appear and then nothing else, a decade between volumes (we'll be dead till done), or other similar waste of paper and buyers money. The German Cross series is rather different and alone on its own and a pain in the butt (as Weidinger warned me in the 1980s). It's not the 20th overkill repeat book on tiger tanks or on a repeat of KC holders text with the same superficial information. If it were easy to compile similar data texts would be done on other branches, units, etc. Easier to be a book manufacturer than a researcher, trust me.

The search continuous and help needed for images of those granted the Close Combat Clasp in Gold with "Totenkopf," with 33 men having the decoration it's the numerical highest among the Waffen-SS divisions. Likewise with the 28 Roll of Honor/Honor Clasp holders. Those mentioned in the Roll of Honor before the physical award existed in 1944 were primarily non-officer ranks.

Never posted this but got 5 PMs the past couple weeks asking why not all men by alphabet or by unit numerically. 1st, the data aside from the title make an alphabetical series impossible. As to unit sequence:

Silver done first as a separate volume at publisher and a book seller's advice. I'd planned they be combined.

"Das Reich" done next as my favorite division. Period.

"Nordland" done next for foreign unit interest (only one with enough reciepients) and to have a single volume which was possible with both the regiment and division. Also saving a partly mixed "Wiking" volume.

Kavallerie- done as my 2nd favorite units and could cover all three in one (Brigade and both divisions with DK Träger)

Polizei Division done in memory of a colleague researcher I admired deeply.

"Wiking" done to its popularity, being partly connected to "Das Reich" had to be after that division.

"Totenkopf" alone in the series and its 2 volumes moved to another publisher for larger format, having more chapters than any other volumes or units, The fact it ended up having the largest amount of text data as well as images was simply how it came about over the decades.

Volume 10 will again simply be units of my personal interest, two divisions and a brigade.

My thanks and appreciation from those the Publisher (Bender) calls the "Fan Club."

And no doubt the day the book is in someone hands and they post, the next will ask when some other unit will be done. Never had anyone say "take a break."

Best,
Mark

[Klaus Richter]

Thanks for the excellent post Mark! I agree, it is virtually impossible to list all the winners of the CCC in silver or the TD Badge. I myself have compiled a basic list of all the winners of the CCC in silver and bronze for winners of the Oakleaves and above, based on basic secondary research, nothing spectacular...however even with these higher decorated men, the ambiguousness of whether or not some of them received the award or only the bronze and not the silver, is still far from certain....Thus I can only imagine the impossibility of listing all of them, or at least the RK winners!!!