Aus eigenem Entschluss. Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS 1940-1945. Band 1

Over 400 men of the Waffen-SS were awarded the Knight's Cross during World War 2. This magnificent volume brings together the recipients of the SS divisions "Leibstandarte", "Das Reich", "Totenkopf" and "SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division", arranged according to their unit affiliation. There is a comprehensive and precise presentation of the curricula vitae and the reasons for the awards, which goes far beyond a mere encyclopaedia - it is based on original historical sources from before 1945, such as the original officer's files and Waffen-SS team files. More than 10 years of intensive research in archives and the evaluation of files and primary literature have resulted in an accurate and complete work. At the same time, the author embeds the achievements that led to the award coherently into the military events of the respective unit. In this way, the reader can at the same time follow the chronology of the combat operations of the respective SS division. Particularly important to the author was the comprehensive and first-class illustration of the biographies. Many rare, high-quality portrait photos, some of them published in this work for the first time, round off this comprehensive account.