Review: German Cross in Silver Holders of the SS and Police

[Michael Miller]

In his latest offering, "German Cross in Silver Holders of the SS and Police", Mark C. Yerger continues his trend of creating meticulously researched, well written, and lavishly illustrated works on hitherto overlooked or underexamined topics of Third Reich
history.

The book details, in 208 pages, the lives and careers of the 81 SS and
Police recipients of the Kriegsorden des Deutschen Kreuzes in Silber (DKiS), the class of the German Cross awarded for contributions to the war effort of a non-combatant nature. Mr. Yerger writes, "More than half of the German Crosses in Silver went tomembers of field units of theWaffen-SS. Foremost among these are individuals connected to supporting elements that included administrators, engineers and medical personnel." The balance were distributed among heads and branch chiefs of several SS Hauptämter (main offices), military administration officials in occupied countries whose SS rank was largely nominal, and leading
officers of the SS and German Police.

Format of the biographies is as follows:

NAME
Date of award of the DkiS
SS#
Promotion dates
[Other] Decorations (e.g.~ Iron Cross 2nd Class)
Detailed biographical study providing date/place of birth, career information, details of
family life, the specific service which resulted in award of the DkiS, postwar prosecution (if applicable), postwar activities and employment, date/place of death, etc. Additional information (explanations of terminology, biographical notes on the non-DKiS holders mentioned in the text, details on the organization and development of various military and political formations and organizations, etc.) is provided in over 230 footnotes. At least one photo appears for all but a few of the men covered. Photographic content is superb, and most of the images have never before been published.

Also included are clear and vivid images (obverse, reverse, and side
view) of the award piece itself. Images of award documents are also
presented, as well as information on the criteria for award of this rare decoration.

Binding and layout are typical Bender Publishing- that is, superb
(durable, professional, attractive).

This work, the beginning of a multivolume series which aims to cover all SS and Polizei recipients of the German Cross (subsequent volumes will detail those who received the gold [combatant] version of the award), serves as further confirmation of something
I've known for five years- that Mark C. Yerger is today's foremost authority on the personalities of the SS and German Police. Unlike so many authors, who rely almost entirely on secondary sources in coming to their "conclusions" on the careers and character of these men (generally revealing more about their personal biases than the truth about the men of the SS), Yerger has personally interviewed many of them, gathering his information directly from the men about whom he writes. He has met and in a number of cases befriended some of the most notable and highly decorated officers of the Waffen-SS, men like Otto Kumm, Otto Weidinger, Ernst-August Krag, and Otto Baum. In my opinion, Mark C. Yerger has done more than any other historian to reveal the true character of the officers and men of the Waffen-SS, and in so doing, shattered a great many tired and subjective old myths. On a side note, it is great to see him working with Roger Bender, who has published dozens of excellent- in some cases, classic- works on the military and political organizations of the Third Reich, as well as the uniforms, insignia, decorations, edged weaponry, and other accessories of those organizations.

Once they obtain a copy of Mark C. Yerger's latest book, I am sure the
readers of this forum will agree that he is to be commended on yet
another job well done.

~ Mike Miller
Axis Biographical Research

[MICHAELM82]

Hi Michael
Well, if this is like his other works from Knights of Steel to Waffen SS Commanders I will surely put this on my top to buy!
Is it only available through Bender Publishing?
Thanks for sharing!
Regards
Michael

[John P. Moore]

I have read the book. It is excellent and highly recommended to anyone with even a general interest in the Waffen-SS.