The Face of Courage: The 98 Men Who Received the Knight's Cross and the Close-Combat Clasp in Gold (Stackpole Military History Series) Paperback – June 9, 2011

Being an amateur historian, and a wargamer, I'm always interested in books that tell about situations that involve extreme heroism.While the title of the book mentions the Knight's Cross, this book is not about any KC actions. It is only mentioned in context, because, it covers men who won it and the CCC in Gold.Before we go any further, I'll explain what the Close Combat Clasp is. It's an award for the number of days a member of the German armed forces survived a specific number of land combat actions.First Level (Bronze)- for 15 days of close combat.Second Level (Silver)- for 25 days of close combat.Third Level (Gold)- for 50 days of close combat.This book covers 98 men who were awarded both the Knight's Cross and the Close Combat Clasp in Gold. Only 631 Third Level Combat Clasps (Gold) were awarded throughout the war, that alone makes this is a major award.What the book does cover:* A short biography of each of the 98 men. This is usually between 3 and 4 pages.* It gives basic information in a standard format. - When and where the man was born. - When and where the man died. - Date each level of the Close Combat Clasp was earned. - Date for each level of the Knight's Cross earned. - All other awards the man earned.* Pictures for every man in the book. Plus there are some generic pictures of combat as well. Not all the pictures are in pristine condition. Some have not survived the war in the most pristine of conditions. For me personally that just adds to the level of authenticity and the amount of research done for the book.* All branches of service involved in land combat are covered. There are biographies of men from the Heer, Waffen SS and Luftwaffe.* While the coverage per man is short the biographies touch on the highlights of their careers and many of those are extremely interesting. It mentions which units they served with often down to company level.* There is a rank equivalent chart added for those needing to figure out the German ranks.* The book follows the men from their birth to their death. Many of the pictures are of them in civilian life as well as their military uniforms.* There are also pictures of the actual awards themselves not just the medals.What the book does not cover:* This book is about an award that took place over a long period of time. It does not list specific combat situations in depth. There are no detailed accounts of combat events in this book.* There are no mention of any other nations combat units in the book. This book only details these mens career's from the German side. Which is understandable considering what the book is about.* There are no maps. Not a single one. Considering what the book is about that's not a real issue but there could have been some general area maps showing where some of the battles took place. For me, not a big issue.* This is not the place for wargamers to collect detailed accounts of men in action. It is a place to view the overall careers of those that won Germany's highest awards for personal heroism and who survived some or the most intense combat.* There are some areas where the translations could be better. These are simply places where the sentence structure could be better. Nothing major that I saw and above average for most translations. When I get a translation I understand that there could be some little hiccups along the way. For me personally, it's not a big deal.*This is not an indepth study of any one of the single men in the book but an excellent overview of many of them you more than likely never heard of before and an excellent starting point for more indepth research for any of them you have an interest in.After having bought the book would I recommend it? If you are looking for a book covering the most influential soldiers in the German armed forces, yes, buy it. If you are looking for detailed accounts of combat down on the tactical level then pass this book by.Good Hunting.MR

This book arrived in like new condition. Tight binding, clean pages, no dog years. Even though it’s a paperback edition, it has that thick cardboard like paper, so it definitely stands the test of time. And like I said, even though it’s a paperback edition, it has that glossy extra thick coat of plastic protection engrossed into it, so it definitely stands the time stands the test of time better than a traditional paperback. And the contents of the book? Nothing short of amazing. Basically, this book captures the 98 men who not only won the Knight’s cross of the iron cross, which was basically the German equivalent of the American medal of honor, but also won the close combat badge in gold. The close combat badge in gold was extremely highly regarded in the German military of World War II; and this is a German military World War II that bore the fight of four different fronts! Out of the approximately seven or 8 million men that Germany fielded during World War II, only 98 of them won the knights cross, as well as the close combat badge in gold. Each chapter is no longer than separate pages; but it’s definitely seven or eight pages that encompass the profile of these amazing men. If you want a good book about the fighting men of World War II, and some of the most extraordinary 98 of them, this is definitely the book for you.

I bought this book while conducting research on Waffen-SS Sturbannfuhrer Heinz Werner, 2nd SS-Panzer Division ("Das Reich"), 4th Panzer Grenadier Regiment ("Der Fuhrer"). This book has a very good bio on Werner, with new information I had not seen in other sources. Other bios in this book are also similarly well done, researched, detailed, yet concise, and many have photographs I've not seen in other sources. Overall, I found this book to be another excellent resource, especially useful for independent researchers and WW2 German military historians.

REVIEW – The Face of Courage – by Florian BergerThis book is a remarkable record of 98 of the most courageous, determined, comitted & brave German Servicemen, including the Waffen SS, during WW2.The detailed research by Florian Berger is outstanding, & the description of their feats of arms, & the number of times they were wounded, leaves one shaking one’s head in comprehending what occurred.German Servicemen who received the Knight’s Cross, the Close-Combat Clasp in Gold & the Wound Badge in Gold, indicates their individual courage, endurance, mental fortitude & tenacity, together with an issue of luck.One often reads about the war heroes on the winning side, but rarely on the losing side. Florian Berger’ documentary effort seeks to redeem this issue.Upon reading the documented, outstanding records of service & achievements of these brave personnel, a reader could ponder upon their own achievements in life, & probably feel diminished, as a result of the comparison.Thank you Florian, for your diligent efforts in documenting their service records for posterity.

As a person who has been reading/researching German WW2 for two decades, I really liked this book. Details on some personalities you may have never heard of. Actions they performed to receive these awards was detailed and informative.Pros: 98 separate detailed stories. Well written and interesting.Cons: More pictures of the individuals. Understandably few due to the war thoughAs an avid German WW2 history buff, I really enjoyed this text.

Excellent book , well written and true to history about the sacrifice of brave men

Interesting book

Según parece, por la información recogida durante la 2ª guerra mundial sobre todo, al fin y al cabo, muy pocos hombres tuvieron una experiencia de combate cuerpo a cuerpo con el enemigo, ni aliados ni del Eje. De hecho, se dice que, de los aliados, que recogieron estos datos mejor, pocos llegaron a disparar su fusil jamás.De esto se deduce que en la guerra moderna es la población civil la que recibe más daño, pero este libro trata de los pocos soldados alemanes que sí tuvieron esa dura experiencia una o varias veces, porque se corrobora aquí que hay gente que hace no solo su trabajo, sino el de otros, por azar o porque quisieron exponerse. Les pasa a los funcionarios, no es nada nuevo esto.El libro es más bien solo una recopilación de tipo burocrático con el nombre, graduación, unidad y lugar de las acciones, pero no es un emocionante relato de guerra como podría pensarse.

A monumental and deserving work dedicated to the truely dedicated veterans of the German Wehrmacht. An important work and one which should be studied by all serious students of heroism and fighting spirit in a wartime situation. I was surprised at the dearth of Fallschirmtruppe among these recipients (remember the combat at Monte Cassino !) Also i corresponded myself with a Ritterkreuztrager and Golden Clasp holder by the name of Eric Roseke, who fought with the elite Brandenburg unit in numerous engagements, and he is missing from the ranks of this select group of featured soldiers? Nevertheless, a must buy title dedicated to real soldiers with genuine courage and love of country.

本はとてもいいです。写真もたくさんあります。大満足です。ありがどうございました。