Waffen-SS Knights and Their Battles – Volume 6: September 1944 to January 1945

This is the sixth volume of the on-going project that is detailing the chronological bestowal of all Knight’s Cross related awards to the soldiers of the Waffen-SS during the Second World War.

This volume will cover the timeframe from the start of September 1944 to the end of January 1945. It will focus on the stabilisation of the western front in the autumn of 1944, Operation Market Garden, the battle for Metz and the Ardennes Offensive, as well as Operation Nordwind. It will also detail the loss of Estonia and the forming of the Courland Pocket, as well as the collapse of the south-eastern front in Greece, then Romania and onto Hungary. The pressure on the German Armed Forces and the Waffen-SS formations within them, was immense and no last ditch offensive actions changed that; they only caused further costly losses, which facilitated the final defeat a few months later.

This volume will detail a further 103 Knight’s Cross related awards (the most confirmed awards in any single volume), and features 84 Knight’s Cross, 16 Oakleaves and 3 Swords-level awardees. 27 Maps and 103 photographs will help you visualise the battles that tested these soldiers and provided them the chance to receive the awards detailed within. An intense volume that covers some of the most well-known battles of the entire war and one that will add to your overall understanding of that conflict.