On 21 June 1941, as the Wehrmacht stormed forward across frontiers of the Soviet Union, Hitler instituted a new higher grade of the Knight's Cross decoration for galantry and leadership: the silver clasp of the Oak-leaves with Swords. It would be awarded to only 159 men of the approximately 15 million who served in the German armed forces during World War II. This third in a sequence of four titles describes and illustrates a selection of the recipients: from much-wounded front line infantry officers, to Hitler's 'brother-in-law'; from a sergeant pilot fighter ace, to the commanding general of the greatest tank force ever gathered on the Russian Front.

Author Biography

Gordon Williamson was born in 1951 and currently works for the Scottish Land Register. He spent seven years with the Military Police tA and has published a number of books and articles on the decorations of the Third Reich and their winners. He is the author of a number of World War II titles for Osprey.