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 – Import, 9 August 2011

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.

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

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.