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Reference
Material, Tools and Guidelines for Collectors
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The most important thing for any
collector to do is research and study….this cannot be stressed enough. The hobby is wrought with new collectors who
rush out and buy a piece of militaria without having any idea what they are
doing, only to quickly find out they paid a lot of money for a
reproduction. With the average price of
a Third Reich collectible being in the thousands of dollars these days, it
becomes a quick lesson learned.
Complicating matters is the fact that many of the reference books
themselves are a costly investment, with many of the newer published pieces
retailing for over $100
Books, however, are not the only source of information, merely the
beginning. There are many other avenues
of knowledge that can be pursued, and the purpose of this webpage is to explore
what some of them are and offer recommendations and suggestions to the new or
casual collector. Most of what is
written here is one man’s opinion (and as you’ll learn, opinion is what most of
this hobby is about), it is not the rule or the exception. The purpose is merely to share one’s
experience and pass on thoughts and advice that might help provide direction to
somebody new or less involved in the hobby.
Over time this page will be constantly updated with more relevant
information and additional suggestions of books, websites, shows, etc. that
might help in the quest for overall knowledge.
As always, feel free to contact me if you have
questions or would like to suggest some reference that would be worth
including.
Suggested Reference Tools and
* Books
* Other collectors
* Militaria Shows
* Online Forums
* Internet Reference Sites
Books:
The first tool to in your arsenal
of knowledge needs to be reference books….the importance of these cannot be
stressed enough. The best books will provide
you with all of the regulations and descriptions for you to get a good base of
knowledge. The worst books end up being
just coffee table books with pictures of other people’s collections to admire,
which serve their own purpose, but are best left to buy after you have
purchased the basic reference books that you really need. As a guide, I like to break the books down
into several categories;
I.
General Reference and
Foundation
II.
Historical
III.
Niche/Intensive Study
IV.
Period Photographs
The books I recommend below are
only a few of the numerous books available, and if a book is not listed below,
it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good one.
The books I do list, I believe are excellent reference and are ‘desert
island’ books that every collector should have in their library, if you are
going to be serious about the hobby.
Over time, I plan to continually update this page and add other worthy
books to the list, and perhaps even add some commentary or a review of specific
books to give collectors some direction as to whether they are of value to them
or not. For now, it is a start, and
hopefully a help to collectors in need of building a good reference library.
For now the focal point of recommended books is on the Third Reich, but this
will be expanded over time to feature books on other nations as well.
I. General Reference
There are many great general
reference militaria books out there, and some of them have been around for many
years. Some of my recommendations for
the various areas of collecting are;
Uniforms & Headgear-
John Angolia has created an entire
series of books on each of the armed forces of the Wehrmacht. These are, without doubt, the bibles of
collecting Third Reich militaria. Angolia very carefully covers in depth all of
the uniforms, headgear, field gear, weapons and accessories of the various
branches of the German armed services.
Each branch of service is covered in its entirety by a three volume set
and is a comprehensive study of anything you could ever want to know about the
uniforms of each branch of service. All
of these are now out of print, and have thus appreciated in value, making them
a pricey investment and hard to find. To
locate them you’ll have to scour eBay, Amazon, online booksellers, militaria
shows, etc. Beyond the Angolia books, I
have listed other recommendations by a few authors whose books are good
foundation in the area of SS uniforms, Political uniforms and cloth headgear
(visor and field caps, etc.) Angolia has
also covered many other areas of Third Reich collecting, (political, civil,
awards, etc.) and any book by him is highly recommended as excellent, basic
reference material.
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Uniforms and Traditions of the German Army, Volumes I, II and III by John Angolia and Adolf Schlicht Comprehensive study of the
evolution of the German Army uniform and all of the associated accoutrements,
including headgear, field gear, personal effects, weapons, command
flags. Everything you need to know is
here. |
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Uniforms of the Waffen SS (three volume set), by Michael Beaver The first serious study on the
Waffen SS uniforms to use actual examples as reference. This book basically focuses only on the
uniforms, and does an excellent job showing many original, rare pieces. It does not, however, cover insignia,
personal effects, etc. to any depth. |
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Uniforms and Traditions of the Luftwaffe,
Volumes I, II and III by John Angolia and Adolf Schlicht Comprehensive study of Luftwaffe
uniforms done in the same tradition as the Army book. A must have for Luftwaffe collectors. |
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The Collectors Guide to Cloth Headgear of the Allegemeine
and Waffen SS, by Michael Beaver and Bill
Shea An excellent accompaniment to the
series on SS uniforms by Beaver, explores SS headgear in depth using photos
of original examples. |
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Uniforms and Traditions of the Kriegsmarine, Volumes I, II and III by John Angolia and Adolf Schlicht The last in the Angolia series of
the armed branches of the Wehrmacht (excepting the SS) explores all facets of
the German Navy uniforms and associated regalia. |
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Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, by Stan Cook and R. James Bender Excellent all around reference
book on Waffen SS uniforms and insignia, which is structured around the format
Angolia used in the Uniforms and Traditions series. While this book does focus on the LAH, it
is a great, basic reference book on the SS. |
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Uniforms and Insignia of the Luftwaffe, (2
volumes) by Brian Davis Similar to the Angolia Luftwaffe
series, with a bit of a different approach.
More line drawings are used in this book, but there are bits of
different information not found in the Angolia series, so it is worth the
investment. |
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The Collectors Guide to Cloth Third Reich Military Headgear, by Gary Wilkins Hands down the best book to date
on German headgear, Wilkins thorough research provides collectors with in
depth analysis of construction and manufacturing details, along with a large
list detailing many of the original manufacturers. Must have for headgear enthusiasts. |
Available soon through this website: “Exotische”, a new book on High Ranking and Exotic Headgear.
Contact for details.
II. Historical Reference
Books on the history of the war are
other ‘must have’ items for any reference library, as they provide us with
evidence of what actually happened during the war, how it was structured and
how it was fought. Learning about the
various events of the war, including the time frame things happened, as well as
what units fought where is vital. You’ll
learn, for example, that hoofed animals were the primary mode of transportation
of German military forces right up until the end of the war. This will explain why you’ll find a
veterinary specialty patch on a transport piped uniform, for example. Transport personnel were not all truck
drivers as some might think, as wheeled vehicles were a rarity…yet without
reading the actual war history, many collectors would not understand or know
this. The image we have via motion
pictures and popular culture of the mighty German Wehrmacht travelling in
Panzers on a blitzkrieg is not a correct one when it comes to the common
soldier and moving entire armies. Detail
like this, are why history books are an important element in building your
knowledge base as a collector, and why they belong in your reference library.
Military History-
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Handbook on
German Military Forces, by the This book was released by the war
department towards the end of WWII and details all |
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The Armed Forces
of World War Two, by Andrew Mollo An excellent overview of all the
various military forces from all of the countries involved in fighting
WWII. Included are uniform and rank descriptions
for all the various nations, by year and theater of war. |
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The Order of the
Death’s Head, by Heinz Hohne Basically, this book is the very
thorough and detailed story of the development and history of the SS. It is vital to understanding exactly what
the SS was, and the fractions that existed within the organization. |
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The Last This is one of the classic war
books on WWII and is basically the story of the battle for |
Individual Biographies-
Biographies by former soldiers are great
reading as they not only give us the human prospective, direct from the front,
but provide us as collectors with an insight into the daily lives and how they
used and lived with the artifacts that we now collect. The hell some of these men went through is
just incredible, but we discover that they also had many other non-military
adventures and add a very nice, personal human touch to war and militaria.
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Panzer Commander, by Hans von
Luck The story of Oberst Hans von Luck,
commander of Rommel’s 7th and 21st panzer divisions,
takes the reader through Luck’s days from the Afrika Korps to the |
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Iron Coffins, by Herbert
Werner Terrifying account of life on a
U-Boat. If you’ve seen Das Boot and
liked it, you’ll love this book. |
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Soldat, by Siegfriend
Knappe Fascinating account of a German
officer’s war years from his initial officer training right up to the final
days in |
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With Rommel In
The Desert, by H.W. Schmidt Interesting account of daily life
in the Afrika Korps by one of Rommel’s aides.
Very gritty account that makes you feel like you are right there. |
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Trail of the Fox, by David Irving David Irving wrote several
biographies of Third Reich personalities, all of which are very riveting and
based on first hand interviews and research.
This book is no exception and gives great insight into Rommel’s personality
in a no hold barred sense. |
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Goring, by David Irving Hermann Goring was one of the
most interesting and charismatic figures of the Third Reich, and this book
does not disappoint in exploring his rather unique traits and
personality. This is the best book on
Goring that I’ve ever read. |
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The Rise and Fall
of the Luftwaffe, by David Irving Well done biographical sketch of
Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch, done with Milch’s cooperation while he was
still alive. Milch was the master administrator
of the Luftwaffe, and responsible for much of the organization and early
success of the Luftwaffe. |
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Inside the Third
Reich, by Albert Speer One of my favorite accounts of
life inside the inner circle of Hitler and his entourage. Speer was also one of the more intriguing
and accessible characters in the upper echelons of Nazi Germany, and his
contemplative style of writing gives you great insight into his struggles
within the party. |
III. Niche & Intensive Study Reference
In the last 10 years we have
reached an era in collecting that is unparalleled, and that is in the emergence
of very detailed, niche reference books that focus entirely on a single
collectible area. This is particularly
true in the area of medals and awards, an area that has suffered greatly from
copies and fraudulent pieces since the days of the war.
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The Knights Cross of The Iron Cross, by Dietrich Maerz With this book, Dietrich Maerz has
established a standard of scientific research and logical conclusion that the
hobby has long needed. A stellar
effort that is a must have for anyone even considering the purchase of a
Knights Cross. |
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The German Cross, by
Dietrich Maerz Produced in the same manner and
style of his first book, “The Knights Cross of the Iron Cross”, Maerz once
again uses his unique approach to explore every known and accepted original
German Cross as well as variations. |
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Cloth Insignia of the SS, by John Angolia The bible on SS insignia….enough
said! |
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German Police,
(currently at 2 volumes) by John Angolia and Hugh Page Taylor A very intense, well researched
effort on the German Police that is reflective of earlier Angolia efforts. |
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Mythos Marschallstab,
by Andre Stirenberg and Andre Husken This is THE book to have if your
interest is in German Field Marshal batons.
It covers every baton issued from 1852 though 1945 with detailed
photographs of many of the examples. |
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Prussian Blue, by
Steven Previtera The only comprehensive book on
the Pour le Merite (the Blue Max) in which the history of the award and the
details of the individual pieces is explored in great depth. Previtera set the standard for reference
books in layout and design in his debut of “The Iron Times”, and continues the level of quality with this
book. |
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Uniforms of the NSDAP,
by Jeff Clark Comprehensive photographic
overview of political uniforms of the Third Reich showing original examples
of all uniforms and insignia used by the NSDAP. |
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Heinrich Himmler’s Camelot, by Stephen Cook and Stuart Russell A very detailed study of
Wewelsburg Castle by Stephen Cook, who is one of the most thorough
contemporary researchers on SS history. |
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German Cross in Silver Holders of the SS and Police, by Mark C. Yerger Full biographical data and
unpublished photos dealing with all of the SS and Police recipients of the
German Cross in Silver, one of the rarest of |
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German Cross in Gold Holders of the SS and Police, by Mark C. Yerger This four volume set (soon to be
five) is an intensive biographical study of all SS and Police recipients of
the German Cross in Gold, one of |
IV. Period Photography Reference
One of the most important pieces of
evidence as to what was worn or done at the time is the period photograph. These are documents as to what actually
existed during the war…there is no more speculation, when we have period
photographs that show a piece existed.
At the moment there are quite a few books coming out of Germany that
feature color photos and nice, clear studio portraits of many of the high
ranking German officers. These photos
show variants never before seen, and also show us just how much personalization
these high ranking officers took upon themselves and their uniforms. The same can be said, to an even greater
extent, with the front line soldiers, as they often strayed far from regulation
with the inability to obtain supplies at the far stretched front lines. While I
will recommend a few books below (which will focus primarily on high ranks),
really any book will suffice for study of period photography. The goal is to always be studying the photos,
as there are compelling photos in nearly every book.
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Luftwaffe
Generals, Knights Cross Holders, by Jeremy Dixon Great biographies of individual
Luftwaffe Generals along with many excellent period photographs showing variations
and anomalies in both uniforms and insignia of these high ranking officers. |
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Die deutschen Generalfeldmarschall und Grossadmirale, by Peter Stockert Period color photos, both studio
portraits and field images show all of the high ranking officers’ uniforms
and great detail. |
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Wolfschanze 1940 - 1945,
by Arndt Series of color photographs taken
at Hitler’s field HQ, the “Wolfschanze”, showing great details of all the
senior ranking officers while visiting Hitler. Provides excellent study for uniform and
insignia variations. |
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Hitler’s Berghof 1928 - 1945, by Arndt Another excellent Arndt book of
period color photos all taken at Hitler’s mountain retreat, the Berghof. |
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Waffen SS Commanders,
by Mark C. Yerger This is a two in depth
examination of the senior commanders of the Waffen SS divisional fighting
units. Each commander is profiled with
numerous frontline and candid photos, as well as a comprehensive biographical
sketch on each officer. Great source
of frontline SS photos! |
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Allgemeine SS, by Mark
C. Yerger The Allgemeine SS is covered in
great detail, explaining the structure of the organization as well as
profiling many of the SS leaders.
Another excellent source of rare photographs of SS leaders, but also
just a great all around reference on the Allgemeine SS. |
Other Collectors:
What still remains the best way to
learn about militaria is to physically examine original pieces by spending time
with seasoned collectors who have been around for a long time and seen the
changes and evolution of the hobby. They
are better versed in the many variations of original items and have also seen
the fakes evolve over the decades. If
you can find a specialist (for instance, a collector who focuses on belt
buckles) it is even better as they most often know more than generalist
collectors or dealers. The problem is,
and has been, how to find and engage these people and earn an invitation to
examine their collection and learn. Many
of them are not regular participants on the internet, so you often have to
search them out through other means.
So what is the best way to meet
other collectors and gain an entrée into viewing their collections and sharing
knowledge? In my opinion the best way is
by attending militaria shows, but you may also find that there are groups of
collectors in your area that regularly meet.
Also use your network of other collectors and dealers to ask them who is
in your area. Be aware that not all
serious collectors are open to blind solicitation, as they possess very
valuable collections and are often suspicious of bringing individuals that they
don’t know into their homes. You may
need an introduction, via another collector, to gain access. There are also quite a few dealers who will
welcome new collectors to come in and view their merchandise, as well as their
personal collections. And of course
there are always the internet forums, which are great places to meet fellow
collectors and forge new friendships…the only drawback being that they may not
be anywhere near where you live.
Militaria Shows:
Attending militaria shows should be
mandatory if you collect. It is by far the best way to see large
volumes of artifacts in person and be able to handle and examine them, as well
as meet fellow collectors and exchange information. There is no way to ever assemble the
experience and knowledge necessary by strictly being an internet collector and sitting
in front of a computer and looking at pictures.
Yes, you can learn that way, but participating in physical examinations
is a must and there is no better place than at a show. There are literally thousands of pieces of
militaria at a show, depending on the size of the show of course. The biggest one, the Show of Shows has over
1700 eight foot long tables of merchandise available for sale. You can quite literally walk the show every
day for four days and never see everything!
Present at these shows will be everything from Hermann Goring’s Grand
Cross jewel encrusted cassette, to that pair of wool socks you were looking for
to complete a uniform. It is just a
great opportunity to examine all of these items close-up and even handle some
of them (just make sure you ask first!).
There are also many of the replica dealers there, which also gives you
the chance to check out the latest reproductions and see how they stack up
against originals.
One of the other benefits is that
it allows you to personally meet some of the dealers in the business, and form
your own opinions of whom you would and would not like to do business
with. And, the big secret is; many of
them do not have a web presence.
In fact, one of the things online collectors don’t realize is that the
majority of militaria dealers do not have websites or online sales, so a show
is a good place to pick up items you would otherwise not find solely by surfing
websites. What you see on the internet
is only a tiny fraction of what is out there and available. You are not going to find some of these
things if you don’t go to the shows. The show sizes range from smaller,
regional shows of 100 – 300 eight foot tables of merchandise, to the super
shows, like the aforementioned Show of Shows in Louisville,
Kentucky, which has 1700 tables of merchandise and thousands of dealers and
visitors from all over the world. The
larger shows are also a great place to pick up militaria at good prices, as
many of the smaller dealers have priced items much lower than what you will
find on the internet, and are more willing to bargain. In the
Links to Militaria Shows;
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The Show of Shows http://sosovms.com/show_of_shows.htm |
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The Max Show |
(Attn: Show promoters!
If you have a link to your militaria show, please contact
me and I will add it to this list)
Internet Forums:
Thanks to the internet, one of the
newer developments is the evolution of the militaria forums, which offer collectors
an opportunity to access and share a world of information that was never before
available. The best of those forums seem
to be the History Forums, which concentrate on studying individual
battles, units, regiments, development of weapons and vehicles, as well as the
study of the individual soldiers and personalities, amongst other related
topics. Those that participate in these historical forums seem to relish
sharing information and are extremely proficient at research. Reading these forums is a great online
starting point, as it will expand your knowledge of the historical aspect of
the war. Be forewarned, however, that
some of the sections of these history sites explore the minutia of subjects
that may have no interest to you personally, as these people really drill down
deep into their subject matter. If you
are looking for great detail, you will find it here. It can be quite fascinating or quite boring,
depending on your interest and perspective in their subject. However, these sites are so massive and the
subject matter so diverse, that there is something of interest for any visitor
and you can literally spend hours of time upon an initial visit. It is hard to come away without learning
something. Studying the history is vital
to understanding the artifacts, something you will understand over time if you
collect long enough. Oddly enough, the
majority of the history buffs are not collectors, and sometimes look down at
collectors for their penchant to focus too much on the collectibles and not
enough on the history.
In contrast, are the Collector
Forums, which specialize in the minute examination and understanding of
military collectible artifacts. These
forums can be a bit like the Wild West at times, where the rules are fluid and
the quest for truth can be lost in the battle for power and ego of the
individual participants, each trying to “out expert” each other. It’s the inevitable testosterone overflow of
a male dominated hobby, with its occasional ugly side on display for all to
see, and the resulting gossip and innuendo threatening to become more popular
than the quest for knowledge. Complicating matters is the fact that most
artifacts, unlike written history, have no provenance or trail of ownership and
are subject to opinion or hand me down knowledge to validate them. It is reminiscent of political discussion,
where opinion is debated, tempers flare and common sense and reasoning often
get lost in the battle to “be right”. If you can wade through all of that, you
can find some excellent nuggets of information on these forums, and
increasingly they have become a “go to” spot for collectors to quickly identify
a piece by using the search function and then reading through relevant
threads. It is also a good place to
interact with other collectors, thus expanding your own network and knowledge
base. Realize, however, that forum
participation reflects a minority of those in the hobby….part of this relates
to the fact that so many collectors are older and do not fully embrace the
internet, while others just choose not to participate. As a result, many long time, advanced
collectors are absent from the discussions and some questions never get
answered.
(Note; most militaria forums
rely on paid advertising for promotion, so no links to recommended sites will
be provided)
Internet Reference Sites:
At present time, this is an area of
collecting that is just getting started and there are more and more reference
sites starting to pop up out there, though many of them are still in their
developmental stages. Some may progress
into excellent sources of research, while others have appeared to flounder,
likely due to the tremendous amount of time required to develop and maintain
such sites. While surfing the reference
sites these days the range between the good and bad is quite wide, as many are
still devoid of substance when it comes to content. Others have a lot of content yet are still
sorting it out to a meaningful structure.
There is also the problem of giving away all this information for free,
when collector reference books are such a popular item these days. With good reference books now selling for
$100 or more, there is little incentive for anyone to spend months of their
personal time to develop a free online reference book with no financial return,
so most do it solely for the love of the hobby.
The other issue with internet reference right now is finding the
sites. Since few, if any, are commercial
sites, they don’t easily turn up in the search engines unless they’ve been out
there for a long time. One way to find
them is to look through the military history forums, as often times there are
sections of the forum that will direct visitors to new websites. Currently there are a few links to reference
sites posted on my links page, but as time progresses
and I am made aware of other quality sites they will be listed on this page for
easy reference.
