The cover to Part 1 is part of this post. I think it looks great. I gave Helion several photos from which to choose, and they selected that one and did the rest. They intend to have the book out before the end of 2014. Of course, delays are always possible in publishing, but I'm hoping for the best. Part 1 begins in 1935 with the establishment of the Germania Standarte of the Waffen-SS. Germania is followed through the creation of the Wiking Division in late 1940. Wiking is then covered through the end of 1941, when it found itself on the defensive along the Mius River, deep in the Soviet Union. The Germanic Legions are next, followed by the arrival of the Finnish Battalion at Wiking and the 1942 campaign into the Caucasus. The Norwegian ski company in Karelia is also featured. The book winds down with some scenes of recruit and officer training, and of collaboration in occupied Norway and Belgium. Sunwheels and Siegrunen Part 1 includes over 700 photos and detailed captions.
I created some rough maps which should look much better in the finished product. These will help readers make sense of the many odd place names where the Germanic Waffen-SS was deployed. I also added the latest version of my Waffen-SS War Reporter Photographer list. I hope it will help generate much new information from readers. Now I need to get to work on Part 2. I'm already selecting photos, but the long hours I put in at my day job mean that writing always goes more slowly than I'd like. I did learn some good lessons and processes while working on Part 1. Remy Spezzano from RZM helped with one of the most important of these, emphasizing that I needed to Photoshop the NARA scans to improve their quality. They look much better now than they ever have previously in any book or website (other than RZM titles).
My book will be coming out at roughly the same time as some related titles, many of which are by friends of mine. The first, ahead of the pack, is just reaching stores now. Volume 7 of Mark Yerger's German Cross Holders of the SS and Police series is the first half of his coverage of the Wiking Division. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! The follow-up is already written, I hope it can be released a year from now.
The likely next book to be released should be A European Anabasis, Ken Estes' study of Western European military collaboration during World War 2. The original form of this is still available online here, but I've seen the manuscript for the book, and it has been somewhat revised and updated.
I had a small part in arranging a publishing contract for Lars T. Larsson. His Hitler's Swedes should finally be out late in 2014. I've read a few chapters of his manuscript, and am greatly looking forward to reading the finished product.
My Scandinavian friends Martin Mansson, Lennart Westberg, and Geir Brenden have teamed together to produce a 2-volume set on the III. (germanisches) SS-Panzerkorps that should be full of good photos and personal accounts. The first part is due around the same time as my book.
Geir and Tommy Natedal are preparing a massive photo book on the Norwegian Waffen-SS, which they also hope to have out before the end of 2014. I don't have a link for this book, unfortunately.
Finally, Remy Spezzano and Doug Nash at RZM are putting together Kampfgruppe Muehlenkamp, a photo book on Wiking in the summer of 1944. It is based on the photos of “unofficial war reporter” Ernst Baumann. The book will explain his special circumstances. I was lucky enough to get to preview some of the photos this spring, and they are incredible.
Wow, these next few months are going to be exciting from a book perspective!
