As many of you know, there is a definite market for WWII collectibles. One would think that these things are unobtainable, but it all depends on circumstances and one's ability to afford these things. One of the biggest areas of interest are in badges and medals. Among the more unusual and limited items are those of the Kriegsmarine or German Navy.

It is no secret that Hitler thought that the only useful part of the Navy was the U-boat arm, so spent as little effort on the surface fleet as he could, finally mothballing most of the surface ships and transferring crews to land operations where they were used as ground troops around naval bases.

This book by renowned collector and author Christopher Ailsby looks at all the various rank badges, insignia, career badges, duty badges, sleeve badges, Spanish civil war awards and other decorations associated with the German Navy and with civilians working for the fleet.

Each item is clearly described and provided with a sharply done photograph of an extant example. There is also an indication of the commonality of the item. Some are quite common while others were issued to only a couple of high ranking official so are exceedingly rare.

Even if one has no intention of becoming a collector of these items, it is a most interesting look at a subject covered by few. I found the book to be most interesting and I'm sure you will as well.

January 2008

Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb books and DVDs.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.