Skorzenys secret company Griffin in Hitler’s Ardennes offensive, 1944/45 in the presentation arrived it the author not to add just another book to the many publications of the Ardennes offensive. On the contrary, emphasis of this work is not the comprehensive overview of the history of the fighting around the turn of the year 1944/45, but it shows some striking things in the planning, preparation and execution of the offensive, why not a success from the outset this last great battle even command of Hitler in the West could be granted. This is particularly clear in the statement of the American Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Tompson. This, comparing the backgrounds of the offensive as a spokesman for “Radio Luxembourg”, on the morning of December 17, 1944 – so on the second day of the fighting – ‘with the Act of a man of who wants to shoot someone with a gun, in whose possession he only can sit, by he first kills the man who owns the gun.’ In addition to the representation of ‘some aspects’ to fail the Ardennes offensive, deals in the author with the ‘secret corporate gripping’ under the leadership of the SS – Obersturmbannfuhrer Skorzeny. With the veil of mystery of the company by Hitler himself conceived will be revealed documentary accurately and with the aid of many previously unknown source material for the first time in its entirety, which in previous descriptions only in snippets, it often also tendentious and incorrect has been reported. Company Griffin, German soldiers, when Americans dressed and equipped with loot vehicles, should coup-like take bridges over the Maas River and keep open for the following armoured divisions, the 6th Panzer army.

In many details – starting from the idea of Hitler and his personal order to Skorzeny, about the difficulties in setting up and training the ‘Panzerbrigade 150’ to the unsuccessful use of forces of this troop formation from Malmedy on 20 / 21.12.1944 – is reported on the events in this book. Wide space is also the Activities by Skorzenys command company dedicated to, gave rise to speculation and misrepresentations often just this special unit in previous releases. The depiction of the events at the end of the part of the 1947 held war crimes trial of Skorzeny and nine other defendants of the ‘command company Griffin’ can be seen. The statements made in the book are examined on the basis of unpublished almost 800 pages of process documents again, it will be analysed and assess. SADI, Michael: Between Knight’s Cross and gallows Skorzenys secret company Griffin in Hitler’s Ardennes offensive 1944/45 220 pages, 252 photos, illustrations, maps, 23 x 28 cm order at Amazon tied, possible: between Knight’s Cross and the gallows