The History of the 24. Waffen-Gebirgs (Karstjäger)-Division der SS and the Holders of the Anti-Partisan War Badge in Gold in the Second World War

Take a detailed look into the brutal anti-partisan warfare in Yugoslavia during the Second World War. The SS war against the partisans, dubbed Bandenkampf (literally “fight against bandits”) at the time, differed greatly from the conventional war at the front. The 24. Waffen-Gebirgs [Karstjäger]-Division der SS anti-partisan unit was mostly comprised of ethnic Germans from Romania and operated in the Karst border area of Austria, Yugoslavia, and Italy from 1943 to 1945. This is not only a history of this SS division—including details of formation, training, commanders, and operations—but also an examination of the German Anti-Partisan War Badge in Gold and its recipients from the unit. Very rare examples of actual badges, award documents and soldbuchs, and never before seen war era images are presented.