He served his country in genuine combat - not many do that

Thanks for the history lesson. The old adage "What goes around comes around" certainly applies here.

The Totenkopf "Skull" cuff title was the earliest model of the 3rd Division cuff titles and if you had that on your uniform even as time went on and you received newer model tunics, the early "skull" cuff title was usually retained to show that you were a member of the "old boys netwerk" in the division. A "Been there, done that" type of recognition. That would be a proper cuff title to be worn by an early (and notorious) Totenkopf member.

You appear to me to be a good guy, doing work that you love. The only people who don't make mistakes, are people who don't do anything.

you are a kind man who is passionate about these things like us. dont worry about the bad comments just keep it up with lots of love from Turkey.

I appreciate the history of these items and I thank the listener for supplying them.

Another great history lesson. Well done. Very interesting to me.

The HSC is one of my favorites, just something about it that really strikes my fancy. Add to that engraved, wow! Great video, thank you for the content!

Great video and great gun and ensemble. Incredibly interesting and rare to have such a complete grouping from a mid grade Waffen SS officer. Keep up the great work Tom and crew!!!

I can't remember you ever making a bad video but this was definately one of the best and most interesting.. Great stuff guys keep up the excellent work

Great job Tom and the humor is well appreciated. Thank you for sharing this history lesson.

great video . love your sense of humor

Do not listen to anyone saying anything negative about you or the videos you make sir. You are a gem in the youtube history/guns sence and should continue to go about your work knowing there are many people enjoying every video you make. This one in particular was very interesting, thank you for the knowledge and entertainment. Have a great day!

This was great, The Irony Otto Kron was as you said at dachau concentration camp. I was in the Army, and served from 1995-98. In 2015 I headed back to Ft. Hood for a retirement party, the party was for a friend that did his 20 years in the Army. We started out in basic training and ended up stationed together, I got out, he made a career out of it. I remember going back to Ft. Hood and seeing how different it was, there was a infamous shooting there by a Major Hassan, many things had changed. It was an open post when I was stationed there, now it was a closed post, and required ID and papers to enter. I can only imagine, how strange and surreal it was for Otto to be back at dachau, and to die there, can you imagine his last thoughts??? A bizarre ending, to a bizarre story!!!

I really enjoy your insightful and detailed descriptions on your channel. I always learn something new...great job!

Greettings from Spain.Good job, your channel is a reference to all WWII collectors around the World.Thanks.

Nice job this time! Not boring like many. Nice tunic. The history of the man was nice. Did well today

Great video, great content! Love the vet bring backs, & the provenance! History major here...so keep digging up the good stuff!

The uniform is the best part.

Thank you for the cool pictures and stories

Not sure why anyone would beat you up for the video. All your doing is presenting historical facts. If people don’t like it, then they should just not watch and find another channel. Thanks for showing that unique gun and for another interesting history lesson.

That tunic looks correct. Early Waffen-SS officers would most definitely wear a tunic with those early period Totenkopf cuff titles.

Fantastic video. Thank you for adding the history!

Excellent review, as always. Dont understand there are not more subscribers because any ww2 "lover" would appreciate the information presented and the time spent into research

What an fantastic piece of history!!

Splendid guns, and well explained. Thank you.

Another great job, I always enjoy your videos. Thank you for all your hard work.

Outstanding research on the bloke

That was both interesting and well presented. Thanks.

This was a Great Video!!! Can’t thank you enough for bringing this to us even though it’s not something you have for sale. What a fabulous gun and grouping! Connections to his service under Theodore”papa” Eikie….this is great history!! 100%

Jacket looks correct to me (traded this stuff since the ‘60’s)

Nice!!! I learn so much watching this channel. Please let's not let history repeat itself.

Ironic that Kron and his comrades were fighting the same Russian bear now considered World Public Enemy #1 in Ukraine.

Wonderful Story Tom.

Thank you Tom!!!

Thank you for your service!

Incredible gun & history. Thanks for the video.

another great story. beautiful gun.

Always look forward to your vids! This one was particularly interesting

Well presented. You worked to bring us all the history, not an easy task. History happened, let us not forget it anytime soon. Does not mean that we in any way honor these goons, but nothing wrong with pointing them out and speaking of their actions and potential articles of war. Some of the providers of "arms" in that era (Mauser, etc.) had little choice in the matter, no different than Singer Sewing Machine Co. making parts for grenades and making 1911 autos.

Another outstanding video! Thanks Fellas

The engraver did an outstanding job, even better than the factory engravers who did the Walther you compared it with. The stippling and the oak leaves are more detailed and pronounced. Keep in mind that the guy who did the HSC was probably not under any timeline pressure as I'm sure the the Walther engravers were.

Thank you for the history.

Keep going! I love the job you do!!

Great job, as always!

Thanks, Tom, I learn something from every one of these. I see a Luger and it’s serial # listed on the capture papers. Have you looked into what it was and where it might be now?

I recently came upon a 1942 HSC Police issue. Fabulous pistol.

"Nice" , Awesome Piece . !

This and the Luger are the two most elegant pistols in the world.

Otto Kron was a saint! How dare you!

Great video, beautiful piece of German engineering.

Beautiful engraved HSC Mauser pistol and SS tunic

Interesting video, thank you for sharing this video. Great history lesson as well. God bless 🙏

Great stuff, great video !

Agh don’t listen to the armchair detective your videos are always interesting to us wwwii history lovers thanks again

After 1945, France occupying the Mauser factories recovered many HSc pistols and used them as auxiliary weapons during the Indochina war. Similarly, it was a regulatory weapon in the Norwegian police around 1950

What a find man

The Oak Leaves were usually awarded along with the Knights Cross so it's no surprise to see these guns engraved with them! 👍

Death by larinix could also be laryngeal cancer. It takes a long time to grow but in the end its quick.

Loved the history on this piece of firearms history. However, when you said Otto Kron, my brain, being a computer tech, immediately went to auto cron for a bit.

Well done!

Very interesting history.

Vary interesting and tragic, I am an hand engraver and find the style interesting , I don’t see that style much anymore. Thanks for the presentation you did it respectfully.

Thanks for the video

even the Soviet pilot of the Second World War, Pokryshkin, had a captured Mauser pistol, which is still kept in the museum

I didn’t realise that these particular pistols were so large? My Grandfather was bringing one back but as the Troop Ship that he was on docked in Dover Harbour (England, UK), all Troops on board were warned, that anybody caught with firearms (ex enemy) would immediately be shipped back out to Germany, for a further five year stint with the Army of Occupation! Consequently, it along with many other such weapons, got tossed into the Harbour........ Thanks for this interesting video....a window on what might have been? 👍🏻👍🏻

That’s major jacket. Paper show’n in this video, he was ltCol so Bar front of squares is away. So older jacket. Pink waffenfarbe panzer correct. Werner von Braun famous NASA rocket guy had these same 4 left collarpatches😉

I think you’re wrong on the panzer part. The knights cross citation shows a flak unit as well as the color on the shoulder tabs, which is red (flak) and not pink (panzer).

Great video great information

28. June 1942 awarded the Knight's Cross

Good stuff !

You best Legacy Merci

Would love to know how the gun and uniform piece were captured. Were they captured together or seperate? either way cool stuff

Nice collection 👌

Great video, I know your a gun guy, but would like to have seen more of the uniform,

Solid Proof of all claims Required.

Great video, i believe the tunic is real

wow, i would like to have that...

Awesome pistol!!

No need to beat up on Dennis Murphy! 😂

Wonderful

I think the current owner should give back that to Otto's family members.if he has any left cause if they are they the rightful owners

I have not seen such an SS officer's buckle, not even a belt marked in this way. Are you sure it's original?

nice gun

Very nice video thank you very much never mind all the haters

ive got a copy of that ss book

Great video - thanks for sharing. BTW, the red on the uniform shoulder epaulette is for artillery (he was commander of the FLAK Bn) and Eicke would be pronounced 'Ike-uh' sort of how Porsche should properly be pronounced with the last vowel not being silent.

Return it to his family! He saved thousands of soldiers lives...this is a discase to hold it in foreign hands who do not deserve it.

All Good

Debt paid in full as the post war French would say.

Did he just say Louie Ville?

Always love the shows. However, just for accuracy, WSS Division Totenkopf was just another WSS division like Das Reich, Hohenstaufen, Frumdsberg etc. Eicke formed Das Reich. No better an no worse than any other division.

Interesting, he has the same last name as me. I'm of German descent but I didn't know I was from the SS.

Cred ca au fost detinute de familie

he dit not done put it?

Preserving history is never controversial. Altering or denying history always is.

Facsinating.

Please never sell these things to someone who would destroy them

Very interest Wavven SS pistol and Wavven SS uniform. What happen this SS officer? How he die?? Or he retreat in USA Paper Clipp operaton, then Werner Von Braun??

How about sending me some offers