Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe in World War IIThis book examines the reality behind the myths of the legendary German fighter aces of World War II. It explains why only a small minority of pilots - those in whom the desire for combat overrode everything - accounted for so large a proportion of the victories. It surveys the skills that a successful fighter pilot must have - a natural aptitude for flying, marksmanship, keen eyesight - and the way in which fighter tactics have developed. The book examines the history of the classic fighter aircraft that were flown, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke Wulf Fw 190, and examines each type's characteristics, advantages and disadvantages in combat. The accounts of the experiences of fighter pilots are based on archival research, diaries, letters, published and unpublished memoirs and personal interviews with veterans. The pilots included are Werner Molders, Gunther Rall, Adolf Galland, Erich Hartmann and Johannes Steinhoff. |
Contents
Adolf Galland | viii |
Werner Mölders | x |
Gunther Rall | xxiv |
Erich Hartmann | 106 |
Johannes Steinhoff | 106 |
HansJoachim Marseille | 106 |
Other Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots | 106 |
| 106 | |
| 107 | |
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Common terms and phrases
aces Adolf Galland aerial victories aeroplane air combat airfield Allied altitude American bomber Army attack aviation Bader Barkhorn base Battle of Britain began bombing British cannon Channel climbed cockpit command Condor Legion crash defence dive enemy aircraft enemy fighters enemy planes engine England Erich Hartmann Falck Fighter Arm fighter force fighter leader fighter pilots fighter wing fighter-bombers fire flew flight flown flying formation fuel Führer fuselage German Air Force German fighter German pilots Goering guns Gunther Rall heavy bombers Heinkel Hermann Goering Hitler Hrabak Hurricanes jet fighter Johannes Steinhoff kill Knight’s Cross Krupinski landing Luftwaffe Luftwaffe fighter Lützow Marseille Messerschmitt Messerschmitt Bf-109 mission Mustang nightfighter officers operational ordered P-51 Mustang parachute raids Reich Reichsmarshall Rossmann Royal Air Force runway Russian score Second World shoot shot Soviet speed Spitfires squadron Starfighter Stuka take-off target told turbojet unit Werner Mölders Whittle Willy Messerschmitt wingman