German Aces Speak

The much-anticipated sequel to The German Aces Speak gives voice to four more of WWIIs most noteworthy German pilots.When The German Aces Speak published in 2011, Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine welcomed Colin Heatons and Anne-Marie Lewiss masterful command of interview-based narrative, writing, . . . what might have been numbing recitations of dogfights are instead vivid descriptions of life as a warrior during World War II. Indeed, it is this unexpected perspective, brought to life by the authors neutrality and thoughtful research, that illuminates a side of war largely hidden from the American public: the experience of the German Luftwaffe pilot. In The German Aces Speak II, Heaton and Lewis paint a picture of the war through the eyes of four more of Germanys most significant pilotsJohannes Steinhoff, Erich Alfred Hartmann, Guther Rall, and Dieter Hrabakput together from numerous interviews personally conducted by Heaton from the 1980s through the 2000s. The four ex-Luftwaffe fighter aces bring the past to life as they tell their stories about the war, their battles, their off-duty lives, their lives after the war, and, perhaps most importantly, how they felt about serving under the Nazi leadership of Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler. Together, the memories of the events captured in The German Aces Speak II continue one of todays most unique World War II book series, unearthing a facet of the war that has gone widely overlooked for the American public.

For the first time, four German WWII pilots share their side of the story .Few perspectives epitomize the sheer drama and sacrifice of combat more perfectly than those of the fighter pilots of World War II. As romanticized as any soldier in history, the WWII fighter pilot was viewed as larger than life: a dashing soul waging war amongst the clouds. In the sixty-five-plus years since the Allied victory, stories of these pilots' heroics have never been in short supply. But what about their adversaries-the highly skilled German aviators who pushed the Allies to the very brink of defeat? Of all of the Luftwaffe's fighter aces, the stories of Walter Krupinski, Adolf Galland, Eduard Neumann, and Wolfgang Falck shine particularly bright. In The German Aces Speak, for the first time in any book, these four prominent and influential Luftwaffe fighter pilots reminisce candidly about their service in World War II. Personally interviewed by author and military historian Colin Heaton, they bring the past to life as they tell their stories about the war, their battles, their lives, and, perhaps most importantly, how they felt about serving under the Nazi leadership of Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler. From thrilling air battles to conflicts on the ground with their own commanders, the aces' memories disclose a side of World War II that has gone largely unseen by the American public: the experience of the German pilot.