Book Reviews: The U-Boat Commanders, Jeremy Dixon & Knights of the Battle of Britain, Chris Goss

Two quite similar books under review in this post, one on the avionics plane and the other on a maritime tack. The books most obvious similarities are that they focus on German medal-winners of WWII. The former gaining their laurels fighting in the Luftwaffe, the latter proving hardy in the Kriegsmarine. [1] I'll look at them t'other way round, seas then skies.

In just over 300 pages, with about 200 illustrations, Jeremy Dixon gives us 123 short biog's of German Kriegsmarine personnel who won the various grades of Knight's Cross serving in the U-Boat arm. He starts with the highest grades and works downwards, each class getting bigger as we get lower down the grades. This is quite good, as it front-loads the book with the high-scorers, amongst whom are some of the more familiar names, like Kretschmer, Prien and Topp.

The nature of this book, and others like it (see below!) is great in that it lends itself to dipping into, as opposed to the more normal front to back and all of the way through of normal narrative history. I love the latter as well, don't get me wrong. But when you read as much as I do, then a change in format and feel can be quite refreshing!

You could, of course, read this cover to cover. And if this is your foremost area of interest, you might well choose to do so. I'm only recently getting more into the maritime stuff, having traditionally favoured land-based warfare over either aerial or naval combat. But books like this are helping feed a growing interest in the perilous combats on the briny seas. Possibly a bit specialist for the general WWII reader. Nevertheless, a solid, readable and informative resource.

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This book has a more concentrated focus, in that it only covers Ritterkreuz awards made during the Battle of Britain. 121 airmen are profiled, over roughly 200 pages, 118 of them appearing once, for being awarded the Ritterkreuz, with three - Werner Molders, Adolf Galland and Helmut Wick - being featured a second time [2], for achieving the next grade, mit Eichenlaub (with Oak-leaves).

In most respects this is very like the similarly themed U-Boat book, differing only in how it's organised - chronologically, as opposed to in descending order of grade - and the shorter time-span it covers, April to December, 1940, as opposed to the whole war. Each entry succinctly synopsises the life and career of the recipient, whilst also giving a brief account of their part in the Battle of Britain.

Copiously illustrated in black and white throughout, with a short additional photo section towards the end, this is ideal for dipping into. Again, if this is your primary area of interest a cover to cover read might be in order. But for me it's a case of occasionally having a glance through, and cherry picking a few entries. This makes it eminently suited to workplace reading, if one's job allows occasional time-outs, as mine occasionally does.

A fascinating and informative resource.

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NOTES:

[1] Sorry, couldn't resist the pun!

[2] In these cases the first entry is the fuller account, the second being very cursory.

Book Review: Focke-Wulf 190, Chris Goss

Author Chris Goss mentions in his Preface that he's indebted to Alfred Price for many of the images in this book. Both Goss and the late Price are or were Ex-RAF themselves, and appear to have shared a fascination - as do I - with the Luftwaffe in WWII. Goss states further that he dedicates this volume to his friend/mentor, and that the plan is for two such books, each of about 200 images, of which this is the first.

The subtitle of this book is The Early Years - Operations In The West, so I guess there should be that other volume in due course. Whilst this belongs to the Air War Archives series, from Frontline Books, it's very much in the same style or vein as Images of War, from Pen & Sword. And, like the latter, it is very decidedly more visual than textual. The bulk of the text, indeed, pretty much all of it, aside from the brief introduction, being the captions to the images, as opposed to the contextual info some other books in these two series provide. 

The Pembrey 190, 1942.

It's very good to see a glossary has been included. After that and the Intro, the chapters are as follows: Training, The Pembrey 190, Jagdgeschwader 2, Other Jagdgeschwader in NW Europe, Jabo, Reconaissance, The Med'. These chapter headings are kind of self-explanatory, and give a good idea as to the content you might expect. 'The Pembrey 190' is the only rather more obscure chapter heading, and is given on account of an Oberleutnant Armin Faber landing his Fw-190 at Pembrey airfield, in Southern Wales, thereby delivering the first intact plane of this sort into British hands, for examination and evaluation.

It seems to me that despite the Luftwaffe's intentions that the Fw-190 replace the Me-109, it is to the latter what the Hurricane has long been to the Spitfire, the less known or celebrated second-cousin. Just as the Hurricane is now being touted as superior to most Spitfire types, the Fw-190 is often described as superior to both the Me-109, and the Allied planes it met, when introduced into service. It's also alleged to have been more versatile, performing as fighter, fighter-bomber (or Jabo) and in reconnaissance and night-flying roles.

In 'Jabo' mode, carrying a 250lb bomb (fuselage) and drop-tanks (wings).

The pictures are fascinating, and great resources for modellers and wargamers, etc. It's also interesting to see and read about the fates of the men who flew in them, and all too often died in them. Some of those deaths may have been pretty mercifully instantaneous, but others, for example that of Oberfeldwebel Georg Schott - seen to bale out and get into his dinghy - may have been awfully protracted; Schott was shot down 27 Sept', '43, his dead body being recovered from his dinghy, washed ashore on the island of Sylt, 11 Oct', roughly a fortnight later.

I have a few 1/72 Fw-190 kits, and I may model them on individual planes mentioned here. One thing obviously lacking, however, from an entirely black and white book such as this, are the colour schemes a modeller will obviously want and need. But Therese are readily and plentifully available elsewhere. 

I'm not certain, but I think this is one of the kits in my Fw-190 stash.

Not the greatest or most exciting of titles from the Air War Archives or Images of War series. But still a solid and useful contribution to the enthusiasts library.

Book Review: Luftwaffe Training Aircraft, Chris Goss

Covering a neglected and potentially interesting subject, if perhaps more up the avenue of a plane modeller, this is a good source of pictures. But the text is very minimal, consisting of a brief intro, a useful glossary, and then the picture captions. 

The intro gives some background context, and the glossary is very useful. But the captions are, by and large, a bit too dry, often consisting solely of info on the plane's werk nummer and service history. Where there's some info beyond that, say for example on the fates of the crew, or some other interesting little detail, it's better.

Focke Wulf FW 44 'Stieglitz'.

Under the Air War Archive banner this one's kind of in the vein of the Images of War series, inasmuch as it's primarily a pictorial resource. Given the author's acknowledgment of this as an understudied area of aerial warfare, it's a shame there isn't more in the way of interesting textual detail. Bit of a missed opportunity there.

Some of the planes covered herein are familiar, but many aren't. At least not to me. But then I'm more of an ground warfare freak than a air war type guy. Some of the images have sparked an interest  that might lead me to build something different. But then again, perhaps I should concentrate on all the stuff I already have in hand?

Heinkel He 50.

Of all the books I've been reading and reviewing recently, this one's certainly not amongst my favourite. I have been getting more into aircraft of late. But even so, this is perhaps a little too specialised and a little too dry for me. Still, it's always nice to have more pics in the library!