German Aces of World War One

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all; I have recently acquired an unique book that I thought I might mention here.

Greg VanWyngarden and Norman Franks have exceeded all possible hopes and expectations for a book of this nature. You might well say that others have done this type of book but I have never seen it done so well or completely with unique and informative images. Several photos I have never seen and from a research point of view I find them very exciting. "...The air aces of Imperial Germany’s Luftstreitkräfte are an ever-popular subject among aviation historians, enthusiasts, war gamers, and aircraft modelers. The images of famous airmen such as Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, and Werner Voss are well known and frequently published, but the same cannot be said for all of the over 300 German airmen who achieved five or more aerial victories in the Great War. Their stories have often been published, but never have as many photographs of the aces been assembled within the pages of one volume. Of necessity these photos vary widely in style, format and quality, yet they serve to reveal a good deal of information about the pilots and the multitude of different uniforms and decorations they wore. Students of World War I aircraft will also find useful illustrations of the various machines in which these pilots attained their fame. Over 330 photographs of the aces are provided. The aces are listed in ‘score’ order, starting with the ‘Red Baron’ himself with eighty victories, and proceeding down the list to the last alphabetically ordered airman with five claims, Martin Zander. Each photograph is accompanied by a brief service history and victory total of the ace..." From Schiffer pub. Price on web site 59.95 USD.

Personally I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has even a modest library. If you acquire it even from an allied perspective it gives you a great insighgt into the "enemy camp."

Sounds good. Always wondered if there were only 3 or 4 aces flying for the Reich. The price is a little high...but I guess about par.

[maten]

Having just recently acquired the book myself, I, too, can vouch for how well it has been done. I noticed that some of the individuals in it lived until the 1980's.

The same publisher also has a book of Sanke cards that looks quite interesting.

I went looking on the www for the book and found " German Fighter Aces of WWI " for 19 USD. I have not received the book yet.

What the h is SANKE ?

[fsbof]

Topgun - you might want to recheck the book you ordered. I can't believe that "German Aces of World War I" - a new book retailing for $59.95 - would be available now for $19.00 !

[maten]

What is SANKE? Well, try this, from Schiffer's website:

"For the first time in eighty-five years, the famous Sanke postcards of World War I Imperial German Aviators have been reproduced. Clear, large scale copies of all known and highly collectible Sanke personality photo postcards produced during World War I are now available, carefully replicated, and included all under one cover in this deluxe volume."

Sometimes Amazon.com offers used books at different prices, depending on condition. The Amazos site has a search box by author, book title, or category. Even the best sellers drop 40% or so after a few months..
Do you know of any books on WWI anti-aircraft artillery?

[edmondthieffry]

Hi Billy,

Crowood Press published WWI Anti-Aircraft Artillery in 2002. I read it and I can tell you that it's a good introduction on the subject.

Tankette, the bimonthly magazine of the MAFVA (Military Armoured Fighting Vehicles Association) present regularly one or two articles on this subject also, but they are more specific to one gun or self propelled gun and devoted to the modeling.

HTH

Best regards from Belgium

Philippe

fsbof

It is a different book. And I knew when I ordered it, that it was a different book.......just same subject.