New book on Oswaqld Boelcke due in Oct.

djm · 9 August 2009, 05:08 AM

I just checked Amazon and

Amazon.com: KNIGHT OF GERMANY: Oswald Boelcke German Ace (9781935149118): Johannes Werner: Books

is due to be released later this year. The author is Johannes Werner.

Regards,
d

Gregvan · 9 August 2009, 09:02 AM

Hi djm, and welcome,

That's good news. It's not exactly a new book, though, as it was first published in English in 1933. It's a translation (by Claud W. Sykes) of Boelcke, der Mensch, der Flieger, der Führer, der deutschen Jagdfliegerei which was published in 1932.

This is the standard work on Boelcke in English, and is the first book to start with if you're interested in Boelcke. It contains many of his letters and comments/letters from those who knew him. It's great that it's being made available again; I don't know if this will contain any new material or not.

Greg

GMU · 9 August 2009, 12:26 PM

I have the Vintage Aviation Library, 1991 edition, Greenhill Books. I bought it in Hartford, Conn, back in 1994. I have enjoyed it very much. It is a very good book, and I recommend you getting a hand on it if you can.

I also bought at the same time the book Immelmann 'The Eagle of Lille' by Franz Immelmann, Vintage Aviation Library, Greenhill Books. I also like this book very much and I highly recommend it.

George

tcrean7828 · 9 August 2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djm

I just checked Amazon and KNIGHT OF GERMANY:

Oswald Boelcke German Ace is due to be released later this year. The author is

Johannes Werner.

Regards,
d

Mate,
I agree with Greg Van, excellent book.

In my copy of the original book, Ms. Huntington (aka Dobert) use to go to dances with Boelcke as a teenager. My notes also indicate that he was good at math and use to help her with hers. He was in the signal corps and she lived in Coblenz at the time.

It was first published in English in 1933. It's a translation (by Claud W. Sykes) of Boelcke, der Mensch, der Flieger, der Führer, der deutschen Jagdfliegerei which was published in 1932. The book is an almost exact translation of Knight of Germany by Professor Werner, including pictures. So if you are not that good at German, its the book to get. also -
Immelmann 'The Eagle of Lille' by Franz Immelmann, Vintage Aviation Library, Greenhill Books.
and -
War Flying in Macedonia by Hauptmann Heydemarck was also translated by Claud W. Sykes, John Hamilton Ltd, London.

Great books.
my two cents.

ttfn

tcrean7828

tom

Pips · 10 August 2009, 03:24 PM

It's a good book, and an interesting read.

However I prefer, personally, "An Aviators Field Book" by

Oswald Boelcke himself. It's much more personal, and better gives the essence of the man.

stephen · 10 August 2009, 04:08 PM

Softcover? The ad I found doesn't say.

crankcase · 7 September 2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcrean7828

....
It was first published in English in 1933. It's a translation (by Claud W. Sykes) of Boelcke, der Mensch, der Flieger, der Führer, der deutschen Jagdfliegerei which was published in 1932. The book is an almost exact translation of Knight of Germany by Professor Werner, including pictures. So if you are not that good at German, its the book to get. also -
Immelmann 'The Eagle of Lille' by Franz Immelmann, Vintage Aviation Library, Greenhill Books.
and -
War Flying in Macedonia by Hauptmann Heydemarck was also translated by Claud W. Sykes, John Hamilton Ltd, London.
Great books.
my two cents.
ttfn
tcrean7828
tom

Reprints are fine, even necessary. They are particularly useful when they benefit from extensive (contemporary) commentary based on subsequent research. I am a big fan of footnotes and I found, for example, Mama von Richthofen's war diary to be extra fun and informative reading because Suzanne Hayes Fischer put so much work into explaining the historical context. "Mother of Eagles" was not simply a translation but a piece of scholarship in its own right!
marc