Knight of Germany: Oswald Boelcke German Ace

by Johannes Werner, Norman L.R. Franks (Introduction), Claude W. Sykes (Translator)

The story of the World War I fighter pilot the Red Baron himself sought to emulate . . .German air ace Oswald Boelcke was a national hero during World War I. He was the youngest captain in the German air force, decorated with the Pour le Mérite while still only a lieutenant, and credited with forty aerial victories at the time of his death.Becoming a pilot shortly before the outbreak of the war, Boelcke established his reputation on the Western front first in reconnaissance, then in scouts, before finally becoming the best known of the early German aces, along with Max Immelmann. After Immelmann’ s death, he was taken off flying and traveled to the Eastern front where he met a young pilot called Manfred von Richthofen. Transferred back to the Western Front in command of Jasta 2, he remembered von Richthofen when new small fighting units were formed and chose him as a pilot for his new Staffel. Boelcke was tragically killed in a flying accident during combat in October 1916, although not before the reputation of his unit, together with his own, had been firmly established forever.This absorbing biography was written with the blessing of Boelcke’s family. Professor Werner was given access to his letters and other papers, and presents here a rounded and fascinating portrait of a great airman and a remarkable soldier who became known as the father of the German Jagdflieger.This edition has been completely reoriginated while remaining faithful to the language of the time of its original translation from German in the 1930s.

Genres: Aviation, Nonfiction, Biography, World War I, History

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1932

Reviews

[Efox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had a thing for WWI flying since we studied them in World History in high school. Hence, my receiving a biography of Oswald Boelcke as a gift. This book was really fascinating for two reasons. One, it is primarily composed of the first person account of Boelcke's life through the letters he wrote to his parents. Boelcke was one of the first Aces, a great National Hero to Germany and one of the first to develop and articulate tactical maneuvers in aerial warfare. He was the Captain who trained the Ace of Aces, Mandfred von Richtofen, the Red Barron, and for someone who enjoys this period of history as much as I do, his first person account of joining the early air corps was really interesting.

Second, the book was originally published in the 1930's. Having recently finished In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin which described the time when this book would have first been published, it added an additional layer of intrigue to the story that Professor Werner was portraying in his choice of Boelcke's life narrative. Throughout the book there is a great sense of the greatness of German military might and pride in the country's WWI accomplishments. The description of Boelcke's character and even his "manliness" was also very interesting given the context of the Germany that Werner was writing in.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys first person accounts of history, especially early aerial warfare. It's not an easy or quick read, by any means, but it is a fascinating book both about WWI and more contextually, pre-WWII Germany.

[Robert Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

His memory lives on!

Aviators and fighter pilots will arrest to his timeless wisdom in the air and of battle in the air. His tactics are still being practiced to this day! Owing testament to his leadership and skill as a tactician and fighter ace!