Heaven Next Stop: A Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot at War

by Gunther Bloemertz

The author, one of the legendary "Abbeville Boys" of Jagdgeschwader 26, relates the tale of his squadron's nearly daily duels with USAAF and RAF planes. Other than a few Nazi fanatics, he contends that the average Luftwaffe fighter pilot was just like his Allied counterpart. Includes a few photos. No references or index. First published by William Kimber. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: World War II

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1996

Reviews

[KOMET]

Originally published in 1953, this book, by Bloemertz's admission, is a novel loosely based on his wartime experiences, conveying the stresses, perils, excitement, and inner conflicts faced by a Jagdflieger (fighter pilot) at the Front.

The narrator of the story is a nameless pilot who arrived at an airbase in France in 1942, which was occupied by one of the top Luftwaffe fighter wings, nicknamed "the Abbeville Boys" by their adversaries because of their proximity to the city of Abbeville and the fact that the cowlings of their fighter planes are painted yellow. He finds himself assigned to a squadron where 2 of his closest friends (Ulrich and Werner) have already been assigned. He is 19 and presumably has completed his stint with an Ergänzungsgruppe, which was a type of finishing school for soon-to-be Luftwaffe fighter pilots, who received extensive training in the planes they would be flying in combat with a frontline Staffel (squadron).

The narrator manages to survive a series of harrowing missions, witness one newly arrived pilot (George) boasting of his first kill in aerial combat only to be informed later by his commander that he had shot down and killed one of his squadron mates by mistake and would be facing a court-martial (George is distaught upon learning of his mistake and wants to die as a way of removing his shame), and be a part of the desperate fighting put on by his unit and the German military in France following D-Day, which sees his unit evacuated to Germany as the war enters its final months.

The narrator is no glory hound keen on accruing kills in aerial combat and earning high promotion and decorations - though he admits - in one terse sentence - to having earned a few. He loves flying, being part of a fighter Staffel, and has a respect for his opponents in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Force (USAAF). He is set on doing his duty but, as time goes on, he has no illusions about the war, its impact on Germany, and takes life at face value.

Any reader who comes to this novel expecting to read extensively of the death-defying ballet of dogfights (aerial combats) pitting fighter against fighter, and the perils of attacking enemy bombers bristling with arrays of machine guns spitting out hundreds of rounds a second, will be a bit disappointed. This is a novel that conveys more of the routine frontline experiences faced by the narrator and his feelings about his squadron mates, the war, and his anxieties about it all. (Every now and then, the narrator does punctuate his account with his descriptions of taking on enemy planes in combat and engaging in ground attack missions.)

The book also has several photos attesting to the life of a German fighter pilot in the West during World War II, including one showing the author poised to take off in his Focke Wulf FW 190 fighter.

This is a book I had known about for years. But it was only a few days ago that I acquired it from an online bookseller at a bargain price. Bloemertz (1923-1994) had scored a kill in aerial combat, and was subsequently shot down by a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter in 1943 whilst attacking a B-17 bomber stream. He sustained grievous wounds that kept him away from JG 26 (Jagdgeschwader 26 or the 26th Fighter Wing) for some time. He would return to JG 26, albeit in a non-flying capacity, and serve out the remainder of the war with it.

[André]

I read the 1952 German original: "Dem Himmel am nächsten" published by Verlag der Europäischen Bücherei H.M. Hieronimi, Bonn (the German edition has 240 pages but no pictures).
The cover and DJ are really nice (for that time) but I have no idea how to post it here/on the website.
Günther Bloemertz wrote it (after escaping from a prison camp east of the Elbe river) during his studies, roughly from December 1945 to 1951
This is a really great book. Although a novel it's very personal. Günther Bloemertz is a very skilled writer, the way he manages to combine his own wartime experiences - both combat stress/air battles and how the war affected his personality and his actions - into an exciting and very moving novel.

[Jack Hwang]

This is not a memoir with factual narratives. The author was ex-Luftwaffe pilot of JG26. However, he was shot down by USAAF P-47s in 1943 and suffered serious burns. After recovering from the injuries, he did return to JG26 but did not serve combat duties again.

So this book has some parts "fictionalized" basing on the author's observations and understanding of the events in JG26 after his injuries. I personally do not like much of the writing style of the author so I just give three stars.

[Roy Szweda]

Essential reading despite the unusual style. It is short and waffly about romance and life during wartime but the combat and plane bits make it worth a go. However, he seems averse to naming his mount and his unit (the Pik As, gelb-naases, the "Abbeville Boys", JG 26) and later the Me 262 (this bit is worth the price of entry if it is true... I know test flying can be risky but this is mad!).
BUT!
Who decided to put a photo of a FW190 on the cover when this is about a 109 pilot?!
My ancient paperback (75 ish) has a STUKA on the cover!

[Robert Hepple]

First published in 1953, 'Heaven Next Stop - A Luftwaffe Pilot at War' purports to be a biographical account of of wartime experiences over WW2 Europe. Perhaps it is, but some reviewers have expressed doubts. The details throughout are vague, to the point where it is difficult to attach any meaningful historic context to events, meaning that it is of no use whatsoever to historians in my opinion.

[Ari]

I have read many Second World War pilot biographies and memoirs from the war. I presume this was one of the best as the writer obviously has some literary abilities too. This was not solely "then we went there, and then we did this and this" as those novels tend to be.

Writer did not try to make a hero of himself but created a bit more chaotic and sad picture of the war... as it must have been in reality. Very young men doing things they actually did not want to do and did not even understand why they had to do those things. Especially after the outcome of the war had become obvious. Some odd sense of responsibility and loyalty towards comrade-in-arms.

Not a long novel. Worth reading in this genre.


Taivasta lähinnä
WSOY 1953

[GasTeddy]

Excellent and touching story about him and his comrades during the WW II. Handles the life and death, the existence and possible afterlife with almost spiritual way, what creates questions nobody knows the answers. Not for those, who want technical details and accurate dogfight descriptions.

I especially recommend for those, who are interested about the complexity of the life or have some spiritual interests, outside of the eternal circle of collecting more material.