Aces of the Reich: The Making of a Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot

by Mike Spick

In 1939, The Luftwaffe was arguably the world's best-equipped and -trained air force. Its fighters were second to none, and their pilots had a tactical system superior to any other in the world. In campaigns over Poland, Norway, the Low Countries and France, they carried all before them. Only in the summer of 1940 did they fail by a narrow margin in achieving air superiority over England. In the West, with a mere holding force, they maintained an enviable killvloss ratio against the RAF, while elsewhere they swept through the Balkans, then decimated the numerically formidable Soviet Air Force. Their top scorers set marks in air combat that have never been surpassed. Yet within three years, and despite the introduction of the jet Me 262, the world's most advanced fighter, the Luftwaffe fighter arm, the Jagdwaffe, had been totally defeated. How did this happen? Air-warfare historian Mike Spick explores the question in depth. His most surprising conclusion is that the motivation of the Jagdwaffe was fundamentally flawed. The legend of Manfred von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron v the top-scoring pilot of World War I v which was promoted by Commander-in-Chief Hermann Goering to enhance his own image, became a paradigm. What mattered most to German fighter-pilots was a high victory score and decorations, at the expense of all else. The result was often an unseemly race for the top spot, which had a pernicious effect on the efficacy of German air combat. From the failings of High Command to the scores and decorations of individuals, Aces of the Reich is a compelling study of World War II's most fearsome air force and the skilled pilots who flew with it. Mike Spick's other works include Luftwaffe Fighter Aces and Luftwaffe Victorious.

Genres: History, Military Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[TheHenry Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book right after 'Alarmstart' and this is the better book. Mike Spick has a knack for writing in a manner that is both informative and enjoyable. The book was basically a review of the rise and fall of the Luftwaffe (from the Spanish Civil War to the end of WWII) while at the same time chronologically following the rise and fall of its highly decorated fighter pilots.

So for example Spick writes about the Battle of Britain and how the Luftwaffe struggled to protect its bombers with short-ranged Bf-109 fighters while at the same time noting which pilots were scoring kills and in return being decorated (receiving medals).

Spick covers night-fighting and jet- and rocket-combat as well. He also finds time to describe the more interesting characters among the 'experten' (aces), in addition to final scores, medals received and whether or not they survived the war. Also, he also discusses the fighter pilot 'mutiny' against Goering and Hitler, and the final outcome of this action. Finally, he addresses the validity of the excessive amount of kills compiled by Luftwaffe aces compared to those of other nations.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2006, 'Aces of the Reich' tells the history of the German Air Force fighter force leading up to and during WW2, with a strong emphasis on the personal histories of the foremost aces arising from the conflict. Engrossing throughout, but let down by technical errors and some contentious facts used to support conclusions.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mike Spickin "Viimeiseen asti: Luftwaffen hävittäjä-ässien nousu ja tuho" (Koala, 2008) käsittelee aihettaan hieman turhan luettelomaisesti ollakseen erityisen kiinnostavaa luettavaa. Esimerkkilause kertonee enemmän kuin tarpeeksi:

"Toinen itärintaman yli kahdensadan ilmavoiton mies oli II/JG52:n Helmut Lipfert, jolla oli 5.4.1944 tilillään 90 pudotusta ja vuotta myöhemmin 17.4.1945 jo 203 (joista kaksi oli nelimoottorisia pommikoneita), minkä jälkeen hänelle myönnettiin ritariristiin tammenlehvät."

Teoksesta löytyy silti ihan mielenkiintoisiakin kohtia, joissa ruoditaan muun muassa ensimmäisen maailmansodan jättämän sankarimyytin vaikutusta taistelulentäjiin sekä esitellään kaaviokuvin ilmasodan taktiikkaa.

[james wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Editing- Great Content

Apparently an OCR scan that wasn't checked (Hitler repeatedly shows up as Hider, Tips' Priller instead of 'Pips', etc). If you can get by those annoyances, you'll find a great review of the Jagdwaffe.