Ace of the Black Cross

Ace of the Black Cross PDF Author: Ernst Udet
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1526771942
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Above the mud and misery of the trenches and the endless slugging matches of the First World War another contest was played out with all the military glamor, chivalric values and deadly outcome of a medieval, knightly tournament. This was the battle in the air between the first primitive aircraft and the intrepid aviators who flew them. This image of air war is brought nobly to light in the memoirs of Ernst Udet, the German ace of aces, whose impressive wartime record was second only to the legendary Red Baron. Written in a jaunty, Boys Own style, Udet paints a romantic picture of his experiences and captures what perhaps many young pilots must have felt as they flew off each day to duel with the enemy, the elements and an unreliable technology. Ace of the Black Cross also illustrates the way in which war and defeat left this young generation of tough, spirited, individuals rootless and restless. After the war Udet used his flying skills to give displays to crowds of gawking onlookers, a circus act that left him frustrated and resentful. In 1941, disillusioned and depressed, he shot himself. On the wall before he died he scrawled a message for Goring: Iron man, you have betrayed me.

Ace of the Black Cross

Ace of the Black Cross PDF Author: Ernst Udet
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1526771942
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Above the mud and misery of the trenches and the endless slugging matches of the First World War another contest was played out with all the military glamor, chivalric values and deadly outcome of a medieval, knightly tournament. This was the battle in the air between the first primitive aircraft and the intrepid aviators who flew them. This image of air war is brought nobly to light in the memoirs of Ernst Udet, the German ace of aces, whose impressive wartime record was second only to the legendary Red Baron. Written in a jaunty, Boys Own style, Udet paints a romantic picture of his experiences and captures what perhaps many young pilots must have felt as they flew off each day to duel with the enemy, the elements and an unreliable technology. Ace of the Black Cross also illustrates the way in which war and defeat left this young generation of tough, spirited, individuals rootless and restless. After the war Udet used his flying skills to give displays to crowds of gawking onlookers, a circus act that left him frustrated and resentful. In 1941, disillusioned and depressed, he shot himself. On the wall before he died he scrawled a message for Goring: Iron man, you have betrayed me.

Ace of the Black Cross

Ace of the Black Cross PDF Author: Ernst Udet
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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Book Description


Aero-Neurosis

Aero-Neurosis PDF Author: Mark C. Wilkins
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526723131
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
“Lays bare the grim reality of life on a frontline squadron . . . the comprehensive physical, emotional, and mental decline these aviators endured.” —Donna’s Book Blog The young men who flew and fought during the First World War had no idea what was awaiting them. The “technology shock” that coalesced at the Western Front was not envisaged by any of the leadership or medical establishment. Despite the attendant horrors many men experienced, some felt that the dynamic context of aerial combat was something that, after the war, they still longed for . . . Doctors argued over best practice for treatment. Of course, the military wanted these men to return to duty as quickly as possible; with mounting casualties, each country needed every man. Aviation psychiatry arose as a new subset of the field, attempting to treat psychological symptoms previously unseen in combatants. The unique conditions of combat flying produced a whole new type of neurosis. Terms such as “Aero-neurosis” were coined to provide the necessary label yet, like shell shock, they were inadequate when it came to describing the full and complete shock to the psyche. Mark C. Wilkins finds the psychology undergirding historical events fascinating and of chief interest to him as an historian. He has included expert medical testimony and excerpts where relevant in a fascinating book that explores the legacies of aerial combat, illustrating the ways in which pilots had to amalgamate their suffering and experiences into their postwar lives. Their attempts to do so can perhaps be seen as an extension of their heroism. “An original and absorbing study of the psychological factors of the first air war.” —Firetrench

Aces Falling

Aces Falling PDF Author: Peter Hart
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 0297855700
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
How the age of the great WWI aces came to an end in the skies over the Western Front At the beginning of 1918 the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. Some were little more than boys when they started to fly, yet they were respected and feared as some of the deadliest killers in the sky. But as the press of fighting increased with the great offensives of 1918, nervous stress and physical exhaustion finally began to take their toll - and one by one the aces began to fall. This book charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'. As the First World War came to a close very few of the aces survived. This epic history of the final year of the air war is both a chronicle of the ways in which 1918 changed aerial combat forever, and a requiem for the pioneers of aerial combat who eventually became the victims of their own brilliant innovations.

Irish Aces of the RFC and the RAF in the First World War

Irish Aces of the RFC and the RAF in the First World War PDF Author: Joe Gleeson
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The First World War had an enormous impact on Ireland. Over 240,000 Irish men and women volunteered to serve with the Allied forces, suffering almost 40,000 casualties. The Irish contribution to the air war remains overlooked, not just in Ireland, but also by historians generally. Although just 6,000 Irish served with the Allied flying services at a cost of 500 casualties, their impact was out of all proportion to their numbers. The contribution of Irish aces of the RFC and RAF to the Allied cause was enormous, just over thirty of whom accounted for 400 enemy aircraft. Irishmen such as Mannock, McElroy and Hazell were among the highest-scoring pilots of the war. Some were revered by their men, others were controversial figures – reckless with their own lives and those under their command – but many of their stories remain untold. This book seeks to restore all those who were written out of Irish history, while also providing for their achievements to be considered in the overall context of the first air war. Illustrations: 24 black-and-white photographs

Enochian Vision Magick

Enochian Vision Magick PDF Author: Lon Milo DuQuette
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1578636841
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Having mastered the arts and sciences of his age, Elizabethan magus Dr. John Dee (1527-1608) resolved that worldly knowledge could no longer provide him the wisdom he desired, and as did so many other learned men of the day, he turned his attention to magick. In 1582 he and his clairvoyant partner Edward Kelley made magical contact with a number of spiritual entities who identified themselves as angels--the same that communicated with Enoch and the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Over the next 3 years they revealed to Dee and Kelley three distinct magical systems of vision magick. The third and last of these incorporated a series of "calls" to be recited in an angelic language in order to raise the consciousness of the magician to a level where angelic contact is possible. In Enochian Vision Magick, Lon Milo DuQuette introduces the origins of Enochian magick and offers the expert and novice alike the opportunity not only to see the big picture of the full system but also the practical means by which he or she can become attuned in the same step-by-step manner that first prepared Dee and Kelley. First published by Weiser in 2008, this new edition includes a new introduction and new back matter by the author as well as a new foreword by Jason Louv. Replaces ISBN 978-1-57863-382-1

Richthofen: A True History of the Red Baron

Richthofen: A True History of the Red Baron PDF Author: William E. Burrows
Publisher: Plunkett Lake Press
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Originally a cavalryman, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (1892-1918), nicknamed the Red Baron, transferred to the German Air Service in 1915. One of the first members of fighter squadron Jasta 2 in 1916, Richthofen quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, becoming leader of Jasta 11 in 1917 and later leading the larger fighter wing known as “The Flying Circus” or “Richthofen’s Circus” whose bright-colored aircraft moved from one area of Allied air activity to another, settling on improvised airfields. Richthofen was shot down and killed in April 1918 over France at age 25. Credited with 80 air combat victories, he was a national hero in Germany and was also respected by his enemies. “The context [of World War I air warfare] can be obtained from William E. Burrows’s ‘true history,’ a very good book. He has not only read the available material, but talked to a great many people who knew Richthofen. The result is as good a look at the withdrawn Prussian personality as we are likely to get.” — Pierce Fredericks, New York Times Book Review “This is a fine biography of the German flying ace of World War I fame, who, at the time of his death at age 25, was already a legend. The author has researched well his subject giving the reader a look at the person, not just the mystique, and reconstructs a few of the Red Baron’s famous dog-fights.” — US Naval Institute Proceedings “This ‘true history of the Red Baron’ gets behind the mystique clinging to the World War I aviation ace to the question of his use, or mis-use, by German propaganda.” — Wall Street Journal “In this intriguing biography, Burrows zooms in on the man behind the myth. He analyzes Richthofen’s persisting influence on his compatriots today.” — Book World “The Burrows book does serve to freshen the memory of the Red Baron and his place in history.” — The Louisville Times “William E. Burrows has done, in Richthofen, a sensitive job of examining how a killer is turned into a myth.” — Christian Science Monitor

September Evening

September Evening PDF Author: Barry Diggens
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 1908117877
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
The true story of the daredevil flying ace who rivaled the Red Baron, with photos included. This is the first full-length biography of nineteen-year-old Werner Voss, a legend in his lifetime and the youngest recipient of the Pour le Mérite, Germany’s highest award for bravery in WWI. At the time of his death he was considered by many, friend and foe alike, to be Germany’s greatest ace—and, had he lived, Voss would almost certainly have overtaken Manfred von Richthofen’s victory total by early spring of 1918. Voss is perhaps best remembered for his outstanding courage, his audacity in the air, and the prodigious number of victories he achieved before being killed in one of the most swashbuckling and famous dogfights of the Great War: a fight involving James McCudden and 56 Squadron RFC, the most successful Allied scout squadron. Yet the life of Voss and the events of that fateful September day are surrounded by mystery and uncertainty, and even now aviation enthusiasts continue to ask questions about him on an almost daily basis. Barry Diggens was determined to uncover the truth, and September Evening unearths and analyzes every scrap of information concerning this extraordinary young man. Diggens’s conclusions are sometimes controversial but his evidence is persuasive, and this study will be welcomed by, and of great interest to, the aviation fraternity worldwide.

Black Cross

Black Cross PDF Author: Greg Iles
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781101146361
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 656

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Book Description
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Penn Cage series comes a gripping World War II thriller that “vaporizes almost every cliché about the limits of the genre...[it’s] good enough to read twice”(Kirkus Reviews). It is January 1944—and as Allied troops prepare for D-Day, Nazi scientists develop a toxic nerve gas that will repel and wipe out any invasion force. To salvage the planned assault, two vastly different but equally determined men are sent to infiltrate the secret concentration camp where the poison gas is being perfected on human subjects. Their only objective: destroy all traces of the gas and the men who created it—no matter how many lives may be lost...including their own.

Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe

Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe PDF Author: Jeremy Dixon
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1399030744
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
The German fighter pilots of the Second World War are among the undoubted heroes of the conflict, their reputation for flying skill, single-minded determination and solitary courage hasn’t diminished or been clouded by controversy over the years. Their daring and commitment, often displayed when, towards the end of the war, they were fighting against the odds, matches that of any of the other air forces they fought against. This detailed, highly illustrated reference book, which covers the exploits of the most famous and successful individuals among them, shows just how effective and undaunted they were. All the Luftwaffe day fighter pilots who flew single-seater aircraft and won the Knight’s Cross during the war are featured. The entries give information about their early lives and pre-war careers and record how many aircraft they shot down, the type of aircraft involved and where and when the combat took place. Included are accounts of particular actions which led to the award of the Knight’s Cross, and the fate of these remarkable pilots later in the war and in the post-war world is described too. Jeremy Dixon’s book will be fascinating reading and reference for anyone who is interested in the aviation history of the Second World War.