Peter Kilduff

This book is almost exclusively centered on the American Carriers and aircrew. As the Us Navy was involved in the Battle of the Atlantic, there is a chapter on that, as well as one on the torch landings in Morocco. The light carriers get their chapter while the humble escort carriers are lumped into the Battle of the Atlantic chapter. Still, there are lots of black and white photos, and several mission reports, but the mapping is poor. The large format book has no index, or footnotes, both of which might have been useful.… (mehr)

Interesting book about a complex character. The author did a good job of taking the diary of Berthold, the papers and letters between his sister and him, and the official records from both sides to talk about what actually happened in the air war in certain meetings between Berthold and his foes.

Berthold was not only a good flier but his determination to fight set him apart from many of his contemporaries. He was wounded on several occasions and was severely wounded and yet continued to fly even when he was almost without the use of his right arm. He talks about pulling out bone splinters from his arm himself and how excruciating the pain was on occasion as he flew in combat despite his physical limitations. Not someone who was particularly innovative but certainly an effective fighter. His story is interesting to someone who wants to get a broad view of war in the Air in WWII and this would add some additional detail. This one wouldn't be high on my list of must read books for WWI aviation but I enjoyed it.
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I am so glad I read this book. It was an excellent biography, filled with insight into Richthofen's life and leadership style. The penultimate paragraph perhaps says it best: "Within the span of his relatively short life, Richthofen earned a reputation of unquestioned bravery, and ability to inspire total loyalty from his comrades and respect from his adversaries. Add to those qualities the colorful personal style and combat success of 'the red baron', and the product is a larger-than-life figure who inspires interest to the point of fascination."

I also liked reading about several other pilots of interest, such as Ernst Udet and Werner Voss. I didn't realize how hand-picked Richthofen's squadrons were, and that he expected the best from everyone. I liked the supplementary materials, as well, including a list of his 80 victories, and his personal rules to aerial combat.

All in all, a great read for me.… (mehr)