Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

Where do they find these people?

1. Robert Kershaw's a bloody good writer on German ground forces (cf. It Never Snows in September for starters) but what has he ever written about the Luftwaffe?
2. A character's discovery of Luftwaffe human experimentation was a major plot point in Len Deighton's novel Bomber, published a mere 55 years ago! That does not fit my definition of news.

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

I looked Up James Corum's book on the 'Luftwaffe' and was able to view some sample pages. I stopped after I read: '...one must look well into WW II, starting with the night bombing of selected British towns in 1942, to see a Luftwaffe policy of terror bombing in which civilian casualties are primary desired result...' How about you start on 7th September 1940, Corum? James Sterling Corum is an American air power historian and scholar of counter-insurgency. He is a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve. No surprise there, then...

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

A troubling trend is this. Instead of telling the story of a particular battle with appropriate context/background, some self-described historians/scholars are reexamining it through multiple lenses. I'm not looking for psychology or bias, but that's what I'm seeing, along with some speculation.

None of that qualifies as history. However, especially for those under 30 who might be exposed to such books, the breathless praise they receive might lead some in a direction away from proper scholarship. It is said the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. In this case, the price of selecting good military history books is to watch for the widely praised but highly biased and off-topic examples which contribute little to nothing to the historical record. And to expose them. Every time.

What should also be exposed are the people who provide the praise and those who claim to be reviewers who identify a version of the Emperor's new clothes. To write "new sources and analysis" as opposed to "the author wrote the book as she pleased. Buy it." The former being false, and what amounts to more unwarranted praise. This needs to be nipped in the bud.

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

An article written by her:
https://aspectsofhistory.com/lets-ge...itish-captors/

The whole thing is a 'lift' of accounts provided by other sources from decades ago. What a crock of shite...

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

William David of 213 Sqn was in fact Dennis David while the slaughter of WAAFs in an air raid has been proven to be a myth. Use of newspaper reports whatever the side must always be taken with a pinch of salt. "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story" I am afraid to say

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

Not to mention the florid prose: "enormous double-barrelled shotguns" (obviously WAY bigger than your normal shotgun), "doe-eyed innocence", "ultimate sacrifice". And as for "do the unthinkable: bale out over enemy territory" — if it was unthinkable, how come they had parachutes in the first place? Unwelcome surely, but a great advance on dying in a crashing aircraft.

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

Lots of urban myths I am afraid to say and Lamberty was an Oblt not Hptm.....bit more research needed I hate to say?

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

The partly understandable attitude toward Nazis. Again, not history. Luftwaffe airmen reacting like Luftwaffe airmen? But no, based on emotion, let's rub it in a bit.

While people are running around defending the right of others to say what they want, an opinion is not history.

Perhaps this person could be encouraged to rub it in during a meeting of the Bundestag.

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

Nick,

I don't think logic applies here. It should, but not in this case.

Re: Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
 

Another bomb dropped today on three of us.
I think she won't like it if it appears here, but if it appears to denigrate people, do I give a shit...