Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

http://www.stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bi...oks.storefront

Unfortunately, I can't get a link to the actual book page to work. You'll have to click on Search, and in the Author's box, type Heaton. And then click on the book's title to get to the description page with cover photo. Odd that.

Usual disclaimer,
Ed

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

A highly suspicious story, I might add.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

OMG, it seems to be a 90% fake story, the real 'pulp fiction' IMHO ;) ...

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

http://www.stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bi...117&2D3240&2D1

http://www.stackpolebooks.com/isroot...117-3240-1.jpg

Driven by intense hatred for the Soviet Union-Bolsheviks murdered his uncle in 1917 and the secret police later executed his father-Prince Leonidas Maximciuc, nephew of the Russian tsar, joined up with Romanian and Free Russian forces in 1942 at the age of sixteen. Already a budding fighter pilot, the young prince began a career in which he scored fifty-two aerial victories, destroyed twenty-seven Soviet tanks, and survived being shot down nine times-all in under three years. After the war, Maximciuc fought with Romanian anti-Communists and eventually served twenty years in the US Air Force.

BTW, any comments on this title:

http://www.stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bi...5367&2D649&2D7

http://www.stackpolebooks.com/isroot...5367-649-7.jpg

This is the extraordinary story of Vasily B. Emelianenko, the veteran pilot of the I1-2, one of the Soviet Union's most contradictory planes of WWII. This heavily armored aircraft was practically unrivaled in terms of fire power, but it was slow to maneuver and an easy target for fighters. The I1-2 had to attack enemy flak columns at extremely low altitudes, which led to enormous losses both in equipment and personnel.


Emelianenko, having flown eighty combat sorties against the Germans, was proclaimed Hero of the Soviet Union-its highest decoration. He went on to complete ninety-two sorties. His plane was shot down three times, and on each occasion he managed to pilot the damaged aircraft home, demonstrating remarkable resilience and bravery in the face of terrifying odds. Emelianenko's vivid memoirs provide a rare insight into the reality of fighting over the Eastern Front and the tactics of the Red Army Air Force. With remarkable clarity, he recalls what it was like to come face to face with a skilled, deadly, and increasingly desperate enemy. Hair-raising encounters with fighters, forced landings on enemy territory, and the death of friends are all brought dramatically and movingly to life in this rare first-hand account.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

BTW Emelianenko was proclaimed Hero of the Soviet Union for 88 sorties, not 80.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

You're very generous, MB, by giving 10% truth to the guy's story...:)

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

:D Just maybe any realistic historical background?.. But You're right - it really needs to correct the percentage to 99! ;)

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Well, then. I feel someone should contact the publisher in that he's paid money to someone for fiction instead of fact. Working for a publishing company myself, I would not like to be in the difficult position that after publication I would be contacted by historians disputing the claims made in the book and have my reputation (and credibility) diminished. From a business standpoint, it could result in a loss of sales.


Ed

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Ed, the problem with such an unsolicited intervention is that one would put himself in the centre of a controversy, which could lead to unpleasant issues or worse...

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

BTW, Vasily B. Emelianenko's book is very good, realistic and without any Communist propaganda and ideological cliches, especially for the time when it was published 1st time (1970-s). It's the real 'front truth'. Highly recommended for all WW2(GPW) Soviet aviation enthusiasts! :)

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Sounds like a book that belongs on the ol' wish list.

Thanks for the extra info.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

I don't understand. Here, in the past, much was made about books that contained significant errors. All I'm suggesting is that someone with credentials and verifiable facts, say "What you are about to be selling to the public is a fantasy." Presumably, the comments made here that this upcoming book was 90 - 99% fiction were based on more than wishful thinking. I am, of course, not saying that anyone do something they don't want to do or think they shouldn't do.


Ed

P.S.
After the fact, everyone can, of course, complain that the book is utter rubbish and didn't the publisher know enough not to publish it?

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Sutton was (re)publishing Heaven Next Stop, by Bloemherz, under a similar vein of authenticity, with other words as a personal account of the war. Anyone who's read the book will know it is a (bad) novel with some "realistic" description of events thrown in.

You cannot tell me that publishers are as naive as not to know when they are publishing fiction or not!

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Ed, there is certainly some well defined interest from the part of the author AND the publisher to publish this particular book, no matter how accurate it is, to make a buck.

Now, if I would interfere in this business, with an unsolicited mail and negative publicity (beside this restricted circle of enthusiasts), I would probably find myself in the crossfire of these interests, which would probably lead to trouble. Believe me, I don't need it.

Let those people make a quick buck. It's not the first and last time something like this would occur. See, for example, the success of Enemy at the Gates, even when it's well known (?) that the snipers' duel at Stalingrad was fiction and the German 'master sniper instructor' Major König did not exist in reality. Nevertheless, it made a crowd pleasing story and some people got rich...

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Gentlemen - and Denes particularly,

Publishers can surely be naive ! Some years ago here in London we were at first (and for a very short time !) enthralled with a book from the sadly now-defunct William Kimber, called, I recall, 'Whirlwind Pilot'. It seemed initially to be absolutely kosher. But every pilot named had been killed during the war, and suddenly at the end the author mentioned a whole lot of spurious Typhoon squadrons. Then the photo of him standing in front of 'his' Whirlwind was worked out to be the C.O. of 137 Squadron's aircraft with a cut-out from this guy's personal photo album of himself stuck on the front.

When this was brought to Kimber's notice, not only were they horrified, but the Air Historical Branch of the MoD admitted that they had just been warned in time before one of their staff included a favourable review in one of the official RAF publications ! Kimber at once withdrew the book, and the author got no royalties - I think they would have sued him for the advance back if he hadn't been resident in Australia. He then admitted to not having been a pilot at all, but a ground 'erk' at the very end of the war - he had, he said, written it "as a novel based on his own experiences". But it has now become something of a collectors' item for some reason !!

Francis

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

The publisher, Stackpole, withdrew Colin D. Heaton's book, finally advertised as Prince of Aces, after a storm of well-founded objections, such as those above.

Heaton now self-publishes much of his work, though for some reason there are still minor publishers prepared to risk their reputations on him. Perhaps they are unaware of the Stackpole/Prince of Aces debacle?

They may also be unaware that Rhodesian special forces organizations have declined to endorse another of his books, Four War Boer, because nobody has heard of his claimed protagonist.

Sid

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Sid,


Complaints to publishers are usually kept confidential. Accusations need to be well-founded. The publisher I work for has language in our work agreement that covers possible 'incidents.'

Some newer publishers may be unaware of certain things but that's on a case by case basis.


Best,
Ed

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Hi guys

I seem to remember 'Engines over London' in which the author implied he was a pilot with 85 Squadron in 1940.


Stay safe
Brian

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

I bought a book titled Another Bowl of Kapusta: The True Life Story of a World War II Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot and P.O.W. in Russia, by Dianna M. Popp and Gottfried P. Dulias. ISBN 1-4184-8837-2



Thanks to the efforts of some here, I was informed that Gottfried P. Dulias could not be connected to JG 53 where it is claimed he flew a Bf 109G-14AS.


Imagine my surprise. By the way, kapusta is a type of cabbage soup.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Ed

Many years ago Herrn Dulias was a topic of his own (I think...) on TOCH.
I believe it was proven beyond any doubt he was an imposter.

Sad really that some individuals cannot accept their own life but have to invent a life (lives) lived by others.

Equally sad that some "authors" (fact collectors) cannot stick to what they actually know/have found but have to invent fiction in between.

Sid

You seems to know this Heaton fellow quite a bit. I have none of his books but I would be interested to know if you have anything on his fellow authoress (is that a correct word for a female writer? :) ). Since it is a bit unusual having female authors writing about "our" subject, perhaps she is the fiction writer?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Equally sad that some "authors" (fact collectors) cannot stick to what they actually know/have found but have to invent fiction in between.

My least favorite one, which has happened a couple of times of late, is reading about detailed cockpit conversation during an action; which you take at face value until three pages later you find that the aircraft crashed with no survivors.
Unless this was one of those rare occasions when the pilot left the microphone on transmit after an R/T message you realise that the author is making it up as he goes along

Martin

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

I agree with you 100%, Martin. That's one of the things that turns me off of an author completely, including anything they put out in the future.

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

I know an author that is looking for publishers for his books. They turn him down for various reason so far even though he has books out for years. Instead they publish books like this Youngest Ace rubbish's. Sad.

Rick

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Stig,

In the U.S., these imposters are referred to as con-artists. Con as in confidence. They gain people's confidence usually for the purpose of swindling them out of their money. It is not limited to people posing as war veterans.

Ed

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Ed

From what was posted (and remembered by me) I cannot recall Herrn Dulias ever being interested in money.
It seems he appeared very late in his life and presumably something triggered his wish to at least be something together with other veterans.

I can only guess what triggered it. Loss of wife, a profound feeling of failure in his working life and so on. Even loneliness perhaps.

Maybe that was also what other still living veterans saw/felt since, again as I recall, none ever tried to expose him.

A very sad case indeed.

B Rgds
Stig

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

Stig,

Here is the original thread from what I thought was only a few years ago. Jochen Prien adds his comments on page 4.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ghlight=dulias

Best,
Ed

Re: Forthcoming book Youngest Ace, Russian
 

I believe the authoress you refer to is Heaton's wife.

I don't know Heaton personally.

However, I have followed his "career" with interest for some years. He is now putting out questionable general history content on Youtube.

I would classify Heaton as part of the "post-truth" generation.

Cheers,

Sid.