Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Is this a completely new book, or a spin off / reprint / rewrite of JG 54 A Photographic History of the Grünherzjäger?

http://www.christian-schmidt-fachbuc...oducts_id=4292

I'd like to know before I order a "dud".

Thanks in advance!

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Hi Ruy,

It's a totally new book. I saw the manuscript at Hans-Ekkehard Bob's house back in 2002/2003. It was all written in Trautloft's own hand and Hans-Ekkehard was proof reading and typing it up.

A lot of photographs. I believe Trautloft had well over a thousand pictures in all, and some 6-700 or so are in the book. Saw a copy of it at Christian Schmidt books. Not as big as i thought it would be. I'm waiting for the English version.

All the best,

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Thank you David and especially Kurt.

I wasn't too happy with Hans-Ekkehard Bob's short biography, which although having a value in its own right, isn't exactly the style I prefer.

I have great trust Kurt's opinion and publishing sense!

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Since I haven´t read Hans-Ekkehard Bok´s bio, could you Ruy tell me what was wrong with it? Poorly constructed? Perhaps too un-PC?

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Jukka, you keep misjudging me, but NP.

No, it has little or nothing to do with Political Correctness.

I can read and enjoy Rudel's or Panzermeyer's autobiographies with little reservation...

The english translation that I read of Bob's book was pretty rough. His story interesting in its own right IIRC felt a little apologetic, but basically his story didn't capture my imagination.

Style, translation, message or person, I don't know.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Actually I didn´t doubt you, but mr. Braatz´s comment of opinions "too strong for Neunundzwanzigsechs" did cause some doubt in my mind.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

FYI - the original Trautloft diary amounts to roughly 1.000 handwritten pages covering his time as Kommodore of JG 54 from July 40 to 43. NeunundzwanzigSechs was ready to take the risk of publishing it at full length in 2 volumes. In my opinion, this is the only serious way of dealing with such a first class source. Bob, who claims to hold the rights of the diary, wanted it cleaned and polished in a way he thought to be appropriate. That's what you get if you buy his 'edited' version.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Kurt, that´s a bloody crime! Using the original author´s name after such chopping should be punished.

By the way, you wrote that Bob claims to have the rights. So he doesn´t have any evidence to prove that?

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Kurt, any chances of more books related to the Western Front 1940-1943? I recall Don Caldwell used unpublished memoirs of a JG26 airman (Crump?), and it looks Steinhoff had his own diary used as a base for his books. Any chances they will be published?

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Fact is: he keeps the JG 54 part of Trautloft's handwritten diary and feels entitled to deal with it in any way he sees fit. I have no idea why that is - maybe he inherited it from Trautloft himself. The adjacent part of Trautloft's journal (mid-43 to VE day) is archived and accessible at the Militärarchiv in Freiburg.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

How about publishing the latter part, perhaps directly in English?

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Hi Gentlemen,

Apparently, after a lengthy conversation with Hans-Ekkehard, he told me that the diary had in fact been placed in his hands as a result of it being willed to him by Hannes Trautloft on his death in 1995.

I agree with Kurt, having seen the original hand-written manuscript, it is a crime not to publish it in its original form, in order to capture the mood of the writer during the war.

I hope it's not a lost opportunity!

All the best, David.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Yep. But too early to talk about.

Re: Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945 - (auto)biography
 

Aah - sorry, folks, I missed a few posts in this thread. Jukka, as for the latter part of Trautloft's diary, I used it intensely for my Lützow biography which has just appeared in a Finnish translation ("Luoja vai lentokone"), mainly to shed some light on the so-called mutiny of the aces. Franek - the series of biographies will be continued with one of the western aces, but it's too early to disclose more.