Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Hector
Hi guys,
speaking of Luftwaffe bios, can anyone tell me if the Tate biography of Hans-Joachim Marseille is any good?
I am hoping to replace my old Kurowski (Schiffer publications) one with it.
|
The Robert Tate book on Hans-Joachim Marseille (which I have) is not a biography as such. From the jacket:
"Tate takes a look at Marseille's personality, flying skills, physical attributes, tactics, and victories through the words of historians and the men who flew with and against Marseille in the North African desert."
The book examines the accuracy of Marseille's victory claims-a controversy for many decades. There are many photos not in previous books. The author has long collected Marseille items. On page 78, there is a photo of Marseille with his mother and fiancee.
Tate gives a lot of credit to the Allied pilots. He demonstrates convincingly that Marseille faced tough opponents.
A segment of the book looks into Marseille's "Jazz/Swing Connection." It is well-known that he was a fan of jazz. Tate does not claim that Marseille was really a member of the Berlin Swing Jugend but observes that there are many photos of Marseille "with his shawl, long hair, and shag pipe."
To me, this book is much better than Kurowski's.