Helmut Lent's Logbook

[Chris Goss]

For those interested, I am just finishing this book which will be out next year price £25. I have been lucky to have great help from his two daughters (one of whom lives in the UK) who have given me unrestricted access to his paperwork (including his 4 logbooks), photo albums, telegrams, award documents you name it. The photos have all been scanned in hi-res and will be a vast improvement on the photos in Peter Hinchliffe's book published 23 years ago and there will be a number of additional ones. Photo count stands at 220, word count 20,000 and we have not decided what documents to be included yet especially as I have 78 of his 110 abschuss acknowledgements from Berlin

[Jim Oxley]

Wonderful news Chris.

[Edward]

That's great news Chris. Congratulations.

Here is the link to your 2019 article on Lent

"By the time of his death in 1944, Helmut Lent was credited with 110 ‘kills’ – all but eight were at night. Chris Goss, with help from Lent’s eldest daughter Tina, explores this remarkable aviator’s early career in the first of a two-part feature"
https://www.key.aero/article/career-...ut-lent-part-1

[leonventer]

Congrats, Chris. You had me at "...I am just finishing this book..."!

Very much looking forward to it.

Regards,
Leon Venter

[Chris Goss]

Articles are the basis of the book with obviously I have expanded especially as Tina turned up all sorts extra

[David P. Williams]

Thankfully, when you look through his log books, award documents and war time military documents etc. you appreciate the fact they were not sold at the same time his medals were in the 1960s.

I remember how helpful Christina Delavre (Lent's eldest daughter) was to Peter when he spent a week photocopying all of Lent's Flugbuchs, photographs etc in Frankfurt back in about 2001.

Look forward to seeing the new book and its format. Always great to see books on German Night Fighters.

[Chris Goss]

Thanks David. Problem was 20+years ago, photo repro quality was not good but having found new albums and photos and scanned at a very hi res, the photos are a vast improvement on those published 23 years ago. Currently stands at 222 photos.


Interesting that Tina said that the only other person who has ever had access to the logbooks was Peter and she was a bit perturbed that so many copies are now in circulation in various hands. I did say that there is little that could be done which is why I now have hi res scans of all and she now has copies. She was going to give all to a museum until I told her how much what she still has is..... and yes, shame that other items (including abschussbrecher, combat reports and more documents) are now spread to the 4 corners either sold or obtained by a British Army officer at the end of the war. The only thing she has is his issue wristwatch