What we expect from a(n auto)biography (from: Guenther Rall's reminiscences in English!)

[Ruy Horta]

Jukka,

Rall's career was more than just WW2, if you can't handle that it is your problem, not the book's.

[Kurt Braatz]

My all-time favourite on fighter tactics 1914-1980: Shaw, Robert L.: Fighter Combat. Tactics and Manoeuvering. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press 1985, ISBN 0-87021-059-9. Shaw is an USN veteran, aeronautical engineer and former test director for the US Navy's Air Combat Manoeuvering Range (ACMR). 4,000 PIC-hrs in fighters. Leaves no stone unturned. Gorgeous reading!

Kurt

[Jukka Juutinen]

Originally Posted by Ruy Horta

Jukka,

Rall's career was more than just WW2, if you can't handle that it is your problem, not the book's.

How many victories did he score after 1945? Like it or not, most people buy a book by/on Günther Rall because he is a 275 victory ace, not because he was a Nato officer. And the content should reflect this, especially given the ratio of WW2/Nato victories (275/0).

I was simply looking for a book that would have followed Lipfert´s style by concentrating on combat and life on the frontline.

[Ruy Horta]

I don't know about most, but I bought an AUTObiography from Günther Rall, I got what I expected. This includes his time as a NATO general.

Now there are several options open to anyone with an interest in Günther Rall.

1. Read what this man wants to leave behind as his legacy
2. Read what interests you about this man's biography and skip the rest
3. Judge the book as not fitting your taste and skipping it all together.

Point 3 is legitimate, if you can find books that suit your taste, as in Lipfert's (wartime) autobiography. However if it is Rall you are interested in than you'll have a problem.

I won't lie about it, I enjoy biographies. Having read many, I have learned to read and enjoy or learn from the complete story. It may not be the thruth, but it is the subjective thruth of the person who wrote his story, hence it gives a valuable insight into said person.

I'll cut these posts from the original thread, let the original presentation stand as it is without the weight of this discussion.