The Eagles Over Europe (EOE) Project

[Frank Olynyk]

Larry,
I'll slip this question in, since you haven't replied to the last few posts. Do you have any expections/hopes/desires/capabilities of doing the units in 13th AF (I will ignore 7th, 11th and 20th AFs)? Two fighter groups and two bomber groups I believe.

I am really glad to see 35th FG among the possibilities for EOP.

Enjoy!

Frank.

[Larry Hickey]

Frank et. al.,

The three massive EOP unit histories are very close to completion. My only comments is that I expect all three of them to be released in 2009.

To Frank, yes, I actually have a great deal of info/photos on the 42nd BG, 13th AF. However, that project is presently on hold for completion of the 5th AF projects, although it could be done at some point. My interest in it is that that would round out all of the important B-25 Strafer units from the Pacific theater, a subject near and dear to my heart. These units took the best war photography that I've ever seen.

All for now.

[ChrisS]

Hi Larry

Please forgive my curiosity, but if you have the time could you give us an update on your project?

Many thanks

Chris

[Larry Hickey]

Chris S.

Yes, it's time for a brief update. Although it's not topical to the subject of this message board, tonight we're uploading the 312th B.G. History, "Rampage of the Roarin' 20's" to the printer's server: 416-pages, 710 photos, including some color, 36 of the best color profiles ever created showing the unit's aircraft, 12 maps, 4 stunning color "squadron" paintings by Jack Fellows, 1 cut-away schematic of the A-20--a total tour-de-force. This includes an appendix listing EVERY aircraft that served in combat with the unit, including service history, nicknames, nose artwork and crews. We have photos in the book of just about every aircraft that served with the unit. The book will be available for shipping in about 6 weeks. Now going through the system is the 650-page 38th Bomb Group history, "Saga of the Sun Setters," which should be out late this spring.

More topical for a Luftwaffe board, our EOE Working Group, through the tremendous effort and direction of Peter Cornwell, has now completed a very detailed loss list of all Luftwaffe losses from 1 Sept. 1939 through 31 August 1940. Peter, with a temporarily broken brain, has taken a short break, but will soon continue to complete our data base through the end of 1940. Peter has significantly improved and enhanced his previously published material from already existing publications, plus added all other theaters and campaigns, and filled in the gaps between other published sources. When we're done with the Luftwaffe, we'll start over again with Allied losses, although we have already completed a very detailed loss list for Polish losses during September, 1939.

Our new Luftwaffe DB includes info on every loss in every theater, and includes material from just about all of the NVMs that exist, plus a great deal of new material from photos, unit records, logbooks and interviews with many Luftwaffe participants, some previously published, others not. Teams are working in the Netherlands, Belgium and France to locate photos and more data which adds to the accuracy of our Luftwaffe loss listings in those countries.

As owner of the copyright to about 6,000 pages of manuscript on the German side in every theater during this period, compiled from decades of research in the German archives by the late Heinrich Weiss, we've been focusing on getting this manuscript translated from German into English. We're focused on the May-June, 1940, Western Campaign right now and have completed work on many hundreds of pages of this manuscript, representing the period from 10 May through 9 June, and one test day from the Battle of Britain, August 16, 1940.

The scope and completeness of this manuscript is breathtaking. There is a tremendous amount of new material, with a typical day of German operations being 20-60 single-spaced typewritten pages, plus notes and appendices. We've continued to acquire supplementary logbooks, unit records, and hundreds of photos to supplement areas where German records have not survived.

Our electronic photo data base is now up to 24,000 images, about 70% of them Luftwaffe. Several new photo collectors have joined our research group during recent months, and have made available several hundred new photos that we didn't previously have.

One of our Belgian volunteers has been doing excellent translation work on French-language sources and we've now got several hundred pages translated into English, including Peter Taghon's outstanding book on the Belgian Air Force during the WC. Several Dutch EOE Working Group members have also helped with a significant amount of translation work from Dutch sources into English.

A small amount of additional translations of books, magazine articles and research materials from Polish to English have been completed since my earlier report, adding to about 2000 typewritten pages we've previously completed. We now have a very detailed loss list for both the Luftwaffe and the Polish Air Force, and very detailed histories compiled for most participating units, including lists of most airmen participants and all missions flown on both sides.

Renowned British artist and Battle of Britain historian Dennis Knight has nearly completed a series of very detailed perspective diagram/maps of the significant actions throughout the Battle of Britain period. Nothing like them has ever been done before and they make very complicated air actions by hundreds of aircraft understandable and clear.

Very few of our researchers have complete Ju88 and Do17 fins from Battle of Britain crashes in their personal collection--Dennis does. As a Yank, I'm still trying to repatriate the sword in Dennis' collection that he suspects was taken from the White House when the British burned the place in 1814. Will probably have about as much luck with that as the Greeks have had in retrieving the "Elgin marbles" from the British Museum.

We have 40-some people helping with, contributing to or directly working on this project, almost all of them volunteers and many of them contributors to this board. If you have something useful to contribute and want to be part of this project, please contact me through the personal message board, and I'll send you my email address so that we can correspond directly. More volunteer translators of French to English and German to English sources would speed things up a lot.

TIme for bed.

Regards,

[Skyraider3D]

That sounds like a massive undertaking, Larry! Very impressive.

[Del Davis]

Larry
Has Rampage of the Roarin' 20's started shipping? Your Website projected May 20th

[Larry Hickey]

Del,

The shipment of books arrived locally Friday and will start shipping on Tuesday (Monday is a major holiday in the US). I've received my advanced copy and it is spectacular.

Regards,

[Del Davis]

great news

[edwest]

This is very good news. Good luck to you and all your volunteers and coworkers.



Best regards,
Ed West

[Larry Hickey]

Del & Ed,

Thanks for your good wishes. My next book, "Saga of the Sun Setters," will be a 650 page blockbuster, with over 1000 photos. It should be going to the press in a few weeks.

Regards,