"Fighting Hitler's Jets: The Extraordinary Story of the American Airmen Who Beat the Luftwaffe and Defeated Nazi Germany", by Robert F. Dorr

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear All,

I just got a Zenith Press electronic flyer that showed this new book for sale. Amazon, however, says it is due for release on Nov. 15, 2013. Robert F. Dorr writes the "Washington Watch" column in Aerospace America, the flagship publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, of which I am a member. Dorr's column is quite informative about the latest Washington activities as they relate to aerospace.

That said, Zenith Press' description of the book makes me shudder:

"Fighting Hitler's Jets brings together in a single, character-driven narrative two groups of men at war: on one side, American fighter pilots and others who battled the secret “wonder weapons” with which Adolf Hitler hoped to turn the tide; on the other, the German scientists, engineers, and pilots who created and used these machines of war on the cutting edge of technology. Written by Robert F. Dorr, renowned author of Zenith Press titles Hell Hawks!, Mission to Berlin, and Mission to Tokyo, the story begins with a display of high-tech secret weapons arranged for Hitler at a time when Germany still had prospects of winning the war. It concludes with Berlin in rubble and the Allies seeking German technology in order to jumpstart their own jet-powered aviation programs. Along the way, Dorr expertly describes the battles in the sky over the Third Reich that made it possible for the Allies to mount the D-Day invasion and advance toward Berlin. Finally, the book addresses both facts and speculation about German weaponry and leaders, including conspiracy theorists’ view that Hitler escaped in a secret aircraft at the war’s end. Where history and controversy collide with riveting narrative, Fighting Hitler’s Jets furthers a repertoire that comprises some of the United States’ most exceptional military writing."

This apprehension is further reinforced by the table of contents:

"Contents

One The Air Show, November 26, 1943
Two “What’s a Pearl Harbor?”
Three Wonder Weapons
Four Twin-Engine Fighters
Five Wonder Weapons, Part II
Six Mustang Unleashed
Seven Rocket Science
Eight The Jet Plane Boogie
Nine Mustang Men
Ten The Underground Airplane
Eleven Natter
Twelve P-80
Thirteen Arado Ar 234
Fourteen Marauder Man
Fifteen Dogfights
Sixteen Supersonic Speed and Super Science
Seventeen The Air Show, Part II

Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Endnotes
Appendices"

Zenith Press sells this hardcover book for $30.00 while Amazon has a pre-release price on it of $22.20.

I haven't decided whether to buy it just to have it sit on my "Nowarra" shelf or let someone else buy it first and post a review.

Regards,
Richard

[Steve Coates]

Richard - Let someone else buy it first. The chances of anything dramatically new have to be slim.

Steve

[David N]

Another book on the subject seems to come out every year or so.

[Jim Oxley]

The title alone is enough to put me off.

[edwest]

Same here. Fighting Hitler's Jets is enough. As a book editor, I would have axed the rest. This does not sound like a work with a scholarly tone but a marketing gimmick in book form. And if you're going to write a book about jets, just focus on the jets. Fer cryin' out loud. What were they thinking?

I'll pass.



Ed

[Dan O'Connell]

I can't say I am to impressed with the title...

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Dan O'Connell

I can't say I am to impressed with the title...

Me neither, surely with a little more effort they could have worked in "Aces", "Secret" and "Eagles"?

[DavidIsby]

Do not blame the poor author for the title. I encourage you to blame the publisher in the absence of evidence of innocence.

Still, I cannot say that I have done much better on those of my books I got to title.

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Nick,

Let me oblige:

"Fighting Hitler's Secret Jets: The Extraordinary Story of the American Aces Who Beat the Luftwaffe Eagles and Defeated Nazi Germany"

Regards,
Richard

[stevehnz]

Reading the thread header alone brought on my advanced cringe syndrome. It took real nerve & courage to read thru the thread. I'll await the reviews on this one.
Steve.