Last Hans-Ekkehard books - opinions?

[Andrey Dikov]

Gentlemen, what do you think about books published by JG 54 vet Hans-Ekkehard Bob during last five years? First of all I'm interested in text data and personal accounts (about Ostfront), instead of number and rarity of photographs.

1. Jagdgeschwader 54 - Grünherzjäger. Die Geschichte eines berühmten Geschwaders von 1939 bis 1945 mit großer Bilddokumentation

What do you think? Is it just reworked Photoghraphic History of JG 54 by Held/Bob/Trautloft?


2. Verratener Idealismus - Erinnerungen eines Jagdfliegers

What do you think? Is it better/more consistent than English edition?


3. Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945

Mustbuy of course. How it can be compared with English edition?


Latest question: is it ok with Christian-Schmidt bookstore?


Thanks in advance

[Kari Lumppio]

Originally Posted by Andrey Dikov

...

3. Kriegs-Tagebuch von Hannes Trautloft - Grünherzjäger im Luftkampf 1940-1945

Mustbuy of course. How it can be compared with English edition?

...

Privet!

Good to hear from you again. I hope all is well with you and your close ones.

I had Trautloft's diary German edition in short loan awhile ago. I was interested about the Finnish connections of course (~kommando Phillip) and was little dissapointed of the lack of details. Perhaps my hopes were too high because of Christer Bergströms postings (IIRC he had copy of the original diary?). I cannot compare to the English edition.

BTW Have you noticed this thread started by Martti Kujansuu?:
Daily online reports of Einsatzstab Fähre Ost / I./JG 54
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=22563

If you have time (lots!) and energy you can page forward (seuraava) and backward (edellinen) in the linked diary and see if there is something interesting besides the German reports.

The Fähre Ost daily reports are in German and spread here and there (as linked by Martti) in the Laatokan rannikoprikaatin Esikunta diary (Ladoga Brigade Headquarters). The diary material is "bunched" in as months with various attachments at the end of month.

I have had copies of the German report pages filed at the home computer hard disk long time before the mentioned thread but these amount too much to include as e-mail attachments. It may be quicker to save them by yourself.

There is also interesting - Finnish language - report about the purpose and mission of the German operation in Ladoga Autumn 1942 in the diary. This was negotiated about in Ladoga Brigade Headquarters June 3rd, 1942 (German participants Colonel Leutenants Siebel and Wachtel). Luftflotte 1 was meant to play the major role if I understood it correctly (pages 311-315 in the linked diary).


Cheers,
Kari

[Nokose]

Yes, it is good to see you back on the board. I have only had good dealings with Christian-Schmidt in buying my books (mainly the JFV series as they send them across the "pond").

What is your opinion of Ilya Prokofev's book "Soviet Aviation in Combat Above Krasnyy Bor and Smerdynya February-March 1943" (in Russian. I just used an English translation of the title.). Is there anything coming out even in Russian on the further air war around the Leningrad Front?

[Andrey Dikov]

[quote=Kari Lumppio;116329]Privet!

Good to hear from you again. I hope all is well with you and your close ones.

Yes, I was away for some years, due to some circumstances, but now I have some hope I'll be back.


>BTW Have you noticed this thread started by Martti Kujansuu?:
Daily online reports of Einsatzstab Fähre Ost / I./JG 54
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=22563

If you have time (lots!) and energy you can page forward (seuraava) and backward (edellinen) in the linked diary and see if there is something interesting besides the German reports.

Yes, I've noticed and spent some time trying to get used with a search system of the site. To be short it just great that all those war diaries and documents now are available through web, and I think that with a help of google translation from Finnish and some efforts now it's easier to drill down to low document level. When I saw the war diaries of LeLv 30 and LeLv 24 for 1941 I was just pissed off. Most of documents are Finnish handwritten and one should spend much more time to understand it, but anyway now it's possible in principle.


Best regards,

Andrey

p.s. Currently and this week i'm in Helsinki with a business trip, but tommorrow i'll try to reach aviationshop for Prien's bricks.

[Andrey Dikov]

Originally Posted by Nokose

What is your opinion of Ilya Prokofev's book "Soviet Aviation in Combat Above Krasnyy Bor and Smerdynya February-March 1943" (in Russian. I just used an English translation of the title.). Is there anything coming out even in Russian on the further air war around the Leningrad Front?

I know Ilya Prokof'ev personally, he is research entusiast and when I say research I mean his real enormous work to find crash places and planes and, at first hand, still unburied pilots near St.Petersburg. I was in a search raid with his team and I can say these guys are really fascinating in regard of their efforts either in a cockpit of an off-roader on a bogged roads around St.Petersburg or in the halls of archives.

As for anothers, I'm bit out of time, as I was not tracking the situation for some three-four years. What I heard is that Mikhail Timin seriosly researches the action in Baltic states during first months of war.