Raymond F. Toliver (1914–2006)

4157 The Blond Knight of Germany, by Raymond F.Toliver and Trevor J. Constable (read 27 Apr 2006) This is a biography of Erich Hartmann, who was a fighter pilot for Nazi Germany in the Second world war and shot down 352 planes--the most anyone ever did. He was on the Russian front from 1942 to the end of the war. He surrendered to the Americans who turned him over to the Russians--and he was a prisoner of war for almost ten years! His story is of high interest, though one cannot help but be show more dismayed by the fact that the book does not show he ever became aware of the evil he so ably fought for. There is much about Russian troops' brutality to German civilians at the end of the war, but not a word to indicate that he ever acknowledged the unspeakable evil that went on in German concentration camps. But I suppose that is to be expected. This is a much different book from Soldat (read 4 Feb 1993), Frontsodaten (read 18 Apr 1996), and The Forgotten Soldier (read 1 Sep 1994)--all highly interesting accounts of German soldiers and better books than this, I suppose because Hartmann was always successful and is the world's leading air ace--and was on the wrong side. I enjoyed reading this book, even if Hartmann was admired and decorated by Hitler. show less

Comprehensive, penetrative and insightful review of the role Luftwaffe fighter pilots in WW2. Introduction gives an excellent purview of the fallacies, successes and mistakes of German fighter operations. Encyclopedic anthology of most prolific fighter aces in warfighting history.

covering the top aces of the Luftwaffe with an overview and personal stories of pilots such as Erich Hartmann, Gunther Rall, Gerhard Barkhorn, Werner Molders, Adolph Galland, “Macky” Steinhoff & Marseille.
while some would claim this to be a comprehensive and insightful review of the role Luftwaffe fighter pilots in WW2, it is far from it - this work is hagiography ( 'gushing' ) and cannot be considered serious history. It contains little evidence of research, no footnotes or references show more but has unfortunately become the 'standard' work..the same authors Toliver and Constable's "The Blond Knight..." can likewise be discounted as an accurate reference - the authors did not have Hartmann's Flugbücher or JG 52's KTB for the 1944-45 period. The authors emphasise that the Luftwaffe system of verifying victories was very rigorous and rendered accurate the credited victory totals of Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Of course, the records of many leading Luftwaffe fighter aces have subsequently been shown to be very dubious. show less

Superb biography of the world's leading ace. Hartmann's career as the best of the best when it comes to fighter pilots will probably never be surpassed.