Greg Vanwyngarden

A truly elite unit with a rather odd history, as when the unit's commander (Rudolf Berthold) was made the leader of Jagdgeschwader II, he took most of his squadron with him and sent the men of Jasta 15 back to take the identity of Jasta 18! However, August Raben's "Ravens" continued to be a dynamic force until November of 1918 and it's the sort of story that makes one regret the demise of this particular Osprey series. I will say that one thing I find odd is that Vanwyngarden doesn't mention show more that Berthold went on to lead a "freikorps" after the war and died fighting in Latvia; it makes the man seem less gallant and more of a bitter-ender . show less

A particularly enjoyable number in the long-running series, as the author takes you through the twists and turns of how formal pursuit organizations came to be established in Germany's air arm during the Great War, and its initial heroes. What's particularly good is that VanWyngarden generally allows men such as Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann to speak for themselves. About my only gripe with this treatment is when the author tosses out a comment about how Immelmann held Boelcke in a show more certain level of contempt, without even a passing explanation. show less

Though a somewhat older work by this author, I think that it has held up rather well all things considered. It's always somewhat unclear just how mediocre the Pfalz pursuit aircraft really were, and whether they were as bad as all that, or simply didn't meet the standards of maneuverability set by Albatros and Fokker. My suspicion is that they were held back by the relatively stagnant state of German engine development, as these planes just didn't enjoy the power reserves that would have show more allowed them to use "energy" tactics, and take advantage of their ability to out-dive their opposition. show less

When I look at all the Osprey booklets that the author has written about German fighter units in the Great War I wonder how long it will be before one sees a one-volume work from Osprey on the topic. Be that as it may, what's interesting about this unit is that it was on the cutting edge of the German offensives in the West in 1918, often in contact with American combat aviation. Also, while I had wondered why it was not mentioned in a parallel Osprey publication about how Rudolf Berthold show more had gone on to be a "free corps" commander post-1918, in this booklet you get those details, and the story is even sadder than I had thought. Worth having if you can come up with a copy for a reasonable price. show less