The Blond Knight of Germany: A biography of Erich Hartmann [Paperback]

Raymond Toliver (Author), Trevor Constable (Author)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Tab Aero; 1 edition (1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830681892
• ISBN-13: 978-0830681891
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #87,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hell of a book about a hell of a man, July 27, 2006

By 

Patrick Thompson (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Blond Knight of Germany: A biography of Erich Hartmann (Paperback)

Erich 'Bubi' Hartmann - the Ace of all Aces: 352 Confirmed Kills. And here is his story. What a read! I couldn't put it down! I read it all in one go (headache be damned).

This is a book that deals with major aspects of Bubi Hartmann's life with several epitomizing examples. Eg. Air combat, we get his first sortie (lost his plane), shooting down a Il-2 for his first kill, even fighting and destroying 7 Mustangs at Ploesti as well as taking on 8 Mustangs by himself. There is the love of his life: Ursula, meeting hitler three times (drunk the first time for his Knight's cross), his truly honorable decision at the end of the war, the disgracful behavior of the Russians at the end, the endless decade in the prison camp as a 'war' criminal, refusing to work with or for the Soviets, the the post war years, in particular Bubi's opinion of the f-104 and the mistake the luftwaffe made in adopting it.

What this book is not: a blow-by-blow account of air tactics on the eastern front, though Bubi's style is contrasted with other aces in JG52. His approach is also considered with the 2nd ranked russian aces who adopted a similar style. Nor is it the gulag archipelego (Solzenitsyn) as in an exhuastive coverage of the soviet gulag system. Instead it is balanced work that seeks to pay fair time to the major events in Hartmann's life. Consequently it reads quickly and well.

Often you will find yourself shaking your head at this amazing (and amazingly modest) man and the amazing things he did and survived. His was a life most extraordinary with extremes being the norm. There are also some very touching moments. I personally felt regret when I was finishied reading that I would never get a chance to meet this man.

The tone of the story could be construed at simpering, but I chose to look at it this way: the authors treated Bubi Hartmann's story as one worthy of the utmost respect and this is reflected in their writing style: profoundly respectful of the greatest ace (by 51 Kills!) the world has ever seen, all when he was still 22.

So read it if you are interested in a tale of modern chivalry, bravery, humility and sheer brilliance. And as the author's said: those 352 kills were verified in a system far more stringent than anything the allies used. EVen the soviets knew how many planes the Black Devil as he was known had shot down.

I find the statement 'war hero' somewhat paradoxical. But if there ever was a man worthy of such a title than Bubi Hartmann was that man. Read his story and you'll understand what I mean.

This book: two thumbs up. Brilliant!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blond Knight, June 17, 2001

By 

B. Barrett (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Blond Knight of Germany: A biography of Erich Hartmann (Paperback)

At the beginning of the book there is an excess of hero worship and accolades, even for an exceptional soldier, which made me wonder how much of the book I could believe. However, it then got better with the saga of Hartmann's air battles. His strategy was to spot the enemy first and surprise them, waiting to fire until very close, which typically resulted in catastrophic damage to the enemy plane. The second half of the book is about Hartmann's captivity, and is especially interesting. The description of the rape and murder of German civilians by the conquering Russian army was enlightening and serves as a warning to future generations. Hartmann was then a prisoner for 10 years, subject to psychotic mind games of the Russian NKVD. The authors give some interesting psychological analysis of the prison situation. It's a good read and thought provoking.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, July 7, 2003

By 

J. Stevens (El Paso, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Blond Knight of Germany: A biography of Erich Hartmann (Paperback)

Erich Hartmann is one of the true heroes of WWII. As the highest scoring ace of WWII, and probably forever, he was one of the deadliest pilots the world has ever seen. His score of 352 kills, of which 345 were Soviet aircraft, is absolutely astronomical. Ironically, his war years are not as highly praised as the time he spent in Soviet prison camps. The Soviets were experts at making people crack through mental torture rather than physical torture. Eventually everyone cracked, except for Hartmann. He was thrown in a dark hole (called the "bunker") for days at a time, provided only with water. He once had a period of over six months in the bunker, yet he still refused to work for the Soviets. The sheer will power of Hartmann was enough to resist the torture thrown upon him. It just shows that if you try, you can conquer any barrier.