Customer Reviews

Hitler's Fall Guys: An Examination of the Luftwaffe by One of America's Most Famous Aces

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Walker Marhurin is one of America's greatest heroes, having shot down enemy aircraft in Europe, the Pacific and Korea, and having himself been shot down in all three theaters. He was also a marvelous leader in the air, and his comments on the Luftwaffe are invaluable. "Bud" takes both the contemporary German accounts and the later review of German activity by their leading aces, and analyzes them in simple straight forward language. This is a book that anyone with an interest in World War II aviation must have!

I looked forward to reading this book very much and perhaps that is why I'm disappointed with it. It starts off well but somewhere along the line is sidetracked. I can't tell if its poor editing or if a significant part of the text is pulled from the interview text with Galland after the war (the English usage is poor; too poor for a someone who's first language is English). Despite other reviews to the contrary, I didn't find the "analysis" to be hardhitting. I found it redundant. It seemed like the only "analysis" was that of Galland, a supporter of the fighter service, which states over and over that the fighter service was mishandled. It's almost a sour grapes refrain. The very end of the book seems to try to make a case of how effective the Luftwaffe fighter arm was by quoting lots of statistics that don't seem to add up. Editing again or poor research? It reads quickly so give it a go if the subject is a favorite but don't expect anything from the "analysis" side.

I purchased this book on Bud Mahurin's reputation, and the mostly complementary reviews here. I began reading the book the day it arrived, and must say I am very, very disappointed.

I think some of the reviewers have not actually read this book. Many sentences are incomplete, or even incoherent. 'Wore' is used in place of 'Were' in several places. I see this book is published in a country where English is not spoken. No surprise! It appears no native english speaker even read the galleys.

Larges portions of this book are excerpts from 'Horrido' and 'Last of the Many'. Anyone with an interest in WW II Luftwaffe probably already has these books. They are superior to Mahurin's.

To achieve a combat record such as Mahurin's requires precise flying and accurate gunnery. This book is neither accurate or precise, rather it comes across as lazy and sloppy.

Looking again at the Amazon reviews, I was surprised to see that all 4 of the 5-star reviews were posted by one person. Buyer, beware!

Hitler's Fall Guys is an unusual book in that it is written by one of the greatest of American aviation heroes, Colonel Walker "Bud" Mahurin, about his one-time enemies, the men of the Luftwaffe. Mahurin, the only man who has scored victories in the European, Pacific and Korean theaters of war AND been shot down in all three of them as well, does two things. One, he presents familiar material in an entirly new light, offering insights never before presented, and based on his vast combat experience. Two, he presents entirely new material, again based on his unusual combination of experience and insight. Throughout the book, Bud maintains exactly the right tone of respect for the achievements of the Luftwaffe and hard-hitting analysis of its failures. This book fills in a lot of loose ends that books by former members of the Luftwaffe leave unanswered. A fine book by a true hero!

Few authors bring to the table the extraordinary qualifications of Colonel Walker "Bud" Mahurin, a truly legendary fighter pilot. Mahurin examines the rise and fall of the German Luftwaffe through the critical eyes of a man who fought against them successfully, and then came to know many of the principal leaders in the post-war period. The result is a very even analysis, giving credit where it is due (and the Luftwaffe pilots served their country well) and taking issue with the basic bad decisions of Luftwaffe leadership. Mahurin is the only man to have both scored victories and been shot down in the European, Pacific and Korean theaters, and his hard won experience is invaluable in assessing the brave, if ultimately futile, efforts of the German air force.

Hey, I'm just trying to get your attention! I've submitted two reviews on this book in the past and you've not used them. Any reason? Your pal, Walter Boyne