JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe [Mass Market Paperback]

Donald L. Caldwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 24, 1993

This is the story of the JG 26 pilots, or "Abbeville Kids." A microcosm of World War II exists in the rise and fall of this famous fighter wing--whose slashing attacks always seemed to come from the best position--from its founding during Hitler's military buildup, through its glory days in the first years of the war--when its bases in northen France were to be avoided at all costs--right up to the grim, final hours of the Third Reich.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 26, the German elite fighter unit, was more feared by the Allies than any other Luftwaffe group. Based on extensive archival research in Europe, personal combat diaries and interviews with more than 50 surviving pilots, Caldwell here assembles a superb day-to-day chronicle of JG26 operations, from its first air victory in 1939 to its final combat patrol in 1945. For the first two years of the war it was an even match between the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitts and Focke Wulfs; but--as the author reveals in meticulous detail--the scales tipped in favor of the Allies in 1943 with the arrival of the Eighth U.S. Air Force and its peerless P-51 Mustang. In his first book, Caldwell, a research chemist, describes how the German pilots' morale remained high even after it was obvious to all but the youngest and most naive that the war was lost.seems obvious? The ultimate recommendation comes from Adolf Galland, legendary Messerschmitt pilot and commanding officer of Fighter Wing 26, who in the foreword calls JG26 "a profound book, written in full fairness." Photos.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Jagschader 26 "Schlegeter," or JG26, was the premier Luftwaffe World War II fighter unit. The equivalent of an American or British "Wing," it controlled some 100 planes and many of the best, most experienced aces in the German Air Force. The JG26 fought on all fronts, but was primarily stationed in Northeastern Europe operating against the American and British bombers and fighers attacking in Germany. The yellow prop-spinners of the "Abbeville Kids" brought terror to many an Allied pilot. Commanded by two top German aces, Adolph Gallard and Pripps Priller, the unit was responsible for the destruction of 2700 Allied planes from its inception in 1938 to its great victories in 1943 and up until its defeat by superior Allied forces in 1944-45. By focusing on the history of a small German Air Force unit, this unique, impressive study presents a history in microcosm of the entire Luftwaffe Fighter Corps. All aviation and World War II buffs will want this spellbinding work.
- Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 24, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804110506
• ISBN-13: 978-0804110501
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Schlegeter"... from ashes to ashes., May 2, 1999

By 

Dale Amsbaugh ([e-mail]) (Moscow, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe (Mass Market Paperback)

Caldwell's book is a well written, riviting masterpiece of military history. From the humble beginnings as merely another fighter formation in an air force made illegal by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, to a gaggle of half-trained boys and shell-shocked veterans stunned that they have survived as long as they have, Caldwell leaves no stone unturned. He chronicles the buildup and training of the Jagdwaffe, the fighting over Poland, France & the Low Countries, the Battle of Britain, transition to the Fw 190 'Wurger' aircraft, and its slow death at the hands of the Allied air forces. The reader becomes engrossed with the personalities, and experiences loss as one by one, these brave men fail to return home. By the end of the book, a reader is left almost as dazed and empty as the "Schlageter Geschwader" in April 1945. For anyone wanting intimate knowledge of the best fighter unit during the Battle of Britain, the only German aircraft above Normandy on D-Day, the only unit that Allied airmen were truly were afraid of during the air offensive over Germany, this is the book that shall deliver in full.

Dale E. Amsbaugh

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Luftwaffe's Finest: JG 26, March 14, 2002

By 

Ken Scheffler (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe (Mass Market Paperback)

JG 26 was the perhaps the most famous of all of the German fighter
squadrons during the Second World War. The squadron was created prior to the war shortly after Hitler came to power and first participated in the invasion of France in 1940, where it served well. It was during the following Battle of Britain, however, that the squadron, under the command of Adolf Galland, rose to prominence. Following the this phase in the war, JG 26 remained in western Europe, although several detachments were sent to Russia and the Mediterranean Theater, where they proved to be extraordinarily successful. In 1942, the British and Americans began a systematic strategic bombing campaign against France and Germany, and the squadron was in the forefront of the "Defense of the Reich." Although they were responsible for a great number of the American bombers lost, it was a losing battle from the beginning, and by the time of the D-Day invasion, the squadron, like the Luftwaffe in general, was but a shadow of its former glory. The men of JG 26, however, fought on regardless, and continued to fly sorties until the very last days of the war.

JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe is simply an excellent book. Since much primary documentation was destroyed at the end of the war, Caldwell had little to work with; he therefore had to rely mainly on testimonies of surviving pilots, Josef Priller's German language history of the squadron, Allied records and over a thousand secondary sources. The result is as complete a book as can be written about a German fighter squadron during the Second World War, and thus is valuable and very interesting resource.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Descriptive Story of one the elite fighter wings of WWII, October 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe (Mass Market Paperback)

Jagdgeschwader 'Schlageter' 's meteoric rise has been well described by the author. This wing fought for four years against increasingly overwhelming odds and material. Despite that they held out, aces like General der Jagdwaffe,Adolf Galland, Emile Lang, and Muncheburg to name a few made that possible. The 'Clauswitz' of aerial warfare, Galland had to fight against enemy formations and those on his side who wouldn't agree with his theories of massed formations of fighters being successful against bomber groups. One would love to speculate if Molders had lived he would have doubtless added more innovations to his schwarm or four finger inventions. Nevertheless this book draws a brilliant day to day picture of JG26's operations. This wing was the worthy compariot of other elite geschwader's like JG53 and JG27. This book is most valuable for those who are interested in the aerial war of 1941-45.