As someone who knew the late Adolf Galland and the authors, this book is a most honest representation of his life in both war and peace. The importance of his strife, both in the air and on the ground with Hitler and Goering, as well as his post war success are inspiring. A book that should be read by all who enjoy reading about the human experience.

A very fascinating and interesting book. From the time he grew up in Westerholt, Germany and entered the Luftwaffe, and his activities after the war, was very descriptive and very easy to read. It did not become bogged down with non essential details that tend to make biographies difficult to read. I would recommend this book to anyone

Having researched the history of the post that was formerly Dulag Luft as it is known. "Auswerstelle West" as it should have been referred to after 1941. I found this book to be extremely helpful. As children we always think of torture when it came to interrogations- the common tv perception. It was refreshing to find that the techniques used were not that much different than those employed by today's law enforcement- no not the TV cops with the physical abuse. I grew up on the post, later a US Army post, and the rumors were rampant.I also find it refreshing to see that the Author, Raymond Toliver, a true historian, who has a passion for the subject, addressed the issues of how prisoners were treated by the allies after the war. This book is a must read for anyone who is serious about researching how allied pilots were treated. It would also serve those who are serving today to see the trickery- craft- used by the interrogors.It was also amazing to learn the types of intelligence collected and how it was collated. 5 stars a must read.

This book is a fast reader and proves that one doesn't need to beat, hit, scream at, or torture people (as is portrayed in the movies) to get information from them. If you're interested in interrogation techniques and some mind games employed by the Nazi's and the extensive database that they maintained on Allied pilots, this book is definitely for you.

This book focuses on the interrogation tactics used by Hans J. Scharff on allied airmen that had been captured. Although the airmen were highly trained in resistance, he still managed to complete his task of obtaining information. The Author did an excellent job of telling the story. Also, on a personal note, I found it interesting to see what happened on a post where I grew up so many years before I lived there.

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.

A BRIEF NOTE: For anyone interested in learning more about how the German aces scored a gargantuan number of victories, this is the book. But that's not the main point. This book outstandingly expressed the right and human emotions of these German pilots, especially Erich Hartmann, on the Russian front. It tells the terror of losing the war (to the cruel Communist Soviets), of the ordeals men had to go through as a result of a defeat, but most of all, it tells the story of an emotionally strong man going through and defeating his fears and weaknesses, especially torture. Absolutely a must-read for anyone interested in learning about human emotions, especially those of the pilots on the losing side. However, you will find that parts of the book tries to explain the skills and abilities of Erich Hartmann to shoot down Soviet planes, but it mostly coincides about human emotions.

This biography of Erich Hartmann goes into a lot more that simply his military exploits. It charts his life from his boyhood, the strength and support provided by his family and his own growing strength of character. So by the time he had left Fighter Training School he was prepared for what lay ahead. In the vast expanses of Soviet airspace in the east this outgoing, extrovert pilot came into his own. Every great ace has his own distinct style. Hans-Joachim Marseille had his deflection shot at unbelievable angles, Erich Hartmann would have his 'close-range' shot. The strategy whereby you come so close to the enemy aircraft,' that your canopy glass fills with the enemy craft's mass,' and then you fire. Hartmann would become legendary for this tactic. Making him the highest scoring German Ace with 352 kills of all kinds of aircraft. The only other fighter pilot really worth mentioning with Hartmann would have to be Hans-Joachim Marseille, the 'Star of Africa'. The controversy comes into play because of those who consider 3 Russian fighter planes being equal to one western-flown fighterplane. That being so then one is tempted to name Marseille with his 158kills( all against British aircraft) as the premiere fighter pilot. Nevertheless, in the final analysis it must be said that Hartmann was really in a class of his own. He showed even more courage and resilience when he was under Soviet imprisonment, and his family's support at this time was also crucial. He held his head high and refused to give in under pressure. He came back a hero and readjusted to life in Germany again with his typical strength of character. The two authors have written an excellent biography on a man whose inner strength, truthfulness and courage are an example for all.

I thought it was an excellent book for the reader who wants a more indepth study of Adolf Galland than can be found in the many books about the Luftwaffe. The authors do an excellent job of covering Galland's legendary life through the conclusion of WWII including printing many interesting and never before published photograghs of people, places, and planes that impacted this Luftwaffe legend. The many personal antecdotes from Galland and his fighter pilot associates and friends make for entertaining reading. The only down-side to the book is the relatively scant (compared to the war years) coverage of his life after WWII inspite of the fact that he lived until 1996. Overall, I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it to anyone.

I was not very impressed with some aspects of this book. The authors seem to believe that every Luftwaffe experte was the perfect specimen of a man. In their efforts to romanticise these people, I believe they do the pilots and themselves an injustice. They have left many gaping holes in their research (which in one case they were silly enough to highlight) and although much of the book covers some rarely-seen aspects, I found it less-than satisfying. Whilst I accept that the authors knew some of the characters involved, I would have appreciated a rather more frank discussion. That makes it less than good value for money and not as much fun as Mike Spick's book on the same subject (though his is, of course, far less detailed and much cheaper).

This is a good review on the main Luftwaffe aces profiles, but I think the authors are to indulgent on the pilots personalities. Even great pilots like Galland are not perfect human beings, in this sense the authors don't look at less knowed passages of their biographies. However this book is fair comprehensive and worth the time and the money.

Having known both authors and most of the pilots mentioned in this book, and being a writer and student of military/aviation history, this is the best book ever written on the topic. The pilots are described as real personalities, their careers reviewed, and their post war experiences addressed. No student of WW II can be considered educated on the subject until he has read this work.