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Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger
- Volume 1 -
Ernst Obermaier’s books Die Ritterkreuzträger der
Jagdflieger and Die Ritterkreuzträger der Stuka- and Schlachtflieger were first printed in the 1960s and 70s. Later revised, these titles are still considered standard works on the subject.
Obermaier planned a third volume, which was to have dealt with Knight’s Cross winners from the bomber arm. Work on the book had begun, but was far from complete, when Ernst Obermaier
died unexpectedly in 1997.
Jochen Kaiser took over Obermaier’s files and,
together with a number of German aviation historians, continued work on the project. After more than 10 years of research, he has now completed Volume I of Die Ritterkreuzträger der
Kampfflieger. In its 264 pages the author describes the military careers, special missions and fates of five winners of the Swords, 26 winners of the Oak Leaves and 191 Knight’s Cross
winners, whose names begin with the letters A through K. The book is illustrated with a portrait photo and three or four other photos each winner of the Swords and the Oak Leaves, and two
photos of each winner of the Knight’s Cross, a portrait photo and another photo depicting a milestone event, an aircraft or a mission tally on the tail of an aircraft. Volume I thus
contains more than 500 photos, some of them in color.
65 years after the end of the war, this work by Jochen Kaiser fills a gap in the
history of the Luftwaffe. Volume II is expected to be released in 2011. These books will make it possible to finally identify many of the bomber crewmen who won the Knight’s Cross. The
books will also document the military careers of these men for posterity, factually and without glorification or political bias. They thus represent a special reference work of contemporary
history.
As we anticipate that this topic will only appeal to a
small circle of readers, the publisher has decided to print just 600 copies. At present there are no plans for a second printing.
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