An Eagle's Odyssey: My Decade as a Pilot in Hitler's Luftwaffe

by Johannes Kaufmann, Richard Overy (Foreword by)

Overview

‘I realized that this brief but abortive sortie was to be the final mission of my Luftwaffe flying career.’

Johannes Kaufmann’s career was an exciting one. He may have been an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot, but he served during an extraordinary time, with distinction. Serving for a decade through both peacetime and wartime, his memoir sheds light on the immense pressures of the job.

In this never-before-seen translation of a rare account of life in the Luftwaffe, Kaufmann takes the reader through his time in service, from his involvement in the annexation of the Rhineland, the attack on Poland, fighting against American heavy bombers in the Defense of the Reich campaign. He also covers his role in the battles of Arnhem and the Ardennes, and the D-Day landings, detailing the intricacies of military tactics, flying fighter planes and the challenges of war.

His graphic descriptions of being hopelessly lost in thick cloud above the Alps, and of following a line of telegraph poles half-buried in deep snow while searching for a place to land on the Stalingrad front are proof that the enemy was not the only danger he had to face during his long flying career.

Kaufmann saw out the war from the early beginnings of German expansion right through to surrender to the British in 1945. An Eagle’s Odyssey is a compelling and enlightening read, Kaufmann’s account offers a rarely heard perspective on one of the core experiences of the Second World War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784382537
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	07/25/2019
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Born in 1915, Johannes Kaufmann left school early to work as an apprentice in an aircraft factory. In 1934 he volunteered in the newly-formed Luftwaffe, working through the ranks to become a Hauptmann by the end of the war, commanding a Staffel of Bf 109 fighters.

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and Nazi Germany.

Table of Contents

Foreword Richard Overy vi

Introduction from the Translator xi

Part I The Peacetime Years

Chapter 1 Fliegerschule Magdeburg 1

Chapter 2 Fliegerschule (S) Schleissheim 18

Chapter 3 I./Jagdgeschwader 132 'Richthofen' 27

Chapter 4 Fliegerschule Salzwedel 34

Part II The Years of Conflict

Chapter 5 Kampfgruppe z.b.V.9 57

Chapter 6 Flugzeugführerschule A/B 120 65

Chapter 7 Chef Aw Le Bourget 71

Chapter 8 Zerstörerschule Schleissheim 85

Chapter 9 Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 92

Chapter 10 Zerstörergeschwader 1 146

Chapter 11 Kampfgeschwader 40 178

Chapter 12 Jagdgeschwader 4 196

Editorial Reviews

"...a good insight into the life and times of an ‘ordinary’ Luftwaffe pilot."

Flight Line Book Review