Despite huge odds against them, Hitler’s commanders—the elite of the Wehrmacht—almost succeeded in conquering Europe. Now in an expanded edition that includes biographies of the generals of Stalingrad and a new chapter on the panzer commanders, this book offers rare insight into the men who ran Nazi Germany’s war machine. Going beyond common stereotypes, Samuel W. Mitcham and Gene Mueller recount the compelling lives of a varied group of army, navy, Luftwaffe, and SS men, including their early life, their military exploits during the war, and their post-war career, if any. Weaving in dramatic stories of tank commanders, fighter pilots in aerial combat, and U-Boat aces, the authors bring the battlefields of World War II to life.

In the hell that was World War II, the Eastern Front was its heart of fire and ice. Gottlob Herbert Bidermann served in that lethal theater from 1941 to 1945, and his memoir of those years recaptures the sights, sounds, and smells of the war as it vividly portrays an army marching on the road to ruin. A riveting and reflective account by one of the millions of anonymous soldiers who fought and died in that cruel terrain, In Deadly Combat conveys the brutality and horrors of the Eastern Front in detail never before available in English. It offers a ground soldier's perspective on life and death on the front lines, providing revealing new information concerning day-to-day operations and German army life. Wounded five times and awarded numerous decorations for valor, Bidermann saw action in the Crimea and siege of Sebastopol, participated in the vicious battles in the forests south of Leningrad, and ended the war in the Courland Pocket. He shares his impressions of countless Russian POWs seen at the outset of his service, of peasants struggling to survive the hostilities while caught between two ruthless antagonists, and of corpses littering the landscape. He recalls a Christmas gift of gingerbread from home that overcame the stench of battle, an Easter celebrated with a basket of Russian hand grenades for eggs, and his miraculous survival of machine gun fire at close range. In closing he relives the humiliation of surrender to an enemy whom the Germans had once derided and offers a sobering glimpse into life in the Soviet gulags. Bidermann's account debunks the myth of a highly mechanized German army that rolled over weaker opponents with impunity. Despite the vast expanses of territory captured by the Germans during the early months of Operation Barbarossa, the war with Russia remained tenuous and unforgiving. His story commits that living hell to the annals of World War II and broadens our understanding of its most deadly combat zone. Translator Derek Zumbro has rendered Bidermann's memoir into a compelling narrative that retains the author's powerful style. This English-language edition of Bidermann's dynamic story is based upon a privately published memoir entitled Krim-Kurland Mit Der 132 Infanterie Division.The translator has added important events derived from numerous interviews with Bidermann to provide additional context for American readers.

“This unique, impressive study presents a history in microcosm of the entire Luftwaffe Fighter Corps . . . [a] spellbinding work.” —Library Journal Jagdgeschwader 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 has assembled a superb day-to-day chronicle of JG 26 operations, from its first air victory in 1939 to its final combat patrol in 1945. A microcosm of World War II exists in the rise and fall of this famous fighter wing. 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 the scales tipped in favor of the Allies in 1943 with the arrival of the Eighth US Air Force and its peerless P-51 Mustang. The book has been endorsed by the top fighter commanders of three air forces: the RAF (Johnnie Johnson), the USAAF (Hub Zemke), and the Luftwaffe (Adolf Galland) and is considered essential reading for anyone interested in the aerial war of 1941–45.

This new volume from Martin Bowman examines the closing years of the Second World War, as the tide turned against the German and Axis forces. It includes riveting first-hand accounts from German fighter pilots caught up in some of the most dramatic night time conflicts of the latter war years.Viewing Bomber Command's operations through the eyes of the enemy, the reader is offered a fresh and intriguing perspective. Set in context by Bowman's historical narrative, these snippets of pilot testimony work to offer an authentic sense of the times at hand.

There are some acts that can never truly be forgiven. It’s the height of WWII, and the Nazi forces are driving through Europe. Decorated German fighter pilot Hans Vogel follows orders and doesn’t ask questions. It’s worked out well for him…so far. But when his plane is shot down in the middle of an air raid over London, he is dead before he hits the ground. And that’s only the beginning of his problems. Sierra Barnes weaves a rich anti-fascist fairytale about the importance of recognizing past wrongs, even (especially) when it’s easier not to.

During the Second World War, one German Luftwaffe pilot compiled a combat record so remarkable that he earned the distinction of becoming the premier fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare! Erich Hartmann, called the Blond Knight of the German Luftwaffe, achieved the staggering total of 352 confirmed victories. Hartmann's incredible combat record earned him the coveted diamonds to his Knight's Cross, but his wartime exploits convey only an inkling of the drama consummated in Hartmann's life and career. Now, at last, the story of Germany's Blond Knight has been told by the award-winning authors of Fighter Aces of the U.S.A and Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe. You'll relive Hartmann's extraordinary aerial achievements, the ordeals suffered during 10 years of postwar imprisonment by the Soviet Union, and his subsequent role in the development of the new West German Air Force.

Hitler's Stuka Squadrons is a book that separates fact from fantasy regarding the achievements and military career of the Ju 87 aircraft. Able to deliver its bombs accurately onto a target, the Stuka wreaked havoc in Poland and France against ground targets and refugee columns. Hitler's Stuka Squadrons charts the Ju 87's career in 1939-40, when German aerial superiority ensured aircraft losses were low. However, against Spitfires and Hurricanes in the Battle of Britain in 1940 the Stuka was shot out of the skies. The campaign in Russia saw the re-establishment of the Ju 87's supremacy, and would lead to a change in role to one of tank-busting. Hitler's Stuka Squadrons also covers the individual Stuka squadrons, their campaigns, tactics, and pilots. Illustrated with full-color artworks, which show the various changes in livery and design that the Ju 87 underwent during its career, accompanied by a full specifications table that lists range, armament, performance, dimensions, ceiling and weights;- An authoritative book written by an expert on Military history- First-hand accounts from Stuka pilots- Full-colored artworks- Specifications boxes