Introduction to Long-Forgotten Eastern Front Bf 109 Aces!:
John Weal concludes his survey of Russian Front Bf 109 aces with this volume on the second tier of Experten, those who scored between 50 and 99 kills over Soviet aircraft. (The top 75 aces were covered in Aircraft of the Aces #37). Some 154 'semi-centurions,' as Weal labels them, saw combat between 1941 and 1945 but at war's end their exploits were soon forgotten. Weal's latest Bf 109 volume, #76 in the Osprey series, is a first step in giving these ace pilots the recognition they deserve. Russian... more info
another Osprey 'potboiler':
Steffen is right......
This latest volume is a little bit more interesting & detailed than some of John Weal's recent aces titles - if you can call Osprey Aces volumes "detailed" at all. If you've got a decent library proceed with caution - Mr Weal himself (yes, I do know him) readily admits that these slim volumes are 'potboilers'. One thing I will say - John Weal makes good use of German language sources and he writes very fluently and with a certain flair.
Where this work falls down... more info
The majority of these pilots have been largely forgotten as individuals:
The 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series expands with John Weal's MORE BF 109 ACES OF THE RUSSIAN FRONT which considers the achievements of individual pilots of the BF 109: some 120 of them. The majority of these pilots have been largely forgotten as individuals: MORE BF 109 ACES OF THE RUSSIAN FRONT chronicles their achievements and returns their many amazing victories to the public eye.
