Schnaufer: Ace of Diamonds (Military History Series) Hardcover – July 1, 1999

Book was promptly delivered and it was in condition described - very good.

Another great Peter Hinchliffe book.

Top!

very good book

Writing a biography about someone you've never met and who has been dead for nearly fifty years is a difficult task at best. When that someone was an historic military figure of another country, that certainly helps. Peter Hinchliffe has written a fine book about a German ace of World War II who has not received as much recognition as others from his time such as Hartmann, Marseille, Galland, Nowotny, or Rudel. That ace is Heinz Schnaufer, the top-scoring German night-fighter ace of World War II, and more than likely, of all time.Since Heinz Schnaufer died many years before this book was written, there aren't any personal recollections of his in the book. Instead, the book is part chronicle of Schnaufer's life and career, part chronicle of the war between RAF's Bomber Command and the German Nachtjagdgeschwaders, and part recollections/remembrances of Schnaufer as told by friends, family and comrades-in-arms. Hinchliffe has gone to great lengths to provide details on each of Schnaufer's victories (he had 121 confirmed aerial victories), and oftentimes provides background information about the RAF crew which was unlucky enough to cross Schnaufer's path in the night sky. There are a fair amount of pictures to add to the narrative and the text flows very well.A very welcome addition to anyone's library if they're looking for more information about the nighttime war between Germany and the United Kingdom, and a fine tribute to an amazing pilot.

Drugstores in America, in the 1950's (when I was young) had racks of paperbacks which included memoires from the other side of World War II(Panzer Leader, Stuka Pilot, Samurai); these have disappeared and the attitude towards former enemies, oddly enough, hardened. This book, by an Englishman, is refreshingly even-handed. I found it a good balance of factual reporting of the action and the personal side. Contrary to one reviewer, there are reminiscences by the subject's comrades in arms - as lot of diligence must have gone into that research, given the distance in time and place! - and Schnaufer's epitaph is translated. PS The German phrase "Schrage Musik," literally "slanted music," used to described the radar-guided upwards-firing guns or just the radar apparatus, is an idiom meaning "jazz." If you look at jazz sheet music, you'll see some places where the notation is simply a jagged line, meaning this is where the musicians extemporize. For those wanting an additional military history from the other side without the venom, try The Enigma of General Blaskowitz, by Richard Giziowski.

Many WWII aviation buffs will know the infamous aces, the likes of Galland, Bader, Boyington, Sakai off hand. But not many may know that during WWII, there exists special squadrons that earned their payroll by night. And the most successful of them all is the german night-fighter ace Schnaufer, the central figure of this book. This book is well-researched and easily slips the reader into the world of the night prowler. Numerous interviews with his squadron mates, crew mates pepper the book, as does many wartime photos, all of which helps to add to a very favourable impression of the man.So why is he the most successful night-fighter of all time? He had 121 "kills" to his name, more than any other night-fighter. Given the progress of technology, it is unlikely that this tremendous record will ever be broken in any future war(Heaven forbids!).However, it is indeed unfortunate that Schaufer passed away in 1950, in a tragic automobile accident. He was only 28. And that is perhaps why I gave it only 4 stars, there isn't many interviews with or quotations by the great man himself.

There are many true warriors and heroes in a war. Some are to become famous others not. Schnaufer has earned his place in history and was rewarded the highest german award. The book gives a good idea of who Schnaufer was and what he has done to become a succesful fighter pilot, the training he had and the units he flew in. The books is filled with pictures of Schnaufer and the men who were fighting with him and nice anacdotes.

First the bad...Although the book is very well bound and presented (hardback) there are an alarmingly large number of spelling mistakes throughout the text - nothing so bad as to change the meaning of sentences, but obviously things that don't show up on spell checker - "an" instead of "and", "then" instead of "the" etc. and there must be well over a dozen of these. Plus the sentence about Germany retreating from "Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic States" obviously shouldn't have made the cut. I did think the book was crying out for a decent, clear map or two - perhaps showing favoured Bomber Command routes, NJG bases? The author could have done with spending a little bit less time rubbishing other "sources", although I can understand wanting to set the record straight, devoting something like half a dozen pages to this seemed a bit OTT to me.On the other hand, the book is very well researched and the author sticks to a clear, chronological narrative. The author refreshingly avoids stamping his own opinions and hindsights all over it (something a lot of WW2 writers could learn from). You do learn a few interesting new snippets of info (even if you already know the subject quite well). The technological aspect of the night war is particularly well handled. I read the book in two sittings, which probably says a lot.

Perhaps the greatest of the German nightfighters from World War II, responsible for the destruction of approximately 120 British and American bombers. Many like him have had their names erased from streets and squares in Germany, but perhaps because of the defensive role he played, this has not happened to Schnaufer. The biography is written by an Englishman, an outstanding tribute to the old English attributes of even-handedness and fair-play.

For those interested in the detail this is the book. Excellent

Ok, but not the quality I collect and use as reference.

Very good account overall. I enjoyed the book and have since managed to buy a bookplate for the item, containing 5 Luftwaffe signatures.