Being there . . . . to watch the high drama of the final months of World War II in Berlin – – the German conspiracy to exterminate the Fuhrer; the day and night bombing of the Nazi metropolis; Victory in Europe; and the Allied aftermath, especially the critical pursuit for the aviation secrets of the vanquished . . . . . .
AGAIN, CASEMATE AND SCHIFFER PUBLISHING COMPANIES COMMINGLE
GOOD READING ON THE FINAL STAGES OF HITLER’S BITTER END
Part Three
Reviewed and Highly Recommended by Don DeNevi“THE HITLER CONSPIRIPTOR – – The Story of Kurt Freiherr von Plettenberg & Stauffenberg’s Valkyrie Plot to Kill the Fuhrer”, by Eberhard Schmidt. Frontline Books, dist. by Casemate Publishers; 198 pages, sc; $29.95
“THE BATTLE OF BERLIN – – Bomber Command Over the Third Reich 1943 – 1945”, by Martin W. Bowman. Air World/Pen & Sword, dist. by Casemate Publishers; 457 pages, hc; $52.95
“WATSON’S WHIZZERS – – Operation Lusty and the Race for Aviation Technology”, by Wolfgang W.E. Samuel. Schiffer Military History: 224 pages; $39.99.
What other two military publishers in the world can match the good writers, format designers, photography researchers, and quality printing of these superlative publishing companies. Together, Casemate and Schiffer create the ultimate “non-computer” time-travel mechanism mankind has yearned for since he began to think. In “THE HITLER CONSPIRATOR - - The Story of Kurt Freiherr von Plettenberg & Stauffenberg’s Valkyrie Plot to Kill the Fuhrer”, the reader reads himself into the middle of the much-needed assassination plan unlike any book yet published, again thanks to great Frontline Publishing via author selection, research, writing, and design format.
By June of 1944 everyone in the German military knew the war was lost, except the Fuhrer. Generals and government officials believed the only solution to save millions of lives on both sides was to simply kill him and arrest his loyalists for trial and execution. One of the early plotters was Kurt Baron von Plettenberg, a 54-year-old high ranking government official. For some time before his arrest, Kurt had met with other resistance leaders, all wrestling over the issue between an individual’s code of honor and personal conviction until only one conclusion was left: “We unequivocally must kill Hitler.”
This hero’s story, virtually hour by hour, is stunning to read. Having been involved in the close circle of friends which planned the 20 July 20 plot in which Claus von Stauffenberg failed by mere inches to assassinate Hitler. Initially avoided death. However, the man’s fate was sealed when he was betrayed in the waning months of the war.
In this superior biography, Eberhard Smith revels for the first time how Kurt managed to find a way to prevail during extremely dangerous times and how he significantly influenced the German resistance. This is a remarkable story of a man who followed his conscience until the very end.
Meanwhile, Martin W. Bowman, one of Britain’s leading aviation writers, offers serious World War II readers a compelling account in “THE BATTLE OF BERLIN - - Bomber Command Over the Third Reich” of the most brutal bombing campaigns ever mounted. His solid knowledge and deep empathy with the young men flying hundreds of various bombers glows in gold on every page, bringing new life into that extraordinary generation. Giving voice and words to the bravery of men barely over the age of 21, he subtly suggests he wishes he had been among them. Fascinating to the reader is his introduction to an array of German personnel from night fighter pilots to the mechanics in the hangers and civilians in towns and cities bombed. For all of us yearning to learn what it was like flying over the heart of the Third Reich and receiving the tons of bombs, day and night, this is the book to read. No finer writer, or greater researched, has appeared to describe this than Martin W. Bowman.
“WATSON’s WHIZZER’S - - Operation Lusty and the Race for Nazi Aviation Technology” is one of Schiffer’s best aviation books, ever. It is the complex story of the meticulously planned and executed disarmament of the Luftwaffe after its defeat in the spring of 1945, and its amazing retrieval and transfer to the United States of Germany’s advanced aeronautical technology and world class scientists before the Soviets got there first. It was technology so visionary and manufactured it outshined any of the 17,000 aircraft General Spaatz under his command. Stalin would have spared Hitler if the Fuhrer would have given up the swept wing, supersonic jet propulsion technology alone.
Expert Wolfgang W.E. Samuel, Colonel, USAF (Ret.) also writes extensively about the young American P-47 pilots who suddenly found themselves flying German Me 262 jets in company of some of Germany’s best test pilots. “America’s technological revival after World War II didn’t happen by accident”, writes Samuel, proving why by sharing with us this compelling largely untold story.Dare read them all, buffs, and you’ll each be as close to the actual events almost 80 years ago as the participants themselves.
