5.0 out of 5 stars To find a book of this quality was a joy. Wonderful purchase for a WW2 history buff

W.F. · 22 November 2015

Superb..I have known of this ace since childhood in the 1950's. To find a book of this quality was a joy.Wonderful purchase for a WW2 history buff, such as me.WF

5.0 out of 5 stars German Ace Hans-Joachin Marseille

C. · 11 September 2015

An excellent book on a subject which interests me greatly.

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

k. · 2 June 2015

good book

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

g. · 13 March 2015

excellent book

3.0 out of 5 stars An average read.

S. · 23 November 2017

I've just finished reading this book. I have to say if I had the choice again I'd try a different author on this subject. I found quite a few grammatical errors, some maybe down to the translator but others which should have been corrected during proof reading. I also thought there was a lack of detail and considering the size of the book, why were so many pages only printed on 50% of their area?

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER PILOT.

M.A.T. · 7 February 2009

I ALWAYS WANTED TO READ AN ACCOUNT OF THE CAREER OF HANS-JOCHIM MARSEILLE,I CHOSE THIS ACCOUNT BY FRANZ KUROWSKY AND WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.IT RELATES THE THE LIFE AND COMBAT CAREER OF A TRULY GIFTED AND PROFFESIONAL COMBAT PILOT IN WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. COLIN TELFER.

4.0 out of 5 stars A truly fascinating book about a great pilot. I had lost an earlier copy and ...

R.T. · 5 November 2014

A truly fascinating book about a great pilot. I had lost an earlier copy and was pleased to replace it with this edition. I was puzzled as there are number of typo's which I presume have been carried over from the first edition. It is for this reason I have awarded only 4 *.If you are interested in WW2 aviation this is a must. Thoroughly recommend.

4.0 out of 5 stars yes please although...

J.T. · 4 May 2011

Great book, let down a bit by too much emphasis on the campaign in North africa and not enough on his actions.Interestingly in Johnnie Johnsons book he refutes his claims of 17 kills in one day but I think you have to take into account that johnson was one of the allied top scorers with 38 kills (only?) compared to Luftwaffe aces who survived through to the latter part of the war with kills into three figures.Jochens 158 was achieved against western airman who would have had a lot more training than their russian equivalents and in generally better machines.I very much enjoyed descriptions of his aerobatic skill and shooting expertise by his comrades, 'you could tell it was yellow 14 by the vortex's at his wingtips, hauling his machine into impossible turns for ordinary pilots,bringing his guns to line up for an incredible maximum deflection shot and dispatching his enemy with the minumum amount of ammunition'.It was great to see that Jochen is remembered to this day by the luftwaffe and I believe he was one of the all time best. What a name...'The star of africa'.

An Extraordinary Man

W.B.S. · 10 July 2005

This is a great book that shows the extraordinary abilities of German pilot Marseille as a flier and marksman as well as his general persona. The book almost reads as a novel in places, with dialogue among the main real-life characters. What comes across is Marseille's self determination in perfecting his art as a fighter pilot and always pushed himself to his physical and mental limits. Marseille was always seen pushing his aircraft to its maximum performance and always seemed to fly harder and faster than his peers in combat. But it is not just Marseille's flying ability that made him truly one of the greatest aces of all time, but also his mastery of deflection angle shooting and sparing use of ammunition. His exploits of shooting down six aicraft in quick succession in seven minutes have become legendary. He was also probably the only pilot to master the tactic of diving in and out of an enemy defensive lufbery circle. It is probably a fitting tribute that he remained unvanquished.Early in his career Marseille's eagerness, energy and indifference to authority was a source of frustration and antagonism for his superiors like Steinhoff. It was only after his transfer to North Africa did Marseille blossom under the guiding hand of Neumann and Homuth.With all his successes (that were exploited by the Nazi propaganda machine), Marseille was still able to remain humble and great friend and mentor amongest his comrades. He was always keen to lend a helping hand.This book makes excellent reading and has many photographs throughout. The only thing perhaps missing would be colour art profiles of the machines flown by Marseille.

Another Very Good Book About Hans-Joachim Marseille

P.M. · 11 October 2021

I read this book after reading Colin Heaton's book on Marseille. Although this book does not go into the same level of detail on the air battles and Marseille's tactics and acts of chivalry, it sets the air battles in the context of the entire African campaign and provides dozens of great photographs, which complements Heaton's version. The author has done a great job of telling Hans-Joachim Marseille's story and life in JG27 in Africa. The grammatical errors noted by others are a little annoying and it would have been nice if these had been caught during the editing of the book.

quality

M.M. · 3 August 2024

the book was in excellent shape and will be an exceptional addition to my library.thanks

Great book ,poorly organized dropping from five to three.

D.E. · 25 February 2006

This could have been one of the best WW II books to come out. I have a collection of over 300 covering all wars from the civil war. I have read approx. 1500 more. This book has all the facts at hand, but the presentation lacked flow. The book had great pictures that helped to keep track of the events. The writer jumped around like a flea on a hot plate. I would love to see the life of one of the greatest fighter pilots of any war in a pocket book by a author like Tolliver, Alexander Mc Kee or Edwin P. Hoyt who can make the story flow. I waited many years to get this book so it was a great disappointment in its present form. Still its the best on the market for the life of the Star Of Africa. Less pictures of Marseille and more of the aircraft used in Africa would have helped also.

Good

A.C. · 25 May 2007

I purchased this book after reading about other Fighter Aces and realised that the allied forces during WW2 never had Aces as good or as well known as Galland, Molders and Marseille. This book is easy to read gives family history, his first combat missions, transfer to Africa and his rise to become one of the Worlds Greatest Fighter Aces. The book doesn't just concentrate on Marseille shooting down planes but gives a balanced view including him being in constant trouble with his superiors, reputation as a bit of a bragger but his Commanding Officer saw this as insercurity he apparently even bedded a starlet of the time, the book gives an overall picture of the African campaign and how Marseilles Squadron fitted into the overall picture, has enough pictures to give the reader a feel of the African Campaign and the major players without turning into a picture book.