Aces of the Reich Author:Gordon Williamson To study military history from the viewpoint of national or unit strategy and tactics alone is to ignore the major constituent of warfare--the individual soldier, sailor, and airman. He is the core of the subject, and to know more of him is better to understand the whole topic. — In Aces of the Reich, Gordon Williamson provides an outsta... more »nding collection of more than 100 mini-biographies of the men who were at the forefront of German action, in advance and retreat, during the Second World War. These histories give details of the training, early career, and major actions of each individual and so, in total, give a broad picture of German military structure and activity. Many entries offer fascinating anecdotes and other insights that enable the reader to 'know' each ace even better.
The book is introduced by an explanation of the awards given to the aces, while extensive appendices present lists of winners in the various sections of the services and useful details of the German military unit organization.
There are many who are already interested in studying the individual warrior and the levels of excellence that some of his number achieved; such readers will have already enjoyed the author's Iron Cross and Knights of the Iron Cross. This book will cause many more, perhaps for the first time, to appreciate the enhanced perspective of the history of combat that one can achieve by knowing more about the fighting man, be he friend or foe, and the courage and skill he had demonstrated to earn the title of 'ace'.« less