Atglen: Schiffer Military Publishing Ltd., 1995. 4to, maroon cloth with the image of a Bf 109 F-4 in black on the front board, marbled endpapers, #119 of 300 special autographed copies, signed by Hannes Trautloft & Dietrich Hrabak on a label pasted to the ffep verso, signed by Herschel Green on the title page, numerous rare & unusual photographs including a 16 pages of color photographs, numerous detailed drawings, 208 pages. Very good condition in a very good dust jacket.
MPA/kb
This beautiful book details with text and many previously unpublished
photographs the later variants of the Bf 109. The high standard
associated with Schiffer Military History books is fully evidenced by
the cloth-bound boards and high quality paper. The painting by Jerry
Crandall featured on the dust jacket depicts a Bf 109 F-4 flown by Hannes
Trautloft.
Hannes Trautloft joined the Reichswehr in 1932, and was one of the
select few sent to the Soviet Union for training while the Reichswehr
still chafed under the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. He
scored five victories over Spain with the Legion Condor, one over Poland,
and five more over France and the Low Countries. Trautloft took command
of Jagdgeschwader 54 on 25 August 1940 and served in that capacity until
July 6 1943. A natural leader of men, he left an indelible mark on that
famous fighter unit and was popularly known as a leader who cared a great
deal for his men. Trautloft was born in Thuringia, the "green heart of
Germany," hence the adoption of the green heart emblem for JG 54. He
instituted the very successful tactic of intercepting Soviet night
intruders on moonlit nights, and JG 54 scored 56 kills between January and
July 1942 while suffering no losses on those night interceptions.
Trautloft left JG 54 and the front line on 6 July 1943 when General of
Fighters Adolf Galland tapped him to join his staff as Inspizient Ost. He
ended the war with 57 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross.
Dietrich Hrabak scored 125 victories, 109 in the East and 16 in the
West, and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He had a close call on the
third day of the war in Poland when he crash-landed behind enemy lines
following combat with P.23s, but he was able to find his way back through
the front lines. He served with Trautloft as the commanding officer of
II./JG 54 from 26 August 1940 to 27 October 1942 when he took command of
JG 52. He returned to take command of JG 54 on 1 October 1944 and served
in that capacity until the end of the war. Hrabak died in 1995.
Major Herschel "Herky" Green scored 18 victories in 100 missions and
was the top ace of the 325th Fighter Group. On 19 January 1943 Green and
the rest of the 325th FG took off in their P-40s from the carrier USS
Ranger and landed in North Africa. The 325th was the second American
fighter unit, following the 33rd FG, to land and commence combat
operations in North Africa. Green shot down three aircraft in his P-40,
ten in a P-47, and five in a P-51. He also destroyed ten aircraft on the
ground. He ended the war as the commanding officer of the 317th Fighter
Squadron stationed in Italy.
This book was a part of the amazing collection assembled by Greg
Dortch over the course of about thirty years. He is a member of the
American Fighter Aces Association, British and Canadian Fighter Pilots
Associations, Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, Battle of Britain Association,
and various unit associations. He personally met many of the veterans,
and he sent labels to those he could not meet in order to obtain their
signatures. David Armstrong, Powells.com
