The diving eagle: A Ju88 pilot's diary by P. W Stahl

Hardcover 16x24 cm, 310 pages. Regardless of how mad their leadership, the young men who earned pilot wings in Nazi Germany were proud of their achievement. Stahl voluntarily leaves flying instruction and transfers to bombers. As a low-ranking reservist, he is harrassed regardless of his flying ability. Truth be told, in 1939, Germany had an outstanding bomber force. The Luftwaffe had developed it to serve the Army as flying artillery; they could operate from meadows, flying faster than Stukas and were better able to defend themselves. Designers placed crewmen in close proximity for mutual support, and on several types, installed dive brakes for accurate high angle attacks without gaining speed. Stahl tells us how he was assigned to a Ju-88 'Schnellbomber' unit, and speedy it was. Introduction to service was relatively smooth after crews attended hours of classroom training. He is happy to fly them. His first operations are during the Blitzkrieg through the low countries into France. His detailed explanation of the navigation to Le Havre, preparing to dive, the sight they used, and the 4-5G pullout is very intriguing. Other than mentioning refugees seen clogging the roads and dead cows in the fields, he feels no emotional impact. In time the targets are in England, and he meets real opposition. Day raids become too costly, so the bomber pilots learn to navigate and attack at night- entirely different skills. The hazards take a toll on new crews as well as 'old hares'. The book is an incomplete work; he later went to Russia, Finland, and ended the war in KG-200 (a transport unit). 9780718305093 Kimber books