The JG 26 War Diary : Volume I 1939-1942
Donald Caldwell
Bok · Engelsk · 1996
| Utgitt | London : Grub Street , 1996
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| Omfang | 346 sider : Illustrert
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| Opplysninger | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G 26 was considered by both the Allies and the Axis to be the best German fighter unit from 1940 to 1944. It gained that status initially as a result of outstanding leadership during the Battle of Britain in 1940, and held it as a natural outgrowth of its war station on the Channel coast, where its mission was to fend off attacks by the best aircraft and airmen that the Allies could muster. During the years 1941 and 1942 JG 26, with no more than 124 fighters under command, completely dominated the airspace over northern France and western Belgium. Presented in a unique data-rich format, this volume covers the unit from its origin to the end of 1942, when it had reached the peak of its power and influence. The main body comprises a daily chronology of the wing’s activities. As only two of the thirty volumes of the unit’s official diary survived the war, the creation of a daily combat log was not a simple matter of transcribing records, but required careful comparison of Allied documents, especially those derived from radio intelligence, with the limited material available from Germany. The book is based largely on primary documentation obtained from the unit’s veterans and on material from the national archives of Germany and the UK and from the USAF Historical Research Agency. Despite their unavailability in German the author’s first two books on JG 26 proved extremely popular with the unit’s veterans, resulting in unprecedented access to their personal documents and photo collections. This book is thus new in every respect. In common with all of the author’s works, it is a highly readable, unbiased, thoroughly-researched history. The book is fully illustrated and annotated. It contains 150 previously-unpublished photos of JG 26 personalities, scenes, and aircraft; area maps; and a complete bibliography. Lists of JG 26 casualties (with Allied victors) and JG 26 aerial victories (with Allied victims) are included in the text. The appendices contain lists of the unit’s bases and commanders. Such compilations were very unusual in English-language histories when the book first appeared, and have been of great value for enthusiasts and historical researchers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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| Geografisk emneord | |
| Dewey | |
| ISBN | 9781898697527
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