Udet: a man's life by HERLIN, Hans - 1960-01-01

Macdonald, 1960-01-01. First British Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Hardcover - with related ephemera, 1960 First British Edition Macdonald London 256 pages..Very Good in a Good DJ. Minor shelf/edge wear to red cloth boards with silver titles-one corner bumped with a touch of wear to tips. Spine is bumped at top and bottom. Minor foxing to fore edge. Moderate shelf/edge wear and chipping to clipped DJ-now in mylar. No previous owner markings- all pages are clean and crisp. First British Edition translated from the German edition of 1958. Great biography of German Ace Ernst Udet. Colonel General Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. At the age of 22, his 62 confirmed victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus. Udet became a squadron commander under Richthofen, and later under Hermann Göring. Following Germany's defeat, Udet spent the 1920s and early 1930s as a stunt pilot, international barnstormer, light aircraft manufacturer, and playboy. The character of "Ernst Kessler" in the 1975 film The Great Waldo Pepper is clearly based upon Ernst Udet. Though not interested in politics, Udet joined the Nazi party in 1933 when Göring promised to buy him two new U.S.-built Curtiss Hawk II biplanes. He was involved with the early development of the Luftwaffe, became a test pilot and rose to the rank of General, in charge of Aircraft Production. Udet's old comrade in arms, Hermann Göring, lied to Adolf Hitler about material shortcomings when the Luftwaffe lost the Battle of Britain, then deflected the Führer's wrath onto Udet. Operation Barbarossa,appears to have been the final straw for Udet. On 17 November 1941, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Hitler gave him a state funeral. Udet's suicide was concealed from the public, and at his funeral he was lauded as a hero who had died in flight while testing a new weapon. Always an individualist (and quite flamboyant at times) with a certain lack of discipline, qualities that made him many enemies in the party and finally destroyed him. Throughout his career, Göring would undermine him by plying him with drugs and alcohol and then manipulate him through his dependency. At the end, he was shaken to finally understand the depth of the betrayal by Göring. He lived dangerously, loved good food and wine and was never able to resist a pretty face. An extraordinary and tragic man in a dangerous time. Included is a 12 page article cut-out from a magazine. The article is titled Ernst Udet by Linton Davies. LOC SSE-02