Raymond F. Toliver (1914–2006)

Dva renomovaní američtí autoři Raymond F. Toliver a Travor J. Constable, ve své knize "Sundejte Hartmanna!" podávají svědectví nejen o životě nejlepšího německého stíhače druhé světové války Ericha Hartmana (*12.4.1922 - 20.12.1993), ale líčí i osudy válečného zajatace Hartmanna, který prožil více jak 10 let v táborech NKVD v Sovětském svazu. Čtenář má kromě bojovýchosudů možnost seznámit se s hrůznými metodami, jež sovětská moc používala nejen proti opozici ve vlastní zemi, ale i pro trestání válečných zajatců.… (mere)

covering the top aces of the Luftwaffe with an overview and personal stories of pilots such as Erich Hartmann, Gunther Rall, Gerhard Barkhorn, Werner Molders, Adolph Galland, “Macky” Steinhoff & Marseille.
while some would claim this to be a comprehensive and insightful review of the role Luftwaffe fighter pilots in WW2, it is far from it - this work is hagiography ( 'gushing' ) and cannot be considered serious history. It contains little evidence of research, no footnotes or references but has unfortunately become the 'standard' work..the same authors Toliver and Constable's "The Blond Knight..." can likewise be discounted as an accurate reference - the authors did not have Hartmann's Flugbücher or JG 52's KTB for the 1944-45 period. The authors emphasise that the Luftwaffe system of verifying victories was very rigorous and rendered accurate the credited victory totals of Luftwaffe fighter pilots. Of course, the records of many leading Luftwaffe fighter aces have subsequently been shown to be very dubious.… (mere)

During the Second World War, one German Luftwaffe pilot compiled a combat record so remarkable that he earned the distinction of becoming the premier fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare! Erich Hartmann, called the Blond Knight of the German Luftwaffe, achieved the staggering total of 352 confirmed victories. Hartmann's incredible combat record earned him the coveted diamonds to his Knight's Cross, but his wartime exploits convey only an inkling of the drama consummated in Hartmann's life and career. Now, at last, the story of Germany's Blond Knight has been told by the award-winning authors of Fighter Aces of the U.S.A and Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe. You'll relive Hartmann's extraordinary aerial achievements, the ordeals suffered during 10 years of postwar imprisonment by the Soviet Union, and his subsequent role in the development of the new West German Air Force.… (mere)