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Oswald Boelcke
- Germany’s First Fighter Ace and Father of Air Combat
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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Publisher's Summary
With a total of 40 victories, Oswald Boelcke was Germany's first ace in World War I-and a century later he remains a towering figure in the history of air warfare, renowned for his character, inspirational leadership, organizational genius, development of air-to-air tactics, and impact on aerial doctrine.
Paving the way for modern air forces across the world with his pioneering strategies, Boelcke had a dramatic effect on his contemporaries. The famed Red Baron's mentor, instructor, squadron commander, and friend, he exerted a tremendous influence upon the German air force. He was one of the first pilots to be awarded the famous Pour le Merite, commonly recognized as the "Blue Max." All of this was achieved after overcoming medical obstacles in childhood and later life with willpower and determination.
Boelcke even gained the admiration of his enemies: After his tragic death in a midair collision, Britain's Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath on his funeral, and several of his captured foes sent another wreath from their German prison camp. His name and legacy live on, as seen in the Luftwaffe's designation of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 "Boelcke." This definitive biography reveals his importance as a fighter pilot who set the standard in military aviation.
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What listeners say about Oswald Boelcke
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- J.Brock
- 07-09-21
Bravest of Pilots
There is not a subject more fascinating than the amazing pilots of WWI. What they had to do, and work with, in the beginnings of air combat is unbelievable. They literally flew with nothing up there but guys and grit. And Oswald Boelcke was the first ace. Having overcome ill health, specifically asthma, he became an Olympic athlete (aside from the fact the Olympics were cancelled due to WWI) and then leader of German bomber command. . He was the leader and everyone else followed him. Though von Richthofen gets the credit, Boeckle was his teacher. This biography can't be recommended more highly. It's outstanding.
1 person found this helpful
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- John Drummond
- 06-23-20
Great Biography of Boelcke
Great biography of famous German Ace pilots. Well done. A lot of good information in great detail. I would recommend this book to family and friends.
1 person found this helpful
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- Nick
- 03-05-23
Promising biography but disorganised
I was looking forward to this biography of Oswald Boelcke but feel this would be more accurately described as a light and slightly disorganised history of the German air force in the First World War with a scattered biography of Oswald Boelcke as the unifying thread. Quite often the author repeats himself almost verbatim in some instances multiple chapters apart. Repeating the same information that he’s already written. It feels as if this biography is comprised of a collection of independent articles that were fashioned into a book or that he was padding the word count in order to reach a certain length. Reason to say the information is bad, it is good, but the book could definitely use with some editing to tighten up and remove extraneous pieces. That said I would recommend this book as long as the listener understands strictly speaking it is not a biography focusing entirely on Boelcke.
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- Dana Stone
- 10-27-21
Recommended!
For people interested in world war one, and even those who are not, this highly readable book sheds light on one of the first German aces, Oswald Boelke. I was not familiar with this German officer. He had a habit of trying not to injure the pilots of enemy planes. For example, he shot down a British plane, checked on the pilot, and ended up inviting him to dinner. Boelke himself died in an accident involving his wing man. He left a rich legacy, including the Dicta for rules of flight, Which are still used today.
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Story
Few perspectives epitomize the sheer drama and sacrifice of combat more perfectly than those of the fighter pilots of World War II. As romanticized as any soldier in history, the World War II fighter pilot was viewed as larger than life: a dashing soul waging war amongst the clouds. In the 65-plus years since the Allied victory, stories of these pilots' heroics have never been in short supply. But what about their adversaries - the highly skilled German aviators who pushed the Allies to the very brink of defeat?
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Not what I hoped for
- By Michael Jacobi on 09-01-20
By: Anne-Marie Lewis, and others
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Open Cockpit
- By: Arthur Gould Lee
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Author of three books, this is by far his best. Lee puts you in the cockpit in a riveting account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At times humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening, true account is a classic to be ranked with Winged Victory by W. V. Yeates, also published by Grub Street.
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Really great insights into WW1 air combat!
- By B Taub on 12-21-16
By: Arthur Gould Lee
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The Big Show
- The Classic Account of WWII Aerial Combat
- By: Pierre Clostermann
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Pierre Clostermann DFC was one of the oustanding Allied aces of the Second World War. A Frenchman who flew with the RAF, he survived over 420 operational sorties, shooting down scores of enemy aircraft while friends and comrades lost their lives in the deadly skies above Europe. The Big Show, his extraordinary account of the war, has been described as the greatest pilot's memoir of WWII.
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Simply one of the best all time books on air combat ever written.
- By S. H. Moore on 12-08-20
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Aces Falling
- War Above the Trenches, 1918
- By: Peter Hart
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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At the beginning of 1918, the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. This audiobook charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'.
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A MUST READ for students of military aviation
- By B Taub on 03-03-20
By: Peter Hart
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Fighting the Flying Circus
- By: Eddie V. Rickenbacker
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker, originally from Ohio, was best known as one of the commanders of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, a crack unit of World War I pilots that included many former members of the famed Lafayette Escadrille. The 94th ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron.
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World War 1 ace
- By Jean on 09-25-12
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Marked for Death
- The First War in the Air
- By: James Hamilton-Paterson
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Little more than 10 years after the first powered flight, aircraft were pressed into service in World War I. Nearly forgotten in the war's massive overall death toll, some 50,000 aircrew would die in the combatant nations' fledgling air forces. The romance of aviation had a remarkable grip on the public imagination, propaganda focusing on gallant air "aces" who become national heroes. The reality was horribly different. Marked for Death debunks popular myth to explore the brutal truths of wartime aviation.
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Excellent
- By Amazon Customer on 08-20-16
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I Flew for the Führer
- The Memoirs of a Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot
- By: Heinz Knoke, Richard Overy - introduction
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Heinz Knoke was one of the outstanding German fighter pilots of the Second World War. This vivid firsthand record of his experiences has become a classic among aviation memoirs and is a fascinating counterbalance to the numerous accounts written by Allied pilots.
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Very interesting wish it had a bit more detail
- By Quinn Richter on 05-21-21
By: Heinz Knoke, and others
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The Red Baron
- The Life and Legacy of Manfred von Richthofen
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Jem Matzan
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Few participants in World War I are more famous than Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron. A German known for victories in a war that his country lost, a cavalry officer made famous as mounted combat disappeared, and an aristocratic hero in a century dominated by democracy; Richthofen's celebrity stands in stark contrast to the era.
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Informative but short
- By Jeff Wise on 07-21-15
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Above the Reich
- Deadly Dogfights, Blistering Bombing Raids, and Other War Stories from the Greatest American Air Heroes of World War II, in Their Own Words
- By: Colin Heaton, Anne-Marie Lewis
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews, Mark Bramhall, Arthur Morey, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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They are voices lost to time. Beginning in the late 1970s, five veteran airmen sat for private interviews. Decades after the guns fell silent, they recounted in vivid detail the most dangerous missions that made the difference in the war. Ed Haydon dueled with the deadliest of German aces - and forced him to the ground. Robert Johnson racked up 27 kills in his P-47 Thunderbolt, but nearly lost his life when his plane was shot to ribbons and his guns jammed. Cigar-chomping Curtis LeMay was the Air Corps general who devised the bomber tactics that pummeled Germany's war machine.
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love it
- By garry gilbert on 05-05-22
By: Colin Heaton, and others
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Terror of the Autumn Skies
- The True Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I
- By: Blaine Pardoe
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Frank Luke, Jr., was an unlikely pilot. In the Great War, when fliers were still "knights of the air", Luke was an ungallant loner, a kid from Arizona who collected tarantulas, shot buzzards, and boxed miners. But during two torrid weeks in September 1918, he was the deadliest man on the Western Front. In only 10 missions, he destroyed 14 heavily defended German balloons and four airplanes, a rampage unequalled even by the dreaded von Richtofen, and the second highest American tally of the entire war.
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Terror of the Autumn skies
- By K. Nelson on 11-25-19
By: Blaine Pardoe
Related to this topic
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MiG Alley
- The US Air Force in Korea, 1950-53
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Of the many myths that emerged following the end of the Korean War, the prevailing one in the West was that of the absolute supremacy of US Air Force pilots and aircraft over their Soviet-supplied opponents. The claims of the 10:1 victory-loss ratio achieved by the US Air Force fighter pilots flying the North American F-86 Sabre against their communist adversaries, amongst other such fabrications, went unchallenged until the end of the Cold War, when Soviet records of the conflict were finally opened. From that point onwards, a very different story began to emerge.
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Always Political Undercurrent
- By J.Brock on 06-03-21
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Hawkeye
- The Enthralling Autobiography of the Top-Scoring Israel Air Force Ace of Aces
- By: Brigadier General Giora Even-Epstein
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than 30 years, Giora Even-Epstein flew fighters for the Israel Air Force, achieving recognition as a highly skilled military aviator and the highest-scoring jet-mounted ace with the most number of confirmed victories in the French Mirage. Having overcome numerous hurdles just to learn how to fly, he went on to compile a record of Arab MiGs and Sukhoi kills that bettered any other combat aviators' tally in the entire world. This fast-moving autobiography details his experiences particularly in the intense conflicts of 1967, the Six Day War, and 1973, the Yom Kippur War.
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Not a writer
- By Checco on 11-26-21
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Fighter Group
- The 352nd “Blue-Nosed Bastards” in World War II
- By: Lt. Col. Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Jay A. Stout breaks new ground in World War II history with this gripping account of one of the war’s most highly decorated American fighter groups. Stout combines the storytelling gifts and careful research for a seasoned historian with the combat experience of a former fighter pilot to tell the remarkable story of the 352nd Fighter Group. This isn’t just the story of a single fighter group; it’s the story of how the United States won the air war over Europe.
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This is a fantastic, through, in depth, and personal history of the 352nd fighter group.
- By S. H. Moore on 02-23-21
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Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway
- By: David Rigby
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the man who won the battle of Midway and avenged Pearl Harbor for the United States. During the Battle of Midway in June 1942, US Navy dive bomber pilot Wade McClusky proved himself to be one of the greatest pilots and combat leaders in American history, but his story has never been told - until now.
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This biographer is obsessed
- By J. S. Harbour on 05-17-20
By: David Rigby