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The German Aces Speak II  By  cover art

The German Aces Speak II

By: Colin D. Heaton,Anne-Marie Lewis,Dr. Dennis Showalter - foreword,Trevor J. Constable - foreword
Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
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Publisher's Summary

The much-anticipated sequel to The German Aces Speak gives voice to four more of WWII's most noteworthy German pilots. 

When The German Aces Speak was published in 2011, Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine welcomed Colin Heaton's and Anne-Marie Lewis' masterful command of interview-based narrative, writing, “[W]hat might have been numbing recitations of dogfights are instead vivid descriptions of life as a warrior during World War II.” 

Indeed, it is this unexpected perspective, brought to life by the authors' neutrality and thoughtful research, that illuminates a side of war largely hidden from the American public: the experience of the German Luftwaffe pilot. 

In The German Aces Speak II, Heaton and Lewis paint a picture of the war through the eyes of four more of Germany's most significant pilots - Johannes Steinhoff, Erich Alfred Hartmann, Guther Rall, and Dieter Hrabak - put together from numerous interviews personally conducted by Heaton from the 1980s through the 2000s. The four ex-Luftwaffe fighter aces bring the past to life as they tell their stories about the war, their battles, their off-duty lives, their lives after the war, and perhaps most importantly, how they felt about serving under the Nazi leadership of Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler. 

Together, the memories of the events captured in The German Aces Speak II continue one of today's most unique World War II series, unearthing a facet of the war that has gone widely overlooked for the American public.

©2014 Zenith Press (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about The German Aces Speak II

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Too Slow!

The reader really did not do the book any justice. Book was not as first person as i thought it would be....

2 people found this helpful

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Brave men fighting for an evil cause

There is no denying the sheer evil and criminality of the Nazi regime. And these men fought and killed in its name. There is a bit of self hagiography in some of these stories but if you love aviation, the stories told by these men are very compelling.

Excellent narration as well.

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Incredible Historical Testimony!

If you are a WWII history buff, this book is for you. There are very few books out that express the personal experience of the vanquished. Here in this book are gathered the personal experiences of World War Two's greatest air combat aces. Hearing the unique perspective of what life, and death, was like flying combat missions for the Luftwaffe was very enlightening. The accounts of Erich Hartmann, Johnnes Steinhoff, Deiter Hrabak, and Gunther Rall offered the similarities of a shared experience as Luftwaffe pilots but also unique perspectives on the Luftwaffe's greater command structure. The inclusion of their post war experience was fascinating, and harrowing especially in the case of Erich Hartmann. On the story content and overall, I give this 5 out of 5 stars. I give the performance by PJ Ochlan 3.5 to 4 stars. I believe this to be the fault of the publisher and or authors. P.J. is a gifted voice actor, capable of creating believable accents, dialects, and characters. Handcuffed as performer he wasn't given the opportunity to alter his delivery or intonation from pilot to pilot. Thus, if the listener misses the point of transition between individual pilot accounts, the neutral performance makes it all the more difficult to determine which pilot account is being expressed. That said, P.J. does and incredible job peppering these accounts with spoken German Luftwaffe terminology which greatly enhances the listeners experience.

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Great insight on what they went through.

Incredible what they went through.... the horrors of the surrender... terrible man just terrible, the barbarity

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Excellent follow up

I really enjoy hearing from the veterans of WWII . The stories they tell give true insight into how it was . It’s great that we have saved some of these voices for future generations , but I hate that we are loosing these men !!!

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You've got to read this and vol. 1

One of the best reads I've listened to. Puts you right there among the men and the action

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Gripping and fast paced with good narration.

My father was a Mariine fighter pilot in WWll but he didn’t like talking about killing people so I truly enjoyed these true stories about the German aces. They were actually nice guys who didn’t like the Nazis at all.

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Amazing

A historical gem that puts you in the pilot’s seat during WWII. Let’s hope there is a book number three.

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HOW IS THIS NOT A MOVIE?

Eric Hearts man story is the best I've ever read about a Pilot. I laughed, I cried, Then I realized how Great we have it nowadays. I high recommend this book to any one WW2 buff or not.

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Awesome follow on to I

An awesome first hand account from the top German aces of WWII continuing past the end of Book I .

Great account of the last days of WWII, the earliest jets, the end of the war , Soviet brutality, the atrocities, the prison camps and the beginnings of NATO and the resurrection of German air forces.

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  • John Hanratty
  • 02-20-20

excellent book

unique insight into the highly personal detailed stories of high ranking officers. critical reading.

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  • Pablo Javier Hernández Calderón
  • 10-23-18

Absolutely magnificent

Both books are a work of art. As a pilot it is indescribably fascinating. 10/10

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  • TKJ
  • 08-28-18

German Luftwaffe fighter pilots

Worth a listen / read....
Gives an insight into the day to day lives of German ace pilots with the knights cross , oak leaves , swords and diamonds which are high ranking officers awards for kills etc.
Particularly interesting the meetings with hitler ....
Not brilliant but worth a listen .
Regards,
JJ Young

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  • Darren Heinrich
  • 07-06-21

Fabulous

This series of books are simply fabulous and present German aviators in a different light. One gets a keen sense of these incredible characters as human beings in some very unusual circumstances.

1 person found this helpful

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  • S. Herod
  • 02-21-19

History worth listening to but think critically.

Being first-hand accounts, it paints a very flattering portrait, implying a considerable amount of honour on behalf of these pilots, who never fail to mention their medals, ranks and successes, whilst commenting on the incompetence of the Nazi's and the brutality of the US and Soviets pilots they fought against.

As a historical insight, this is invaluable, and well worth a listen for those interested in history and air warfare, but if you walk away assuming the Luftwaffe's fighter arm were heroic knights, you probably want to reacquaint yourself with a more critical assessment of their efforts.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 01-31-19

Very interesting read.

Good format for a talking book, with lots of short stories within, so you can give it a miss for a while and not struggle to get back in.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Geoff Miles
  • 12-04-22

great stories

authentic, great interviewing to have the subjects share so openly, a real insider view of WW2 from combatants

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  • James Gilbert
  • 04-07-22

Great sequel

This was a very good follow up to part 1. It's is great to hear the stories directly from the aces.