Guys :

I have mentioned my good friend Peter Spoden, the night fighter ace seral times on these fine forums. 5 minutes ago I received a wonderful Christmas e-mail from him with a note to his personal web-site and his new book !

please check and support him, this wonderful and kind man who has seen it all in the skies over the Reich.

www.nachtjaegerspoden.de

his book : Ich war nachtjager in Görings Luftwaffe

yeah, thumbs up Peter !

E

That's a coincidence - I was just today reading ( in Hinchliffe's 'The Other Battle' ) of Peter Spoden's exciting experiences flying a Wilde Sau Bf110 over Berlin on the night of August 23, 1943.

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Martin :

Yes it is a fun book, although if the funds are available a good compendium to Hinchlife's work is Dr. Theo Boiten's "Nachtjagd", as Peter is covered again is some of the details.......
Peter has a pretty good selection of private pics and knows quite a few of the living Nachtjäger so I am rather excited he is finally persueing a dream of his. Also I have been one to push as others for the past 2 years on this. These guys stories ned to be told !

Horrido !

E

I left a brief message on the publishers' site indicating my interest in a translation of Herr Spoden's book...

...and I was very surprised and delighted to find an email from him today. Christmas greetings from a Luftwaffe Nightfighter veteran - I'm honoured to say that that's a new experience for me....

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I just signed up and cant wait til I get some details--im very interested in purchasing a copy of his buch.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

WOW! this IS very exciting news, Erich. Of course I have left a massage I am very much looking forward to his book! Great to see he wrote this book. I had no idea he was working on one, as he wrote that all info he had was in Boiten's book! It is really exciting that he put everything in a book of his own and you bet I am going to support this effort!

Did you have anything to do with this, Erich? I mean, getting him to write this book?

BTW That is a neat looking website!

[ 24. December 2002, 03:12 AM: Message edited by: Stevin Oudshoorn ]

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Erich,

Have sent Herr Spoden a mail expressing my interest to him in a copy of his book,well done my friend for encouraging him to put his memoirs down in book form.
Will be great to be able to learn more of the Battles of the Nachtjager.
Which units did Peter fly with?

Paul [img]smile.gif[/img]

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Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Hey goys ! Peter wrote me this early morn and expressed his gratitude as many are writing him with questions about his book. It maybe translated into English which is a big plus. Peter writes and speaks it quite well. I urged him to write a book if possible two years ago, but he probably already had pen in hand. Primarily it is a work of love for his grandchildren as he wanted his own kids and theirs to know what he went through especailly during the war and prayerfully it will not ever have to be repeated.
Paul, Peter flew in NJG 5 where he scored 9 victories. Tranferred into II./NJG 6 and then part of 6./NJG 6 he then became gruppenkommanduer of I./NJG 6 nearly at wars end...... 24 victories.

E

Hey goys ?

hey guys....... geez ! anyway Heilige Abend gents....

E

Very aware that I'm trespassing on someone else's territory here !

Peter Spoden joined 5./NJG 5 on 1st June, 1943 in time for the 'Battle of Hamburg'. I think I'll leave his subsequent career to Erich...

From the interviews I've ben reading in 'The Other Battle' Herr Spoden is very articulate and his experiences will make compelling reading.

( SEE ! I told you I was trespassing... Two posts just crossed in the ether ! )

[ 24. December 2002, 10:19 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Thanks Erich and Martin,

One more question if i may,do you know if he ever flew with Werner Hoffmann?

PS....Merry Christmas to you all,

Paul [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

__________________
Nikto ne Zabyt . Nichto ne Zabyto.

Let no one forget . Let nothing be forgotten.

Paul. am not sure if he did or not. did fly with the staffel which originally tested the very effective Schräe Musik.

I did a little bio on him on the NJG 6 pilots roster found ? WW 2 general or WW 2 today.

E

I got a nice email from him and im looking forward to buying a copy of his book. He is a real gentleman.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Well this is good news that he is replying to everyone..... I've got to give him credit for doing that. As many vets respond very slowly.

E

An idea--do you think he can be persueded to check this site out? Leeme know what ya think?

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Carl :

I wrote him so we will see. He wrote back this morn with a New Years greeting and is sending the German version out already to me. RAF bomber vet and author/friend Peter Hinchliffe is going to translate his work into English very soon as the publishing firm of Spoden's is ready to do whatever to get his little work into people's hands.......sehr Kühl !

E

GREAT!!! Pls keep me informed as I do want this book as well.

Take care Happy New Years and i'll "see" ya next yeas. [img]smile.gif[/img]

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

latest news from a mail from Peter Spoden. He chatted with Peter Hinchliffe and work is starting today on the English translation......alright !

E

Excellent! Would love to have both versions, but that is just greedy

Have four more self published books coming my way! One about 485 Sqn NZ Airforce. One about the Ploetsi raids, one about 490 BS in Burma, a memoir of a soldier of 56th Reconnaissance Regiment, 78th "Battleaxe" Division and finaly a WW2 memoir of aircrew flying the blenheim in 82 and 105 Sqn RAF.

Well, that is five.

Erich, The GERMAN version of Mr. Spoden is published already, right? I got a nice email from Mr. Spoden, but not yet from his publisher...guess they are recovering from the snapps I guess!?

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

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Stevin......5 books ! whoa that is great news and you will be busy for January for sure.
Yes, Peter has already sent me a copy of his work in German by snail mail, so I can only assume. Not sure how many from the publisher are in his possession yet, so maybe he has some other details work before broadcasting the full price in Euro's.
also waiting to hear if the Hans Georg Schierholz book will be ready this month or February. A small book for about 10 Euro's but it is about the bordfünker who finally flew with NJG 3's Werner Husemann. Over 80 pics, not sure if privately published or not. Also Carsten Petersons 12 minutes till midnight. His personal research and interviews with crews of I./NJG 3 tackling the "Gardening" RAF mine-layers flying near Norway and Denmark during 1945. should be an excellent read.

E

Well, self published or not, Schierholz book is a must have! I am sure looking forward to that one. Did you know that Schnaufer's funker, Rumpelhardt, also wrote his memoirs? I don't have it yet, although it has been published last year.

I definately will get Carsten's book too. he helped me a lot with pointing me in the right direction when it comes to the flak claims made for Jan. 11, 1944. But, as with everything related to the LW, I have to go to Freiburg...

And as to the 5 books; I just can't help myself. When I find them, I have to have them. It is an illness....

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

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So Rumplehardt's book is out ! Great news will be looking for that one too......ah so many books. Just ordered the Lübeck-Blankensee book over the phone via Deutschland. Flugplatz for NJG 5 among others....maybe I can get some infos for my own books.....I hope so.
Stevin, have you been to PRO in the UK ?

E

Rumpelhardt's book can be gotten from:

Kollmann
Muhlbach 19
D-84164 Ottering
Deutschland
tel.+ fax. 0049/873/1397879
Price : 29,50 DM + 11,00 DM post (in Europe)

No, I have never been to PRO, but that is also on my list. I was in touch with a guy that wanted to take any requests that I had, as he lived quite close to the place, but I lost contact with him. But after Freiburg it is first on my list...

The Lubeck Blankensee book....You were looking for that one for a while, right? Did you get it second hand or new?

__________________
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson

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www.basher82.nl