"Blind Sunflowers" sounds nice to read. It is true that fiction books are relaxing too.
My latest choice is therefore a non fiction book which is told as a fiction story. I really recommend this to you it is called "In the Shadows of War" by Thomas Childers. It's a story of a U.S. airman whose B-24 crashed in France. He was saved by the Resistance, but betrayed by a Gestapo agent and ended up being sent to a concentration camp instead of a Stalag. He survived and Childers put the pieces of his story together.

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still cross checking Luftwaffe losses to several air engagements in the 356th fg besides in email with a former pilot of the 356th right now .........

going to check up on Don Strait of the fg real soon - like on the morrow

very cool ........ life is good

E ♪♫♪

Hello gentlemen,

I'm reading 'The Spanish Cockpit' ,by Franz Borkenau. It has nothing to do with the SCW-air war. Franz Borkenau visited the Spanish Republic in 1936 and 1937, and wrote this book about his impressions. Just as 'Hommage to Catalonia' ( Orwell ) and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' ( Hemingway) it's regarded as a classic. I can see why, it's very good.

Regards,
I-16 Rata

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Tomorrow is ours !!

"The Fox at the Front". It is fiction set in 44'. The bomb plot against Hitler in July 44 was successful. Himmler took over as Fuhrer and Rommel was still alive. Himmler and Stalin worked out a seperate peace. the book starts out with the failure of Wacht am Rhein and Rommel surrenders all of the Western Armies. The Heere units follow his orders but the Waffen SS units do not and a battle of German against German begins. I have to read the rest of the book. It is pretty interesting reading.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Sounds very interesting. It could have happened. Could be a "what if topic".

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Just Finished Terry Parssinen´s The Oster Conspiracy of 1938. Very interesting reading...

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I had the same thoughts. In the book, Patton and Rommel are fighting alongside each other against Sepp Dietrich, Model and Peiper.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Almost through "Masters of death the SS-Einsatzgruppen" by Richard Rhodes.

"Excellent" views by the killers themselves ( letters etc ) on what they went through on their way to become such monsters.

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Just bought Vasili Emelianenko´s book translated in Finnish " The story of a Soviet pilot in the eastern front" published by Greenhill books 2005 in English I think.

It´s about a Il-2 pilot and includes great ground attack footage from the war. Something for the weekend....

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Hello Kai-Petri,

I would be much obliged if you would be so kind to inform us about your impressions concerning Emelianenko's book.Thank you.

Regards,
I-16 Rata

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Tomorrow is ours !!

No problem I-16 Rata!

Actually just read the first 100 pages. If you´re interested in the daily routine of the Il-2 pilot and not looking for any great miracles then this is the book. Also it covers the first days of the war ( Barbarossa ) and the problems the Soviet pilots were facing then. Back when I have finished the book.

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Just bought M4 Sherman at war (Green & Brown).
Has some interesting photos and tells of developement/improvement (specifics I did not know), and some about restorations of vehicles found alot of places, even in Iraq.

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All opinions expressed here are those of "Little Green Men" and don't necessarily represent views, positions, policy, thoughts, actions, or anything else.

Just bought the brand new nachtjagd chronicle by Coen Cornelissen.

Nachtjagd Luftwaffe III./NJG I Holland

I should receive it within a few days, I can't wait. Erich I think you'll like this one. It's available in Dutch only for now .There are over 300 pictures. I think it will be translated into English at some point.

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sounds like a real winner Skipper ! Boitens work last heard is due out May 2008 and that is what he has been told. I'll presume a summer release as getting things printed and into the hands of us takes time.

well received 3 packages from former 356th fg pilots the last 4 days, great info and some neat signed pics/scans. A colorized version of D. Strait and his Mustang which is quite interesting

Schrumpf Germane

It talks about Twente and other bases in Holland.
I'll let you know when I get it . Thanks for the information about Boiten's release. Another book I must absolutely get.
The pilot packages must have been a second Christmas for you.

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Welll Martin, it has now been republished, updated and extended as the cover says. The new addition by Exposure Publishing at £9.99 and can be found on Amazon. I have a copy but have not completed reading it at the moment.

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sounds like an excellent title gents .........

yes Skipper the 356th guys have been very dear to me the last 6 months, over 14 pilots contacted so far and another 4 will be receiving letters in due course

although nearly unknown in the 8th AF this P-47/P-51 group seemed to have their fare share of encounters with the 262 from November 44 getting hammered by Kommando Nowotny to jumping KG 51 and later JG 7 birds plus two Are 234's in spring of 45.

time for a glas of wein ........

Many thanks for the heads-up, Robin - I wonder why it languished for so long ?

This will be a compulsory purchase for me and I hope that it will introduce Cranswick to a new generation of readers......

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

...my copy of 'Pathfinder Cranswick' has just arrived from Amazon. It's so good to see this book reprinted after so many years - to anyone thinking of buying a copy ( and it is a real bargain at just £9.99 ! ) I'd urge them to do so quickly. It has been published by a small publisher and I'd guess that the print-run may not be large. Cranswick is a real unsung hero - to quote form 'Pathfinder' Bennett's 1962 foreword 'he was not a flamboyant, roistering character but simply a quiet, honest Englishman...' - but when he went missing he had completed three 'tours' and was on his fourth.....

The book obviously means a great deal to the author and this edition contains an interesting new prologue, postscript and additional photos.

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