MSRP: $18.95
ISBN: 978-0-85979-140-3
Website: www.crecy.co.uk/
Review Sample and US Distributor- Casemate Publishing: www.casematepublishing.com

Many thanks go to Crecy Publishing for graciously submitting this wonderful book to IPMS for review and to IPMS for allowing me to review it.

This 272 page soft-back book measures 6-1/8" X 9-1/4". The book consists of thirteen chapters, an appendix of documents, notes and an index. The cover has a nice matt finish and the pages are of textbook quality.

The book is an easy read having been written in the first person narrative format. The author uses a chronological arrangement by which to structure his story. This book is basically a journal Herman Buchner kept during the war years. The first chapter, Youth, begins with his birth in 1919 in a small town near Salzburg, Austria. He introduces us to his family and describes his early childhood. He relates how his family struggled in the poor European economy in the 1920s and 1930s. It's here he tells us of his desire to fly and his activities in the local glider club. This beginning sets the stage for his illustrious military career as told in the subsequent chapters.

Without detailing every chapter, some of the major events he covers are: flight school, becoming a Luftwaffe NCO pilot, becoming a flight instructor, non-combat assignments, assignment to the Russian front, and encounters with US bombers and fighters over the homeland. In all this he tells us what he is actually experiencing. For example, he details the times he was shot down, the illness that grounded him for weeks, the appalling living conditions on the Russian front, his survival and recuperation from a crash due to a sabotaged Fw190, and becoming a Knight's Cross recipient.

Throughout the entire book we are not overly exposed to the successes and defeats of the German army. We are spared the broad battlefield complexities. Refreshingly, we are given only the problems an individual encounters trying to complete his assigned mission each day. We see war from the perspective of the common soldier just doing his job.

Accompanying the text are 30 color profiles of the planes Buchner trained in, fought in and flew against. The text is also supplemented by approximately 140 black and white photographs many of which are from the author's own collection depicting the airman's life in war.

For the modeler this book can be a resource of information and possible vignettes or dioramas with its many photographs and color plates. For the history buff, this book provides a clear insight into the life and times of a German WWII pilot. I certainly enjoyed reading this book and studying the photographs. I strongly recommend this book and hope this review will pique your interest in purchasing it.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to review this book and thank Casement Publishers for their generosity in providing it.