J. J. F. Publishing
  • Home
  • About Us
  • News
  • Shop
  • Tiger Hobbies
  • Specials
  • Featured
  • Shipping
  • Contact

Customer Login

Lost password?
Sale!

Duel Under the Stars

$42.00 $26.25

SKU: GH2582 Category: Air Combat Books

  • Description

Description

The Memoir of a Luftwaffe Night Pilot in World War II

“The enemy bomber grew larger in my sights and the rear gunner was sprayed by my guns just as he opened fire. The rest was merely a matter of seconds. The bomber fell like a stone out of the sky and exploded on the ground. The nightmare came to an end.”

In this enthralling memoir, the author recounts his experiences of the war years and traces the story of the ace fighter pilots from the German development of radar to the Battle of Britain.

Johnen flew his first operational mission in July 1941, having completed his blind-flying training. In his first couple of years he brought down two enemy planes. The tally went up rapidly once the air war was escalated in spring 1943, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command began the campaign dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr.

During this phrase of the war Johnen’s successes were achieved against a 710-strong force of bombers.  Johnen’s further successes during Harris’s subsequent Berlin offensive led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of Nachtjagdgeschwader and a move to Mainz. During a sortie from there, his Bf 110 was hit by return fire and he was forced to land in Switzerland. He and his crew were interned by the authorities. The Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped night fighter and its important air crew in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. After negotiations involving Göring, the prisoners were released.

Johnen’s unit moved to Hungary and by October 1944 his score was standing at 33 aerial kills. His final one came in March the following year, once Johnen had moved back to Germany.

Author: Wilhelm Johnen

Hardcover, 6″ x 9″, 320 pages, more than 50 illustrations, English text

Related products

  • Nazi Rocketeers (Dennis Piszkiewicz)

    Nazi Rocketeers (Dennis Piszkiewicz)

    $19.95
  • Focke-Wulf 200 Condor

    Focke-Wulf 200 Condor

    $28.35
  • In the Skies of France - A Chronicle of JG 2 "Richthofen" (Erik

    In the Skies of France – A Chronicle of JG 2 “Richthofen” (Erik

    $85.05
  • UK Airfields of the Ninth

    UK Airfields of the Ninth

    $63.00
Copyright 2017 J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved
Site by: Pixel Forge

Login

Lost your password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In