Review: Graf & Grislawski

[sniper1shot]

Title: Graf & Grislawski
Authour: Christer Bergstrom
Publisher: Eagle Editions Ltd.
ISBN: 0-9721060-4-9
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)

Well, here we go with yet another review. This is a book that I have had on my want list for a few years and finally got the courage to pick it up. I was not disappointed. Tom @ Aberdeen books had this copy for sale.

This is a book on 2 Luftwaffe Aces, Hermann Graf and Alfred Grislawski. It covers both of their careers from beginning to wars end. It also covers Hermann Graf's Soviet POW stint and puts down all those myths on if he collaborated with the Soviets or not.....he did not.
The book is broken down into 37 chapters in just over 300 pages and go from their career starts, postings, planes flown, wing men served with, losses and go right up to the final surrender and then internment at wars end.
Chapters also cover the air victories and, where it can be researched, who the victim was and from which unit. Some of the air battle descriptions make the reader feel they are in the cockpit of the planes flown they are that well written.
Also described are the awards won, and what it was like to fight the B-17's over Germany. One of the pilots fought over Stalingrad for a bit and both were shot down and injured in the war.
The pictures come from both family collections and have not been seen (at least by me). Graf ended the war w/212 confirmed victories while Grislawski chalked up 132 confirmed.
My only "glitch" is that in some places it is a hard to see who is being written about and some paragraphs must be reread to get it straight.
Through it all both remained strong friends no matter where they were serving and through the war end up together on numerous occassions. Their friendship remained intact well into the post war years. This book is also endorsed by the JG 52 Veterans.
This is a highly recommended book (by me that is)

[Uncle Joe]

Otherwise a good book but the fact that Herr Grislawski allowed his sone to become a stinking draft dodger was too much for me and I sold it.

[FalkeEins]

Title: Graf & Grislawski
Some of the air battle descriptions make the reader feel they are in the cockpit of the planes flown they are that well written.

..the text wasn't proofed or corrected ..and that makes for some horrible passages, Graf at one point bailing out and "losing his conscience"

[sniper1shot]

Having never bailed out of a plane myself I will have to take his word for it on this one.
or were you mentioning on the way the sentence was structured?

[Nicolai]

I imagine that what he's pointing out is the fact that the author mixed up the words "consciousness" and "conscience".

[FalkeEins]

..indeed, just one of countless examples - that particular example being one of the more hilarious. Although the review does mention the irritation of having to re-read passages to make sense of them I was surprised the indifferent English wasn't mentioned in the review, ruins the book for me....in terms of its production values this is a very nice book but why has the publisher not bothered to properly proof and correct it....

[sniper1shot]

I didn't find the "English" that bad actually.
I read the books for what they are for, not to pick the grammar apart.
My personal opinion (and remember, it is only an opinion) is it is a good book.