An aviation historian and author from Marlow has recently published a book about the Battle of Britain.
Chris Goss, who retired from the RAF with the rank of Wing Commander, has penned the book, ‘Luftwaffe Aces in the Battle of Britain’, which focuses on all the Luftwaffe personnel who achieved the status of an ace, that flew in the summer of 1940.
An ace, also known as a flying ace, a flighter ace, or an air ace, is a military aviator who is credited for shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.
The book lists the pilots who achieved such status, with WWII aviators such as Werner Mölders, Wilhelm Balthasar, Adolf Galland, Rolf Pingel and Helmut Wick being named in the hardback copy.
One name that is also on the list is Franz von Werra, who is known as the only Luftwaffe pilot to be taken as a prisoner, escape and reach home.
On the book, Chris said: “For the Luftwaffe, a number of its Ughter pilots, many of whom had fought with the Legion Condor in Spain, had already gained ace status in the Battle of France.
“However, many more would achieve that status in the hectic dogUghts over southern England and the Channel during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940.
“A number would also be either killed or captured.
“Some of these men, individuals such as Adolf Galland, Werner Mölders, and Helmut Wick, who between them had claimed 147 aerial victories by October 31, 1940, are well-known.
“The story of each of the Luftwaffe’s 204 Messerschmitt Bf 109 ‘aces’ from the summer of 1940 is examined, with all of the individual biographies, detailing individual fates during the war, being highly-illustrated throughout.
“Original German records from the summer of 1940, have been examined, providing a deUnitive list of each pilot’s individual claims.
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“It also covers, to a lesser extent, those forgotten Ufty-three Messerschmitt Bf 110 pilots, who also achieved ace status between July 10 and October 31, 1940.”
World War II is the deadliest conflict on record with around 85 million people losing their lives during the six-year battle.
The fighting ended in August 1945 after Germany and Japan surrendered, with the war officially ceasing on September 2 that year.
The book was released to the public on 30 October this year.
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