LUFTFAHRTVERLAG-START [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

Book Review
Gerhard Barkhorn
The Forgotten Ace Fighter Pilot Gerhard Barkhorn
  • move

by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction
Luftfahrtverlag Start has sent me another of their books to review. This time around it is a book covering the life of Gerhard Barkhorn, Germany’s second highest scoring ace of World War Two. This book is written in a similar style to ‘Photographs by Soldiers - Als Panzermann in Afrika und Italien 1942 – 45 Panzer regiment 8 und schwere Panzer- Abt 508’, A book that I enjoyed greatly. A link to a review of that title is at the end of this review.

Overview
At the very start you need to be aware that this book is dual language, written in German and English. Please don't let that fact deter you from this book as the contents will capture your attention. This particularly book is written in the form of a biography, but at the same time a pictorial biography.

The book covers the life of Gerhard Barkhorn from his birth on the 20th March 1919 through to his untimely death on the 11th January 1983 due to a traffic accident. The book is made up of 207 pages, each of the pages being a good quality glossy paper, that hard cover is also of a good quality. The only oddity is that the dust cover is double thickness and this has caused some rippling in it.

The book begins with a short introduction from both the author Bernd Barbas and the publisher Axel Urbanke. After these introductions the life story of Gerhard Barkhorn gets underway proper with a small piece on the Barkhorn family as a whole and Gerhard’s flight training. On the day that Gerhard Barkhorn started his final phase of training, he learnt of the invasion of Poland.

Gerhard Barkhorn flew various types of the Bf 109 for the most part during the war, with his first flights as part of a unit beginning on the 10th of January 1940. Gerhard Barkhorn saw service in many locations during World War II, but most of his service was with JG 52 and predominantly on the Eastern Front. In January 1945 with a tally of 301 enemy aircraft having fallen to his guns, he was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 6 in command. Jagdgeschwader 6 had a mix of Bf 109’s and Fw 190’s, Gerhard Barkhorn did not record any further kills with this unit, and it is believed that after four years at the front he was simply mentally exhausted.

At some point in March of 1945 after the 23rd he left Jagdgeschwader 6 and made is way to a fighter pilots rest home in Bad Wiessee in Southern Germany. He did not stay there long, as at some point after April 1st he joined Jagdverband 44 and began training on the Me 262 There is only one recorded flight by Gerhard Barkhorn in the Me 262 and that ended due to engine trouble or being jumped by Mustangs, choose your poison, either way it would appear to be the last flight made by Gerhard Barkhorn and World War II finished for him on the 4th of May when the US Army captured the airfield. There ends the story, or does it?

Gerhard Barkhorn was released from the POW camp he was in on the 3rd September 1945, he returned home to his wife and looked for any work that was available, spending 11 years doing any work that was available until approached about joining the Bundeswehr, which he did in 1956 and served till 1979. On the 6th Jan 1983 Gerhard Barkhorn was involved in traffic accident, his wife Christine was killed instantly and Gerhard and a friend were severely injured. His friend died of his injuries on the 8th Jan, Gerhard asked a doctor about his wife and was told she had died, Gerhard slipped into a coma and died on the 11th Sep 1983.

The pictures in this publication provide a wealth of detail about all facets of the German Luftwaffe, and offer the diorama fans a lot of food for thought. Some of the pictures in this title are I believe the sharpest and clearest pictures I have seen covering World War II, with some stunning colour photographs being the icing on the cake. All of the aircraft flown by Gerhard Barkhorn have been represented where possible by artist’s drawings in side view.

Conclusion
The death of Gerhard Barkhorn, I believe means this book had to be written in a style other than intended, despite this the book is a great read and look into the life of a fighter pilot during the dark days of World War II. I do wish that the book could have been written the way I feel the author intended had Gerhard not been killed; however Bernd Barbas has done a great job of bring this man’s life to the reader.

Als Panzermann in Afrika und Italien 1942 – 45 Panzer regiment 8 und schwere Panzer- Abt 508 Live links

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: I really like the way this book tells the story of Gerhard Barkhorn.
Lows: The price may make some hesitate, but this is a high quality book.
Verdict: If you have an interest in World War II German fighters and the men that flew them, this book will be of interest to you.
  Scale: N/A
  Mfg. ID: 978-3-941437-22-7
  Suggested Retail: €54.00
  PUBLISHED: Sep 22, 2014
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 96.00%

Our Thanks to Luftfahrtverlag-Start!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

View Vendor Homepage  |  More Reviews  

About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Darren, thanks for the review. I've also got this book a few weeks ago and I'm really thrilled by all these fantastic and so sharp and clear photos. The colour photos Barkhorn took of his comrades machines while flying his own are unique in my eyes. But the title of the book is a bit irritating, I think. He surely always stands in the shade of his friend Erich Hartmann, but he is not forgotten, not to those for whom this book is made for and not to us who are modellers and interested in the history of WW 2. The price of 54 Euros is surely not cheap, but if you are thinking about buying it, don't hesitate. Like all books of Luftfahrtverlag Start it is a limited edition and it's worth every cent, believe me. So sad that Gerhard Barkhorn had to leave us way too early. But I've also got both new decal sheets, so next year will leave some Barkhorn One-O-Nines my workbench, I promise. A good chance to remember him. Happy modelling! Torsten
SEP 22, 2014 - 06:45 AM
The thing I like most about this type of book is that it does not glorify war and you can see the man rather than the regime.
SEP 22, 2014 - 07:41 AM
   
ADVERTISEMENT


Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
ADVERTISEMENT