The Story of Hans Marseille, the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the Wwii Skies Pdf

FREE THE STAR OF AFRICA: THE STORY OF HANS MARSEILLE, THE ROGUE LUFTWAFFE ACE WHO DOMINATED THE WWII SKIES PDF

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Heaton Goodreads Author. Anne-Marie Lewis. Unlike other German fighter aces, Marseille is also a famous figure in the public imagination in the United States and other The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille countries, where his rebellious nature, iconoclastic behavior, and early death have nourished his reputation just as greatly as his exceptional skill and chivalrous conduct as an adversary. Comments from Those Who Knew Marseille "His list of affairs with women, some even married and famous was an embarrasment, but his success as a fighter pilot quieted much of the dissent. Hans Baur "He was so handsome, all the women loved him, and it was easy to be infatuated with him. If he had He could have been the top ace above Hartmann, if he had lived. Hannes Trautloft, Knight's Cross "I suppose from what I learned, and what i knew, that once Marseille accidentally learned of Auschwitz, that may have been what changed his attitude. Karl Wolff "Watching Marseille in the air was like watching a deadly aerial ballet. He looked like he was twelve years old, and often acted like it. His record was only surpassed by his immature unrpofessionalism. Get A Copy. HardcoverFirst Edition U. Published November 12th by Zenith Press first published November More Details Other Editions 4. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Star of Africaplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Oct 02, Erik rated it it was amazing Shelves: military-history-aviation-historyhistory. Marseille was larger-than-life: he loved women, flying, and drinking, had a South African servant who served with him in the North Africa, and was a talented musician The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille loved jazz and dared to play Scott Joplin in front of Hitler at an official state function, much to Der Fuehrer's horror thi The Star of Africa, a biography of Hans Marseille who I like to think of as the James Dean of German Luftwaffe pilots is an excellent profile of one of the most iconoclastic Germans who fought in WWII. Marseille was larger-than-life: he loved women, flying, and drinking, had a South African servant who served with him in the North Africa, and was a talented musician who loved jazz and dared to play Scott Joplin in front of Hitler at an official state function, much to Der Fuehrer's horror this scene is one of the best passages in the book. Besides being in love with life, Marseille was an exceptional pilot whose talent alone made him bearable to his superiors, who generally hated him. They were, however, in awe of his awesome flying skills, as was every German Ace, and all considered him to be the best pilot Germany ever produced. In brief, Marseille was a genius in the air, mortal and fun on the ground, and someone worth spending time with. This is a great story of an extraordinary person. Jun 12, JD rated it it was amazing Shelves: ww2-in-the-air. Even though Marseille's actual victory score is disputed by many historians, this book the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies makes it clear that he was one of the greatest fighter pilots of World War 2. The book gives great detail on his operational flying and The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille claimed victories and many anecdotes about him as a comrade from many different great fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe. The book is more than that though as the book follows him through his turbulent youth growing up in Nazi Germany and his early years in the Lu Even though Marseille's actual victory score is disputed by many historians, this book undoubtedly makes it clear that he was one of the greatest fighter pilots of World War 2. The book is more than that though as the book follows him through his turbulent youth growing up in Nazi Germany and his early years in the Luftwaffe where he was a "troublemaker" before going to join the North African campaign. While reading this book I realized that he was mere year old at the time of his death and just how fast these men had to grow up during the War and make life and death decisions. His devil-may-care attitude toward authority and the Nazi's also brings to light some interesting incidents. Great book about a great man who was on the wrong side at the wrong time, as he can surely be counted as one of the The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille Generation. Mar 25, John rated it liked it Shelves: book-depositorybiographicalhistoricalnon-fictionww2 Depending on what you want from this book it is either great, or just good. If you are a war historian this book is amazing. It chronicles most of Marseille's victories in minute detail, manoeuvres, times, types of aircraft, name of the pilot shot down etc. But there are only so many ways you can shoot down an air plane and after times things get rather repetitive. For me this became a little boring. Marseille was aptly described as a rogue Luftwaffe ace. His womanising, drinking, playing The Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies on what you want from this book it is either great, or the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies good. The Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies womanising, drinking, playing jazz and generally defying the military brass made him a really interesting character. In the end he had mellowed somewhat and was getting burned out. Personally I wish the book had more about the man and less about his deeds. I would also have liked a map so I could visualize where all this took place. Sep 28, Ellie Midwood rated it it was amazing Shelves: biographyfavoritesnon-fictionresearch-stuffwwii-non-fictionluftwaffe. A bohemian Berliner, who was openly anti-Nazi in the era when one careless word could send you packing off to a concentration camp, was definitely born in a wrong place, if not in the wrong time. Of course, in a country where military service was an obligation and not a choice, the liberal Luftwaffe was probably the only suitable option for him. He would entertain the captured enemy pilots like personal guests and protect his African mechanic and good friend in front of the highest-ranking Wehrmacht generals. An invaluable research source and just a great read for all WW2 history buffs. Mar 07, Stephen Robinson rated it it was amazing. The Star of Africa by Colin D. Heaton and Anne-Marie Lewis is a fascinating biography of Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille who is credited with aerial victories, mostly in the skies over North Africa. Although the authors did a diligent job explaining the complexities and excitement of air-to-air combat, they truly excelled in unraveling Marseille's paradoxical psychology. Marseille was a naturally gifted pilot but was also a rebellious and insubordinate officer with a big mouth and no fi The Star of Africa by Colin D. Marseille was a naturally gifted pilot but was also a rebellious and insubordinate officer with a big mouth and no filter who constantly ridiculed Nazi dogma, often in the presence of high party officials. Heaton and Lewis' superb historical account of Marseille explains how he was able to survive The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille Hitler's totalitarian state, against the odds, despite standing against everything the regime stood for while also becoming one of the greatest aces of World War II. Highly recommended for readers of thoughtful history. Feb 16, Jeff Dawson rated it it was amazing. I read a few notes in other works about Hans Marseille, but never looked deeper until I found the book on the the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies Book Lemur. What a great story. This man was anything but the typical Nazi. He was a drinker, womanizer, jazz listener, military protocol rule breaker and an anti-party pilot. He was the antithesis of everything Germany s I read a few notes in other works about Hans Marseille, but never looked deeper until I found the book on the site Book Lemur. He was the antithesis of everything Germany stood for ideologically. In his early years as pilot he was nothing more than rogue. He took off, engaged the enemy with no regard for his mates. Many of them complained and refused to fly with him fearing for their own lives. Yet they could not deny his prowess in the air. No one in the Luftwaffe could make an ME dance and maneuver the way he could. It was in Africa under the tutelage of Oberleutnant Gerhard Holmuth he finally started finding his groove. Rather than constantly reprimand him for his indiscretions and lack of discipline he became the father figure Hans never had. It was a concerted effort of his gruppen and schwarm. During the reception, he showed his pianist skills for all the top Nazi brass. After several excellent classical pieces, he started pounding out jazz. By the end of the recital the room was empty. In another instance he commented about Goring wearing nail polish and insinuated he could have a gender issue. Any of these acts would have spelled the doom of an ordinary man, not Hans. The last item I want to point his respect and chivalrous behavior to his opponents. He was a firm believer that if at all possible the families of downed pilots, especially the mothers, should know the fate of their sons. On September 30, he would take to the sky for the last time. Hans-Joachim Marseille - Wikipedia

Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten. He is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign and The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille Bohemian lifestyle. One of the most successful fighter pilots, he was nicknamed the " Star of Africa ". Marseille claimed all but seven of his "official" victories against the British Commonwealth's Desert Air Force over North Africaflying the Messerschmitt Bf fighter for his entire combat career. No other pilot claimed as many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille. Marseille, of French Huguenot ancestry, joined the Luftwaffe in At the age of 20 he graduated from one of the Luftwaffe's fighter pilot schools just in time to participate in the Battle of Britainwithout notable success. A charming person, he had such a busy night life that sometimes he was too tired to be allowed to fly the next morning. As a result, he was transferred to another unit, which relocated to North Africa in April Under the guidance of his new commander, who recognised the latent potential in the young officer, Marseille quickly developed his abilities as a fighter pilot. He reached the zenith of his fighter pilot career on 1 Septemberwhen during the course of three combat sorties he claimed 17 enemy fighters shot down, earning him the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. After exiting the smoke-filled cockpit, Marseille's chest struck the vertical stabiliser of his aircraft, either killing him instantly, or incapacitating him so that he was unable to open his parachute. Promoted again he attained the rank of Generalmajor on 1 July He served on the Eastern Front from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Siegfried Marseille was killed by partisans near Pyetrykaw on 29 January He was buried in the cemetery of Selasje. While on sick leave in Athens at the end of Decemberhe was summoned to Berlin by a telegram from his mother. Upon arriving home, he learned his sister had been "slain by a jealous lover"; [7] Hans-Joachim never recovered emotionally from this blow. While Marseille was still a young child his parents divorced and his mother subsequently married a police official named Reuter. Marseille initially assumed the name of his stepfather at school a matter he had a difficult time accepting but he reverted to his patronymic name of Marseille in adulthood. He acquired the reputation of being a rebel from a lack of discipline, a characteristic that the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies plague him early on in his Luftwaffe career. Eventually he attempted a reconciliation with his father, who subsequently introduced him to the nightlife that was to initially hamper his military career during his early years in the Luftwaffe. However, the rapproachment with his father did not last and he did not see him again thereafter. He was considered to be a lazy student at first, and was constantly playing pranks and getting into trouble. Toward the end of his school years he started to take his education more seriously and qualified as one of the youngest at 17 years, six months to achieve his Abitur, graduating in early Although not athletic in physique, Marseille received a good report for a term with the Reichsarbeitsdienst "State Labour Service" Abtlg. He joined Luftwaffe on 7 Novemberas a Fahnenjunker officer candidate and received his military basic training in Quedlinburg in the Harz region. Consequently Marseille was ordered to stay on base while his class mates were on weekend leave. Please take my chores. He was reprimanded by his commanding officer, Hauptmann Mueller-Rohrmoser, and taken off flying duties and his promotion to Gefreiter postponed. Soon after, during a cross-country flight, he landed on a quiet stretch of Autobahn between Magdeburg and Braunschweig [12] and ran behind a tree to relieve himself. Infuriated, the farmers reported the matter and Marseille was again suspended from flying. Marseille completed his training at Jagdfliegerschule 5 5th fighter pilot school in Wien-Schwechat to which he was posted on 1 November On 10 August he was assigned to I. In his first dogfight over England on 24 AugustMarseille was involved in a four-minute battle with a skilled opponent. The British fighter was struck in the engine, pitching over and diving into the English Channel; this was Marseille's first victory. Marseille was then engaged from above by more enemy fighters. By pushing his aircraft into a steep dive then pulling up metres above the water, Marseille escaped from the machine gun fire of his opponents: "skipping away over the waves, I made a clean break. No one followed me and I returned to Leeuwarden. In a letter to his mother, dated 24 August, he said:. It does not sit well with me. I keep thinking how the mother of this young man must feel when she gets the news of her son's death. And I am to blame for this death. I am sad, instead of being happy about the first victory. On his second sortie, he scored another victory, and by the fifth day had claimed his fourth victory. While returning from a bomber-escort mission on 23 Septemberhis engine failed after combat damage sustained over Dover; he tried to radio The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille position but was forced to bail out over the sea. He paddled around in the water for three hours before being rescued by a Heinkel He 59 float plane based at Schellingwoude. Severely worn out and suffering from exposure, he was sent to a field hospital. Bf E-7; W. This was a humiliation for him, suspecting that his abilities were being suppressed so the squadron leaders could take all the glory in the air. Another account recalled how Marseille once ignored an order to turn back from a fight when outnumbered by two to one, but seeing an enemy aircraft closing on his wing leader, Marseille broke formation and shot the attacking aircraft down. Expecting nothing but "a well done Jochen" when he landed, he was thoroughly criticised for his actions, receiving three days of confinement for failing to carry out an order. Shortly afterwards, in early Octoberafter having claimed seven aerial victories all them flying with I. He wrote off four aircraft as a result of operations during this period. He was a very The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille pilot, but he was unreliable. He had girl friends everywhere, and they kept him so busy that he was sometimes so worn out that he had to be grounded. His sometime irresponsible way of conducting his duties was the main reason I fired him. But he had irresistible charm. Of the 7 "kills" he had claimed fighting along the English Channel, The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille had not been confirmed — a large percentage. He was tempestuous, temperamental and unruly. Thirty years later, he would have been called a playboy. He stated in an interview: "Marseille could only be one of two, either a disciplinary problem or a great fighter pilot. Marseille's unit briefly saw action during the invasion of Yugoslaviadeployed to Zagreb on 10 Aprilbefore transferring to Africa. On 20 April on his flight from Tripoli to his front airstrip Marseille's Bf developed engine trouble and he had to make a forced landing in the desert short of his destination. His squadron departed the scene after they had ensured that he had got down safely. Marseille continued his journey, first hitchhiking on an Italian truck, then, finding this too slow; he tried his luck at an airstrip in the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies. Finally he made his way to the the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies in charge of a supply depot on the main route to the front, and The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille him that he should be available for operations next day. Marseille's character appealed to the general and he put at the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies disposal his own Opel Admiralcomplete with chauffeur. Nevertheless he caught up with his squadron and arrived on 21 April. He scored two more victories on 23 and 28 April, his first in the North African Campaign. Marseille's Bf received almost 30 hits in the cockpit area, and three or four shattered the canopy. As Marseille was leaning forward the rounds missed him by inches. Marseille managed to crash-land his fighter. Marseille engaged Denis, but overshot his target. A turning dogfight ensued, in which Denis once again bested Marseille. After the war Denis described his second encounter with Marseille:. When we arrived near the target, I dived quite steeply and realised my wingman was following shyly. Pompei was a very good pilot but The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille never trained as a fighter pilot. Worried to see how he was following so far behind, I kept looking back and noticed a ME [Messerschmitt Bf ] attacking him. Having no radio I could not warn him. He was hit and then the ME flew in my direction. I acted as if I hadn't seen him, but never stopped watching, and when he was in range I throttled back violently and skidded to the left. Since I was going very fast, my Hurricane [V] reacted violently. I saw the hail of bullets pass on my right, and the ME could not slow down and flew in front of me. We then started a dogfight, for which the Hurricane was quite good due to its maneuverability. At that moment my plane The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille flying nose up, hooked to its propeller, when I saw the ME in the sun. I fired a burst so close that we almost collided. I noticed my bullets enter its fuselage [31]. Neumann a Geschwaderkommodore as of 10 June encouraged Marseille to self-train to improve his abilities. By this time, he had crashed or damaged another four Bf E aircraft, including a tropicalised aircraft he was ferrying on 23 April Marseille's kill rate was low, and he went from June to August without a the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies. He was further frustrated after damage forced him to land on two occasions: once on 14 June and again after he was hit by ground fire over Tobruk and was forced to land blind. His tactic of diving into enemy formations often found him under fire from all directions, resulting in his aircraft being damaged beyond repair, consequently, Eduard Neumann was losing his patience. Marseille persisted, and created a unique self-training programme for himself, both physical and tactical, which resulted not just in outstanding situational awareness, marksmanship and confident control of the aircraft, but also in a unique attack tactic that preferred a high angle deflection shooting attack and shooting at the target's front from the side, instead of the common method of chasing an aircraft and shooting at it directly from behind. Marseille often practiced these tactics on the way back from missions with his comrades. Marseille became known as a master at deflection shooting. As Marseille began to claim enemy aircraft regularly, on occasion he would organise the welfare of the downed pilot personally, driving out to remote crash sites to rescue downed Allied airmen. Marseille flew to Byers' airfield and dropped a note informing the Australians of his condition and treatment. He returned several days later to second the first note with news of Byers' death. Hans-Joachim Marseille | Military Wiki | Fandom

To be a Triple-ace in a daythe pilot must have destroyed 15 enemy aircraft in a single day. This has been achieved by only five pilots ever. All from the Luftwaffe. No other pilot claimed as many Western aircraft as Marseille. Marseille, belonged to the French Huguenot ancestry Huguenots were French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille of Protestantism. A charming personhe had such a busy night life that sometimes he was too tired to be allowed to fly the next morning. Under the guidance of his new commanderwho recognised the latent potential in the young officer, Marseille quickly developed his abilities as a fighter pilot. The blow either killed him instantly or incapacitated him so that he was unable to open his parachute. As a child, he was physically weakand he nearly died from a serious case of influenza. Hans-Joachim also had a younger sister, Ingeborg. While on sick leave in Athens at the end of Decemberhe was summoned to Berlin by a telegram from his mother. Upon arriving home, he learned his sister had been killed by a jealous lover while living in Vienna, Hans-Joachim reportedly never recovered emotionally from this blow. When Marseille was still a young child his parents divorced and his mother subsequently married a police official named Reuter. A lack of discipline gave him a reputation as a rebelwhich plagued him early on in his Luftwaffe career. Marseille also had a difficult relationship with his natural father, whom he refused to visit in Hamburg for some time after the divorce. Eventually he attempted a reconciliation with his father, who subsequently introduced him to the nightlife that initially hampered his military career during his early years in the Luftwaffe. However, the rapprochement with his father did not last and he did not see him again. Marseille joined the Luftwaffe on 7 November as an officer candidate and received his basic training. Werner served in the Luftwaffe frominitially as a member of the ground staff, until the end of World War II in Europe on 8 May Marseille completed his training at a Fighter Pilot School in Vienna. Marseille graduated with an outstanding evaluation on 18 July and was assigned to a unit having air defence duties from the outbreak of war until the fall of France. On 10 August he was assigned to the Instructional Squadron 2, based in Calais-Marck, to begin operations against Britain and again received an outstanding evaluation this time by commander Herbert Ihlefeld enemy aircraft shot down in over 1, combat missionshimself an Ace. In his first dogfight over England on 24 AugustMarseille engaged in a four-minute battle with a skilled opponent while flying Messerschmitt Bf E-3 W. He defeated his opponent by pulling up into a tight chandelle, to gain an altitude advantage before diving and firing. The British fighter was struck in the engine, pitched over and dove into the English Channel. Marseille was then engaged from above by more Allied fighters. The act was not praised by his unit. In so doing, Marseille had violated a basic rule of air combat. Reportedly, Marseille did not take any pleasure in this victory and found it difficult to accept the realities of aerial combat. While returning from a bomber-escort mission on 23 September flying BF No. Although Marseille tried to radio his position, he bailed out over the sea. He paddled around in the water for three hours before being rescued by the float plane. Exhausted and suffering from exposure, he was sent to a field hospital. When he returned to duty, he received a stern rebuke from his commanderHerbert Ihlefeld. In this engagement Marseille had abandoned the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies leader Adolf Buhlwho was shot down and killed. Other pilots also voiced their dissatisfaction concerning Marseille. In another mission Marseille had once ignored an order to turn back from a fight when outnumbered by two to one, but seeing an Allied aircraft closing on his wing leader, Marseille broke formation and shot the attacking aircraft down. Expecting congratulations when he landed, his commander was critical of his actions, and Marseille received three days of confinement for failing to carry out an order. Days later, Marseille was passed over for promotion. This was a humiliation for himsuspecting that his abilities were being suppressed so the squadron leaders could take all the glory in the air. He had written off four aircraft as a result of operations during this period. Marseille was transferred to LG squadron under the same wing JG He was a very gifted pilot, but he was unreliable. He had girl friends everywhere, and they kept him so busy that he was sometimes so worn out that he had to be grounded. His sometime irresponsible way of conducting his duties was the main reason I fired him. But he had irresistible charm. He sometimes acted like one too. He was tempestuous, temperamental and unruly. Thirty years later, he would have been called a playboy. His squadron departed the scene after they had ensured that he had got down safely. Marseille continued his journey, first hitchhiking on an Italian truckthen, finding this too slow; he tried his luck at an airstrip in vain. Finally he made his way to the General in charge of a supply depot on the main route to the front, and convinced him that he should be available for operations next day. He caught up with his the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies on 21 April. Marseille scored two more victories on 23 and 28 April, his first in the North African campaign. As Marseille was leaning forward the rounds missed him by inches. Marseille managed to crash-land his fighter near Tobruk. Just a month later, the same James Denis shot down Marseille again on 21 The Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies Marseille had engaged Denis, but overshot his target. A dogfight ensued, in which Denis once again bested Marseille. In a postwar account, Denis wrote that he waited for Marseille to close on him while he feigned ignorance, then skidded side slipped forcing the faster German to over shoot. Marseille was lucky. Bullets passed in front of his face and behind his head. Allan, crashed killing all five men aboard. Bullets whistled around, so we dived into the trench. A Messerschmitt, hot on the tail of the Blenheim, was responsible for the bullets. The Blenheim fell out of the sky and crashed into the sea. The plane disappeared completely not leaving a trace. The Messerschmitt banked and flew inland again. His boss Neumann encouraged Marseille to self-train to improve his abilities. He was further frustrated after damage forced him to land on two occasions: once on 14 The Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies and again after he was hit by ground fire over Tobruk and was forced to land blind. His tactic of diving into opposing formations often found him under fire from all directionsresulting in his aircraft frequently being damaged beyond repair. Consequently, even Neumann grew impatient with him. Marseille persisted, and created a unique self-training program for himself, both physical and tactical, which resulted not only in outstanding situational awareness, marksmanship and confident control of the aircraftbut also in a unique attack tactic. Marseille often practiced these tactics on the way back from missions with his comrades and became known as a master of deflection shooting. As Marseille began to claim Allied aircraft regularly, interestingly on occasion he organised the welfare of the downed pilot personallydriving out to remote crash sites to rescue downed Allied airmen. Marseille allowed us that escape, our penance I suppose. Finally on 24 Septemberhis deflection shooting practice came to fruition, with his first multiple victory sortie, claiming the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies Hurricanes of south African Air Force SAAF. These victories represented his 19—23rd victory. Marseille became known amongst his the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies for accounting for multiple enemy aircraft in a sortie. By mid December, he had reached 25 victoriesand The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille awarded the German Cross in Gold. His achievements had previously been regarded as impossible and they were never excelled by anyone after his death. Marseille always strove to improve his abilities. Marseille also drank an abnormal amount of milk and shunned sunglasses, in the belief that doing so would improve the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies eyesight. It involved forming a horizontal circle in the air when attacked, in such a way that the armament of each aircraft offers a measure of protection to the others in the circle. The tactic was effective and dangerous as a pilot attacking this formation could find himself constantly in the sights of the opposing pilots. Marseille often dived at high speed into the middle of these defensive formations from either above or below, executing a tight turn and firing a two-second deflection shot to destroy an enemy aircraft. Marseille attacked under conditions many considered unfavourable, but his marksmanship allowed him to make an approach fast enough to escape the return fire of the two aircraft flying on either flank of the target. He was credited with outstanding situational awareness. In a dogfight, particularly when attacking Allied aircraft in a Lufbery circle, Marseille would often favour dramatically reducing the throttle and even lowering the flaps to reduce speed and shorten his turn radiusrather than the standard procedure of using full throttle throughout. Emil Josef Cladewho himself was a German flying ace and figured in German civilian aviation after the war, had said that none of the other pilots could do this effectivelypreferring instead to dive on single opponents at speed so as to escape if anything went wrong. When attacking a Lufbery circle he had to fly very slowly. He even took it to the point where he had to operate his landing flaps as not to fall downbecause, of course he had to fly his curve turns more tightly than the upper defensive circle. He and his fighter were one unit, and he was in command of that aircraft like no-one else. The enemy flies in a defensive circle, that means they are the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace Who Dominated the WWII Skies lying in a curve and the attacking fighter has to fly into this defensive circle. By pulling his aircraft right around, his curve radius must be smallerbut if he does that, his target disappears in most cases below his wings. So he cannot see it anymore and has to proceed simply by instinct. His success as a fighter pilot, finally, also led to promotions and more responsibility as an officer. Our aircraft are basic elements, which have got to be mastered. From left or right turns, out of a roll, on your back, whenever.