‘I realised that this brief but abortive sortie was to be the final mission of my Luftwaffe flying career.’ Johannes Kaufmann’s career was an exciting one. He may have been an ordinary Luftwaffe pilot, but he served during an extraordinary time, with distinction. Serving for a decade through both peacetime and wartime, his memoir sheds light on the immense pressures of the job. In this never-before-seen translation of a rare account of life in the Luftwaffe, Kaufmann takes the reader through his time in service, from his involvement in the annexation of the Rhineland, the attack on Poland, fighting against American heavy bombers in the Defence of the Reich campaign. He also covers his role in the battles of Arnhem, the Ardennes, and the D-Day landings, detailing the intricacies of military tactics, flying fighter planes and the challenges of war. His graphic descriptions of being hopelessly lost in thick cloud above the Alps, and of following a line of telegraph poles half-buried in deep snow while searching for a place to land on the Stalingrad front are proof that the enemy was not the only danger he had to face during his long flying career. Kaufmann saw out the war from the early beginnings of German expansion right through to surrender to the British in 1945. An Eagle’s Odyssey is a compelling and enlightening read, Kaufmann’s account offers a rarely heard perspective on one of the core experiences of the Second World War. AUTHOR: Born in 1915, Johannes Kaufmann left school early to work as an apprentice in an aircraft factory. In 1934 he volunteered in the newly-formed Luftwaffe, working through the ranks to become a Hauptmann by the end of the war, commanding a Staffel of Bf 109 fighters. Kaufmann’s book, Meine Flugberichte , was published in Germany in 1989. The English translation, a never-before-seen version, has been updated to enhance his story and add greater chronological and contextual detail for the English author. Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and Nazi Germany. John Weal is an aviation illustrator and historian of many years standing. Specialising in the German Luftwaffe of World War II, he has also translated the memoirs of eight former Luftwaffe combat pilots for the English-speaking market.
