Stormbird

Hermann Buchner was one of the rare bomber pilots who also became a fighter pilot. The author, a Luftwaffe NCO pilot and Knight's Cross holder, gives a riveting account of his training with the pre-war Austrian air force, instructing with the Luftwaffe, and the terrifying ground-attack operations on the Eastern Front trying to stop the Russian mincing machine. Despite being shot down twice, Buchner himself targeted Il2s, Yak 9s, and a Boston bomber who fell victim to his eagle eye. Later tasked with opposing the Allied daylight bombing raids into deepest Germany, Buchner labored to protect his homeland. Serving alongside many well-known aces and sometimes taking off from his home airfield while under Soviet shellfire, he paints a picture of a man surviving against incredible odds, who became one of the elite with JG7 and learned that the important thing with the Me262 was to land near a convenient foxhole. Supplemented by more than 140 photographs, mostly from the author's personal collection, along with color profiles of his aircraft and opponents, Stormbird presents a remarkable insight into the life of a Luftwaffe pilot in WWII.