Any good Flak memoirs?

[Adam S.]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anybody was aware of any Flak centric memoirs. If so please let me know the title and or author. I want to sink my teeth into some first hand accounts of Flak crews and their war.

Thank you in advance!

Adam

[Sathukles]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if anybody was aware of any Flak centric memoirs. If so please let me know the title and or author. I want to sink my teeth into some first hand accounts of Flak crews and their war.

Thank you in advance!

Adam

SS-Flak. Ardennes memoirs.

http://www.amazon.com/SS-Flak-Stahlh...314567&sr=1-25

[JeremyJ]

..

Adam

Are you looking for specificaly LW or Wehrmacht in general?

Regards

Jeremy

[JeremyJ]

..

Here are a few ideas.

Werner Müller, GERMAN FLAK IN WORLD WAR II (Schiffer's 1998 English edition of FLAK IM EINSATZ - Originally published by Podzun-Pallas) Covers all calibers, all
campaigns and location and personnel; mostly pictorial in content - clear photos.

Horst-Adalbert Koch, DIE GESCHICHTE DER DEUTSCHEN FLAKARTILLERIE 1935-1945 (Abridged edition of the original title published by Podzun-Pallas. Few photos;
mostly unit numbers and like info in appendices, including RK holders of the Flakwaffe. Text covers all campaigns briefly in German text. Still available and relatively cheap.


There is also a Schiffer publication (translated from the German) on Flak towers (Flaktürme), illustrating Flak installations on these concrete behemoths in Berlin and
Vienna and showing them in contemporary photos and their remains at the present time. Can't recall the exact title (probably FLAK TOWERS), but it should be listed in
Schiffer's catalog.

There was also a two volume write up of LW Flakwaffe RKT (in German) which gave a list of awards, photos and document scans where available. In addition it gave a write up of their exploits. I have one volume and the name/publisher escapes me at the moment.

Regards

Jeremy

[JeremyJ]

..

Or this which appears to have just recently been published on VDM Nickel's site.

http://vdmedien.com/heinz-nickel-deutsche-flakartillerie-19351945-ihre-grossverbaende-regimenter-karlheinz-hummel-buch_modellbau-10352.html

[Adam S.]

Thanks guys.

Jeremy - Ideally Luft but any German WW2 Flak memoirs would be good. I might have to take a look at your suggestions because there is a huge lack of biographical material out there.

The SS Flak one is the only one I could find that is a memoir and it's uber expensive and very short.

[Terry OToole]

Thanks guys.

Jeremy - Ideally Luft but any German WW2 Flak memoirs would be good. I might have to take a look at your suggestions because there is a huge lack of biographical material out there.

The SS Flak one is the only one I could find that is a memoir and it's uber expensive and very short.

yep its about £1 a page !!!

[MarcRikmenspoel]

Many Rivers I Crossed, by Werner Völkner, is his memoir of volunteering for the Waffen-SS, being assigned to SS-Flak Abt. 3, serving with it for a couple of years, and going into British captivity at the end of the war. It then continues with his life as a POW, which was good enough for him to decide to stay in Britain, and eventually become a citizen.

It isn't Flak-heavy, but it is about the war and post-war of a Flak soldier. A new edition was just published recently, so it ought to be available, though expensive.

[collecter]

I have Werners book first run print(No 334 of 500 and signed.)I met him several times.The reason it is expensive is because it is privately published,I think Landmark books in the uk had or did have a limited supply of copies.John

[Adam S.]

Thanks guys. I'll have a look.

It's a real shame that there aren't more flak memoirs out there. I would really like to know what the day to day was like for those guys.

[Adam S.]

8 Years later and I've found an excellent Flak Memoir: "Against The Odds - Survival on the Russian Front" by John Stieber.

Göring Division mobile Flak soldier on the Russin Front. 60% done and a great look into the Flak service.

Free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

[historyguy]

Thanks for brining this thread back to the top, I somehow overlooked it in 2011.

Is anyone familiar with From Flak Towers to Mountains of Debris by Henry Gidom? Is that a worthwhile read?

[ss3]

As mentioned below, 'Many Rivers I Crossed' was republished end of 2018 and covers Werrner Volkner's memoirs as an SS-Totenkopf mobile Flak crew member.

In addition, 'For the defence of the Reich', covers the memoirs of a HJ Flak gunner (Klaus Grotjahn). It details varied experiences as a 14-year old searchlight crew member, moves onto his 88mm Flak gun crew experiences in Pommerania (air and ground actions), then his final battle in Berlin. Very detailed around some of the workings of the gun itself, plus what life was like for them.

Both are available (signed if you prefer), on:

www.lahpublishing.com

[Adam S.]

Thanks for the additional recommendations.