Description
The first edition of I Flew For The Führer: The Story of a German Airman by Luftwaffe flying ace, Heinz Knoke.
Octavo, x, 187pp. Black cloth, title stamped in gilt on spine. The first issue, with “First published 1953” on copyright page. Complete with 36 photographic illustrations. Bumped lower corner. Previous ownership inscription on front free endpaper. Light dust along top edge of text block, internally clean. In the publisher’s dust jacket, price clipped, light soiling to back panel, bright illustrations.
A scarce work in the publisher’s dust jacket.
Heinz Knoke (1921-1993) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot during World War II, credited with 33 aerial victories. His book, I Flew for the Führer, was first published in 1952 in German by C. Boesendahl, then translated into English in 1953. It was one of the first narratives to appear in the West by a Luftwaffe ace. It is notable for its candid and personal perspective on the war, as Knoke reflects on the intense air battles he participated in, the loss of comrades, and the realities of life as a fighter pilot.
