Reviews for The First and the Last : The Rise and Fall of the German Fighter Forces, 1938-1945

The average rating for The First and the Last : The Rise and Fall of the German Fighter Forces, 1938-1945 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-12-14 00:00:00 Mary Jacobsen I have a lot of respect for Adolf Galland. The first and the last describe the good parts of this book. The first chapters are enough to hook you and then it gets good from chapter 27 on. I really wanted to hear more personal accounts that Galland had with the Condor Legion and his personal experiences with all of the aircraft that he piloted, but instead I got a lot of complaining about the high command and I really hate to say it and it probably wasn't his fault, but excuses. I do realize the bad situation that he was in but that isn't really what I wanted to read about. I must give his other book a chance, perhaps it is the book that I was looking for. I still greatly respect Adolf Galland but working for Hitler and Göring definately had its disadvantages, to say the least!

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-20 00:00:00 Luke Stammers "The First and The Last". by Adolph Galland, 1953. The parents of a colleague of mine shared a table with Adolph Galland sometime during the 1970's at a reunion of fighter pilots. Apparently there was a disagreement regarding the allocation of a bottle of fine Champaign on their table, leading to my friend's mother to exclaim in retrospect, "Adolph Galland, he was an ace all right. - he was also an ass." I am not sure what to make of this story, except that I wish I could have been at their table. Adolph Galland became somewhat of a celebrity after WWII. Very few accomplished Luftwaffe pilots survived the conflict, even fewer high ranking Generals. Galland's memoir does not focus on his impressive string of arial victories, but instead, concentrates on his time as General of the Fighters and his conflict with Hitler and Goering on how the air war should have been conducted. Galland's hatred of Goering is legendary, referring to him in derogatory expletives, describing how he was continually dismayed at his bazaar behavior. Galland, obviously alienated by Goering's appearance, describes his dress, "He was clad in a green suede hunting jacket over a silk blouse with long puffed sleeves, high hunting boots and a miniature Germanic sword at his hip". Hitler's portrayal is one of instability, continually ranting and raving, insisting on an offensive strategy at a time when Germany was clearly in retreat. In general, Galland represents the Nazi high command as irrational, basically disconnected from reality. He conveys well, the unbearable stress felt by the decision makers, relentlessly fighting a war that was clearly lost. "The First and the Last" is a very polished, well written memoir, indispensable to the narrative of WWII history.