Immelmann: Tthe Eagle Of Lille (vintage Aviation Series)
by Frantz Immelmann /
2009 / English / Mobipocket
1.8 MB Download
The story of one of Germany’s pioneers in aerial combat . . . Max
Immelmann was born in Dresden, the son of a container factory
owner. When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active
service, transferred to the Luftstreitkäfte and was sent for pilot
training in November 1914. He was initially stationed in northern
France as a reconnaissance aviator. On June 3, 1915 he was shot
down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German
lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for
preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became one of the first
German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of
victories as he became known as The Eagle of Lille (Der Adler von
Lille). Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le
Mérite, Germany’s highest military honor. The medal became
colloquially known as the “Blue Max” in the German Air Service in
honor of Immelmann. His medal was presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in
January 1916. Oswald Boelcke received his medal at the same
ceremony. Founder of the aerial combat maneuver that still bears
his name, Immelmann was credited with 15 victories, his final one
coming on 30 March 1916. He will forever be associated with the
Fokker Eindecker, Germany’s first fighter aircraft, and the first
to be armed with a machine gun synchronized to fire forward through
the propeller arc. Along with Oswald Boelcke and other pilots,
Immelmann was one of the main instigators of the Fokker Scourge
which inflicted heavy loses upon British and French aircrews during
1915. Originally published in 1930 by John Hamilton in London, the
book has been reprinted (most recently in the 1990’s by Greenhill
Books as part of it’s Vintage Aviation Library) and each time has
been reproduced from the original 1930’s version of the book. This
new Casemate edition has been entirely reoriginated. Not a word has
been changed, but the original (very dated) type and page layout
have been reworked, as has been the format in which the book is
presented, to give a beautiful new treatment to this classic of
aviation literature.