Bartman
05-12-2011, 18:20
...or "Le Grande Cirque".
Doing some research about this book. I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon and of course I always like to read some negative views as well as the glowing ones.
Having never heard of this man before I was nevertheless very interested in his story.
No one who reviewed the book denied it was an entertaining read, and that alone makes me feel I will probably pick it up, but the following two reviews were...interesting?
This first one was very skeptical of Mr. Clostermann's own account of his exploits.
This book is a page turner. It's amazingly exciting and you will feel like you're into the cockpit of Spitfires and, later, Tempests. But some strong issues arise...
First of all, the number of victories by Clostermann. He says he had 33. RAF official claims put him with "only" eleven! A great, very GREAT discrepancy;
Second, a lot of facts are simply untrue. He says, about Walter Nowotny's death, that the German ace was a long foe of him. Goosh, ALL of Nowotny's victories were obtained on the Eastern Front, save one or two pairs, while he was flying an experimental Me-262 unit in Western Europe! Also, he said that a pilot of his Wing shot down Nowotny, when it was Mustangs.
This new hard cover version is definitive, and Clostermann himself confess that he made a lot of mistakes, saying that he did not have the means of research to be totally correct at the time. He also attributes the problem concerning number of kills to the fact that he served in a lot of squadrons in just three months (3, 56 and 274). Strangely mising even in this new edition, was the mission when he was shot down into the Channel.
It seems that, after losing Mouchotte and adding this to some previous discipline problems, the mood in 341 Alsace Squadron became very bad for Clostermann and that was the reason they sent him to 602.
Also, there are some strange tales that Clostermann's ego was enormous and some strange tales of him filling claims when he had not even fired his guns.
Anyway, Clostermann passed away in 2006 and his memoirs remain an unforgettable treasure of war literature.
This one was even less friendly and accuses Clostermann of being Anti-American; Downplaying US efforts and disparaging their involvement.
Mr. Closterman writes an excellent book about his time in the RAF and the many air battles his was a part of. I found his book to be very entertaining and a real page turner. I respect Mr. Clostermans service to the French people via the RAF and his bravery under fire! Having said that the Patriotic American in me really got angry as I read his constant bashing of the American airmen who fought the same enemy, many who did not get to return home as Mr. Closterman did. As I read it Mr. Closterman seemed to give the impression the American Airmen were just in the way and would have served the war effort better keeping thier planes on the ground. As I read the many insults he writes about my fellow Americans who died helping to Liberate his country I could not help but recount the many times I have read how his own countrymen threw down thier weapons and ran from the German Army! What I read was not your typical friendly friction between services that always exist but outrite hatred and complete disrespect. I actually got the impression he respected the German enemy more than his allies who fought along side him. I truly cannot remember reading a single sentence of kind words where the U.S.A was concerned. I could say much more but what is the use, Mr. Closterman is just a racist French biggot who needs to visit one of the many cemetaries that are full of AMERICAN servicemen who died liberating his country! NUF SAID
Whoa!
Has anyone here rad this book? Or know much about Pierre Clostermann? Do these reviews have merit on either account?
Doing some research about this book. I was reading some of the reviews on Amazon and of course I always like to read some negative views as well as the glowing ones.
Having never heard of this man before I was nevertheless very interested in his story.
No one who reviewed the book denied it was an entertaining read, and that alone makes me feel I will probably pick it up, but the following two reviews were...interesting?
This first one was very skeptical of Mr. Clostermann's own account of his exploits.
This book is a page turner. It's amazingly exciting and you will feel like you're into the cockpit of Spitfires and, later, Tempests. But some strong issues arise...
First of all, the number of victories by Clostermann. He says he had 33. RAF official claims put him with "only" eleven! A great, very GREAT discrepancy;
Second, a lot of facts are simply untrue. He says, about Walter Nowotny's death, that the German ace was a long foe of him. Goosh, ALL of Nowotny's victories were obtained on the Eastern Front, save one or two pairs, while he was flying an experimental Me-262 unit in Western Europe! Also, he said that a pilot of his Wing shot down Nowotny, when it was Mustangs.
This new hard cover version is definitive, and Clostermann himself confess that he made a lot of mistakes, saying that he did not have the means of research to be totally correct at the time. He also attributes the problem concerning number of kills to the fact that he served in a lot of squadrons in just three months (3, 56 and 274). Strangely mising even in this new edition, was the mission when he was shot down into the Channel.
It seems that, after losing Mouchotte and adding this to some previous discipline problems, the mood in 341 Alsace Squadron became very bad for Clostermann and that was the reason they sent him to 602.
Also, there are some strange tales that Clostermann's ego was enormous and some strange tales of him filling claims when he had not even fired his guns.
Anyway, Clostermann passed away in 2006 and his memoirs remain an unforgettable treasure of war literature.
This one was even less friendly and accuses Clostermann of being Anti-American; Downplaying US efforts and disparaging their involvement.
Mr. Closterman writes an excellent book about his time in the RAF and the many air battles his was a part of. I found his book to be very entertaining and a real page turner. I respect Mr. Clostermans service to the French people via the RAF and his bravery under fire! Having said that the Patriotic American in me really got angry as I read his constant bashing of the American airmen who fought the same enemy, many who did not get to return home as Mr. Closterman did. As I read it Mr. Closterman seemed to give the impression the American Airmen were just in the way and would have served the war effort better keeping thier planes on the ground. As I read the many insults he writes about my fellow Americans who died helping to Liberate his country I could not help but recount the many times I have read how his own countrymen threw down thier weapons and ran from the German Army! What I read was not your typical friendly friction between services that always exist but outrite hatred and complete disrespect. I actually got the impression he respected the German enemy more than his allies who fought along side him. I truly cannot remember reading a single sentence of kind words where the U.S.A was concerned. I could say much more but what is the use, Mr. Closterman is just a racist French biggot who needs to visit one of the many cemetaries that are full of AMERICAN servicemen who died liberating his country! NUF SAID
Whoa!
Has anyone here rad this book? Or know much about Pierre Clostermann? Do these reviews have merit on either account?