Black Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter Ace

by Erik Schmidt

Overview

This myth-busting military biography reveals the true story of the legendary WWII German flying ace—and how his story was manipulated during the Cold War.

Over the course of 1,404 wartime missions, Luftwaffe fighter pilot Erich Hartmann claimed a staggering 352 airborne kills. His storied career contains all the dramas you would expect: frostbitten fighter sweeps over the Eastern Front, drunken forays to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, a decade of imprisonment in the wretched Soviet POW camps, and further military service during the Cold War.

Then, just as Hartmann’s career was faltering, he was adopted by a network of writers and commentators deeply invested in his reputation. These men, mostly Americans, published celebratory stories about Hartmann and his elite fraternity of Luftwaffe pilots. With each dogfight tale put into print, Hartmann’s legacy became loftier and more secure, and his complicated service in support of Nazism faded away. Black Tulip digs beneath this one-dimensional account of Hartmann’s life, revealing a man who was neither a full-blown Nazi nor an impeccable knight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612008257
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	570,470
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Erik Schmidt has made a career of researching complicated topics. A former magazine editor and senior marketing writer, he has an MFA in creative nonfiction and a lifelong love of history and aviation. He is a freelance writer living in Denver, Colorado with his family.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Inheritances
1. ‘The force that is devoted to death’
2. Harmony
3. The demolition function
4. Jugend
5. Into the Luftwaffe

Part 2: Hartmann’s wars
6. Kills
7. Against Stalin’s falcons
8. Recognition and attrition
9. Into captivity
10.The east and the west
11. Old gray ghosts

Part 3: Stories told
12. Marketing the Wehrmacht
13. The first, the last, the family
14: What we can say

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

I am jealous. This is a wonderfully different—and wonderfully written—work. Schmidt is no fawning fanboy of the ‘Greatest Ace of All Time.’ Instead, he is a sympathetic and insightful researcher who has produced an engrossing and thoughtfully wandering analysis of the multi-dimensional Hartmann that is unlike, and better than, anything ever done. Get this one.

Jay Stout

‘’If you are attracted to the idea of a book that attempts to explore, lucidly, the Nazi period German serviceman’s mindset and which uses Hartmann as its fulcrum, then this might appeal.’’

The Aviation Historian

"This is a genuinely fascinating and often compelling book. I like Erik Schmidt’s honesty and his attention to detail. "

War History Online

"...especially appropriate for persona, professional, community, and academic library collections."

Midwest Book Review

"This book offers a clear look at a complex figure and the wider world of the Third Reich which surrounded him and used him for their propaganda. It is an interesting and well-done biography"

WWII History Magazine

‘’Highly recommended for aviation fans…’’

Detail Scale View

"A fascinating insight into the making of a flying legend ... exposes through rigorous analysis how myths are made, and sometimes used, to excuse one of the most evil mass slaughters in history."

RAF News

‘’What sets this book apart is the in depth analysis of who Hartmann was and whether his reputation is apt and why he was and still is held in such high regard. It’s a fascinating book and I highly recommend it.’’

Aviation Enthusiast Book Club

Enjoyed it.

Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

‘’Well-written, thought provoking.’’

Aeroplane Monthly

"Portrays a complex human ... Black Tulip does much to fill in the backstory of the greatest fighter ace."

Flight Journal