Duel Under the Stars

"The enemy bomber grew larger in my sights and the rear gunner was sprayed by my guns just as he opened fire. The rest was merely a matter of seconds. The bomber fell like a stone out of the sky and exploded on the ground. The nightmare came to an end."

In this enthralling memoir, the author recounts his experiences of the war years and traces the story of the ace fighter pilots from the German development of radar to the Battle of Britain.

Johnen flew his first operational mission in July 1941, having completed his blind-flying training. In his first couple of years he brought down two enemy planes. The tally went up rapidly once the air war was escalated in spring 1943, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command began the campaign dubbed the Battle of the Ruhr.

During this phrase of the war Johnen’s successes were achieved against a 710-strong force of bombers. Johnen’s further successes during Harris’s subsequent Berlin offensive led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of Nachtjagdgeschwader and a move to Mainz. During a sortie from there, his Bf 110 was hit by return fire and he was forced to land in Switzerland. He and his crew were interned by the authorities. The Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped night fighter and its important air crew in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. After negotiations involving Göring, the prisoners were released.

Johnen’s unit moved to Hungary and by October 1944 his score was standing at 33 aerial kills. His final one came in March the following year, once Johnen had moved back to Germany.

---

Some books that may interest you

Ships of the Royal Navy By: J J Colledge, Ben Warlow	The Reign of Emperor Gallienus By: Ilkka Syvanne	More Luck of a Lancaster By: Gordon Thorburn
Fritz Bauer By: Ronen Steinke Translated by: Sinead Crowe	The Irish War of Independence and Civil War By: John Gibney	Posters of World War 2: Allied and Axis Propoganda 1939-1945 By: Peter Darman
Major And Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide To The Somme By: Major and Mrs Holt Foreword by: Sir Martin Gilbert	The German 88 By: Terry Gander	The Memoirs of Karl Doenitz By: Karl Doenitz