Hitler's Personal Pilot: The Life and Times of Hans Baur

by C. G. Sweeting

Overview

Adolf Hitler trusted few men, but his faith in pilot Hans Baur never wavered. Baur, a decorated World War I flyer and one of Germany's leading commercial aviators of the 1920s, joined the fledgling Nazi Party in 1926. His skill and daring, and his early party membership, catapulted him to the top of the list when Adolf Hitler went in search of a pilot for his political campaign of 1932. Later, Hitler became the first head of state to use air travel extensively, and from 1932 to 1945, Hitler refused to fly with anyone but Baur at the controls. Baur ate meals with Hitler frequently and was one of the Fuehrer's few true confidants. As the tide of war turned against Germany and relations between Hitler and the Luftwaffe leadership deteriorated, Hitler increasingly relied on Baur for advice about air war policy and technical developments. In the end, Baur paid for his blind loyalty to Hitler. Trapped by the Soviet Red Army in the war-torn city of Berlin, Baur was captured after Hitler's suicide and imprisoned in the USSR. Aviation historian C. G. Sweeting provides the reader with fresh insight into the inner workings of the Third Reich and the madness of Adolf Hitler. The book details many surprising episodes, such as the time Baur allowed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to take the controls of the Fuehrer's plane, and an account of Hitler and Baur's narrow escape from a German air base as Soviet tanks arrived at the perimeter. Aviation buffs will also enjoy the author's indepth examination of the aircraft used in Hitler's personal transport squadron. Hitler's Personal Pilot is a unique book that will fascinate both experts and novices on Nazi Germany with its detail and perspective on Hitler's infamous inner circle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781574884029
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	10/01/2001
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

C. G. Sweeting, a military and aviation historian and a former curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, is the author of numerous books, including Hitler's Squadron: The Fuhrer's Personal Aircraft and Transport Unit, 1933—45 (Brassey's, Inc., 2001). He lives in Clinton, Maryland.

Table of Contents

	Illustration Credits	ix
	Preface	xi
	Introduction	xiii
1	Wings of War, 1915-1921	1
2	Wings of Peace, 1922-1931	17
3	Wings of Fate, 1932-1933	27
4	Wings for the Fuehrer, 1933-1934	39
5	Wings of Change, 1935-1937	69
6	Wings of Destiny, 1938-1939	89
7	Wings of Victory, 1939-1941	119
8	Wings of Challenge, 1941-1942	155
9	Wings of Defeat, 1942-1944	201
10	Wings of Disaster, 1944	225
11	Wings of Armageddon, 1945	243
12	Broken Wings, 1945-1993	273
	Epilogue	301
	Table of Equivalent Ranks	307
	Notes	311
	Index	325
	About the Author	334

Editorial Reviews

A biography of one of the Fuehrer's few true confidants. With seventy- five b&w photographs of Bauer, Hitler, and those working closely with them, this book explores the nature of this complex relationship with Hitler, who from an early stage refused to fly with anybody other than Bauer at the controls. It follows Bauer's life from his demonstrated skills in World War I as a pilot to his eventual role as an unofficial advisor to Hitler on all matters concerning air war policy and technical developments, his eventual imprisonment by the USSR until 1955 and his new life in Germany when he was released. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Hitler's Personal Pilot: The Life And Times Of Hans Baur is a fascinating, "insider's" account of the inner workings of Adolph Hitler's Nazi inner circle from the perspective of the only person that Hitler flew with through World War II. When the tide of war turned against the Germans, Hitler often turned to Hans Baur for advice about war policy and technical developments. Baur, blindly loyal to Hitler, was captured and imprisoned by the Soviets. Aviation historian C.G. Sweeting's Hitler's Personal Pilot is a superbly researched and written military biography that along with providing an informative picture of the air equipment used by the German air force of the time, also provides fresh and welcome insights and perspectives on the homicidal and suicidal men who were the principle architects behind the horrors of the Nazi regime and who led Germany to its destruction.