Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Brooke on May 05, 2014, 11:00:54 PM

Title: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Brooke on May 05, 2014, 11:00:54 PM
Folks refer to "Gunther Rall's book".  Do you folks mean "My Logbook," by Rall, written in 2004; or is there another good book on or by Rall.  There is "Gunther Rall: A Memoir," by Amadio, for example (but it isn't by Rall).  I'd love to read My Logbook, but it seems to cost $600-$900 a copy.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: BFOOT1 on May 05, 2014, 11:04:16 PM
Folks refer to "Gunther Rall's book".  Do you folks mean "My Logbook," by Rall, written in 2004; or is there another good book on or by Rall.  There is "Gunther Rall: A Memoir," by Amadio, for example (but it isn't by Rall).  I'd love to read My Logbook, but it seems to cost $600-$900 a copy.
Yes My Logbook is it I couldn't remember the name!
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Brooke on May 05, 2014, 11:05:55 PM
Yes My Logbook is it I couldn't remember the name!

Did you find it anywhere for less than $700?
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: MrGeezer on May 07, 2014, 10:06:40 AM
I am a big fan of Gen. Karl Bodenschatz, Manfred von Richthofen's batman & adjutant's book "Hunting With Richthofen", it's not dirt cheap either at near $75 US depending on current condition.

I called Herr General Bodenschatz' house in 1978 regarding interviewing him.  His family said he was too ill at the time.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: BFOOT1 on May 07, 2014, 01:05:18 PM
Did you find it anywhere for less than $700?
My dad's friend let me read it I had no idea how much it cost buddy.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Brooke on May 07, 2014, 04:51:46 PM
My dad's friend let me read it I had no idea how much it cost buddy.

I would have said, "Be careful with this.  It costs $700."  ;)
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: mbailey on May 07, 2014, 04:55:23 PM
Found one on eBay. 574.95.   Ouch
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Brooke on May 07, 2014, 04:59:46 PM
Found one on eBay. 574.95.   Ouch

That's probably the opening bid, not what you really would get it for even.  :uhoh
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Ack-Ack on May 07, 2014, 05:05:13 PM
Did you find it anywhere for less than $700?

The hard copies are expensive because they were limited edition, signed copies and are considered to be collector items now.  I don't think the book was ever printed in paperback.

ack-ack
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Butcher on May 07, 2014, 06:36:01 PM
The hard copies are expensive because they were limited edition, signed copies and are considered to be collector items now.  I don't think the book was ever printed in paperback.

ack-ack

The price is out of wack, I seen it for sale for only $249 on Amazon a few years ago, unfortunately I didn't buy it hoping the price would go down if someone made a paperback version or "copied".

I guess I screwed myself, i ended up with an entire set of the US Navy instead.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Ack-Ack on May 07, 2014, 07:15:12 PM
The price is out of wack, I seen it for sale for only $249 on Amazon a few years ago, unfortunately I didn't buy it hoping the price would go down if someone made a paperback version or "copied".

I guess I screwed myself, i ended up with an entire set of the US Navy instead.

Prices are way out of whack  There was a book I was looking at getting about the planes of the IJAAF/IJN until I saw the price was almost $1k for a book that has been out of print since the '70s!

ack-ack
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Vudu15 on May 12, 2014, 04:43:57 AM
well now I was lucky enough to be stationed there and got it for my dad for around 500 i think after conversion to euros but this was a few years ago.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Ratsy on May 12, 2014, 03:15:07 PM
Brooke - I'm reading Jill Amadio's Rall biography presently via Kindle Books.  She spent quality time with him during research.  Rall's letters home and medals were lost in Vienna just after the war ended.  She was able to print pictures of his typewritten log and the high points of his campaigns are included.  There are many pictures of Rall on the Russian front.

While I recommend the book as a memoir, I would not expect a low-level technical reference on the Me109.  It is, rather, a better-balanced Luftwaffe perspective on the VVS as compared to that of Hans Ulrich Rudel's (narrow - condescending).

I met Rall in 1992 at an Order of Daedalians program at Randolph AFB.  I spoke with him for several minutes afterwards about (then) resurgent Soviet air power (Mig 29, SU27).  He spoke incisively for 10 minutes on the topic and simply overwhelmed those of us standing there.  A very sharp mind in that body.  Glimpses of that mind come through in Amadio's narrative and quotes.

I'm about 25% complete and I recommend it.
Title: Re: Gunther Rall book?
Post by: Brooke on May 12, 2014, 03:26:48 PM
I'm about 25% complete and I recommend it.

Thank you for the information, Ratsy.  I appreciate it, and I will read it based on your recommendation.  :aok