Heaton-Lewis Books

Our Next Books in Progress

When They Killed Giants: The

Luftwaffe's Heavy Bomber Killers

Work in Progress

This book will be heavy with first person content from the Luftwaffe's four engine heavy bomber killers, experts at bringing down the B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 Liberators and Avro Lancaster bombers, from both the day and night fighter forces. Specific missions from the U.S. 8th, 9th, 15th and Royal Air Forces will be compared to the missions flown by the Germans, who shot them down, and were in turn shot down themselves.

Several of the Allied pilots who were interviewed and had relevant data related to this book are also included, from fighter and bomber pilots to bomber crews. They provide their perspectives on what it was like seeing bombers "fall like rain" as they tried to protect them on their long and lonely missions.

The following link is a collection of both wartime and CGI videos of the Luftwaffe bomber killers in action during World War II.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWQh80o2V-4&feature=related

Some of these stories of bomber combat are covered by the aces who flew the Me-262 jet, such as Georg-Peter Eder, Johannes Steinhoff, Hermann Buchner, Walter Schuck, Adolf Galland, Walter Krupinski, and many others. See their combat stories of flying the jet against the bombers in Me-262 Stormbird. We even have copies of Eder's Abschusse typed and signed from World War II, courtesy of Luftwaffe pilot Oblt. Kurt Schulze, who inherited them from our mutual friend Col. Raymond F. Toliver.

A few of the four engine giant killers interviewed for this very unique project were masters at the craft, and interviewed over the last three decades, although their total scores for victories are higher for all aircraft types. See their short bios in Photos and Friends section. We will also post a list of all the German aces and their victories as an Appendix

The Germans Interviewed*

Others Referenced in the Book

   Georg-Peter Eder* Hermann Buchner*     Walther Dahl*
    36 bomber kills          8 bomber kills          30 Bomber kills

Anton Hackl*      Rolf-Gunther Hermichen*     Kurt Buhligen*
   34 bomber kills          26 bomber kills                24 bomber kills
Werner Schroer*       Alfred Grislawski*            Adolf Glunz*
26 bomber kills          18 bomber kills            19 bomber kills

   Haupt. Martin Becker*   Haupt. Heinz Knoke*  Obslt. Gunther Radusch*
58 (night) bomber kills         19 bomber kills         57 bomber (night) kills

Below: September 11, 1944. B-17's of the "Bloody Hundredth" attack a target at Ruhland, Germany, drawing the attention of some of Germany's best bomber killers. See their stories in this forthcoming book.

Walter Loos* Willi Reschke* Hans-Joachim Jabs*

22 bomber kills 20 bomber kills 24 bomber (night) kills

The German Fighter Pilots' Badge

Herbert Rollwage Gustav Rodel* Herbert Ihlefeld*

44 bomber claims 12 bomber kills 15 bomber kills

Johannes Steinhoff* Oskar Romm* Egon Mayer

6 bomber kills 8 bomber kills 26 bomber kills

Walter Loos and Willi Reschke at the 1999 Reunion

The Me-163B Komet taking off

Baron von Munchausen riding his cannonball, the emblem of JG-400

Siegfried Schubert, who scored two B-17 kills in a single Komet mission. See his story, along with Komet pilot Rolf Glogner, and historians Barrett Tillman and Colin D. Heaton on the History Channel program "Dogfights: Secret Weapons"

Walter Matoni* Heinz Roekker* Helmut Lipfert*

14 bomber kills 64 bomber (63 night) kills 2 bomber kills

Above: Oberstleutnant Heinz Bar with one of his B-17 kills from the 91st Bomb Group in February 1944. This was a head on attack kill in his Fw-190. He shot out the left engines and took a lot of defensive fire. See the wing root damage from the 20mm shells.

Prince Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein Prince Heinrich zur Lippe-Weissenfeld

83 bombers (all night) 51 bombers (night kills)

Martin Drewes* Julius Meimberg*

52 kills, 43 at night 53 kills (4 bombers)

Julius Meimberg on October 12, 2002 with Colin Heaton and Jon Guttman at the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger Treffen

Gerhard Schopfel* Hajo Herrmann* Erich Rudorffer* 4 Bomber Kills 9 bomber kills at night 10 Bomber kills

(Wild Boar Missions)

Below: Replica flying FW-190A8 in Rudorffer's JG-54 markings

Above: Colin with Hajo Herrmann at his home in Dusseldorf 1998

Hajo interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-556xB18SHY

Hajo Herrmann tribute biography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BERpuAZ2iM

Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld was not only a great ace and bomber killer, he also had the distinction of being Hans-Joachim Marseille's first commanding officer in LG-2 on the Channel Coast in 1940.

The Wound Badge in Silver The Wound Badge in Gold

Colin with Gerhard Schopfel in 1999 during his interview for this project.

The German Cross in Gold

Lt.Col. Kneaz (Prince) Leonidas Damianov Maximciuc and Colin Heaton

Luftwaffe Air Combat Video Footage from WW II

and Modern Day Restored Flying Aircraft

A few of these are modern day videos of restored fighters. The rest is wartime footage, all related to our next book we are writing now. This new book in progress deals with the Luftwaffe men who specialized in shooting down Allied four engine bombers, and some were interviewed. Yes, Walter Schuck is also in this book, as is Joe Peterburs and the others!

Me-163B Komet Flies Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-n_jvDBxB0&feature=related

Restored Me-262/Fw-190/Bf-109 flights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhOTB52hJKU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NffDYm-LKGU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfvQnlYB3IE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5znsPBksi2w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNY1ekm2_qU

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e81_1335372939

Fw-190 and Bf-109 gun camera footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aqJwHdMDK0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kcgM_Wl9I8&feature=related