Hello, all !

I told you once about Erik Mombeeck, from Belgium.

He's an author specialized in JagdGeschwadern (German Fighters wings) history.

He publishes a lot of books and booklets in French, English and German traductions.

Here is his site:

http://www.luftwaffe.be/

I got his brand new booklet regarding JG 26 ("The Abbeville Boys" or "Kids") "Schlageter" the emblem of which was a stylised S in a coat of arms.

Albert Leo Schlageter was a german worker, member of the Freikorps, condamned as a spy and a botcher and shot down by French occupation forces in Rhenanie in 1923, during the Weimar Republic. In the late 30ies, the NSDAP made a national hero of him, just as with Horst Wessel, to craft its own legendary "idols".

Superb edition mixing photographs, colour profiles and testimonials from veteran German pilots. - The II / JG26 was using Beauvais-Tillé airfield (my hometown's airport; at the time it was called Beauvais-Nivillers airfield) from August til October 1943 with FW190As -.

Some of the included documents are very rare and I personnally discovered as a treasure photographs of the English legless ace Wing Commander Douglas Bader received with honor by the German pilots of JG 26 at Saint Omer in the purest chevalry tradition inherited from WWI, after he was shot down in 1941.

I let you discover some pages of this opus, to give you a little taste of my collector's fever !!!.

Just above, Douglas Bader smoking his pipe among Luftwaffe officers and pilots (nearest to the dog is Adolf Galland, JG26 Kommodore) and discovering a Me109 (on the right photograph) prior to his departure as a POW. Despite his handicap, he tried to escape several times, and was eventually freed by US troops at the Colditz fortress, used for the POW resistant officers. A real hero and brave man.

For now, these are the 3 booklets issued by Erik, who wrote me a dedication on the JG26 opus I ordered !

Look at his site for more!

http://www.luftwaffe.be/ 

Kind regards to all!

Jeff.