Eagle Editions | Major Hans "Assi" Hahn, The Man and His Machine
Reviewed by Mark Proulx
Major Hans "Assi" Hahn
The Man and His Machine
Hardcover
8.5" X 11''
166 Pages
ISBN 0-9721060-0-6
Jerry Crandall of Eagle Editions has just released his first hardcover book Major Hans "Assi" Hahn, The Man and His Machine. As modelers, we tend to forget that there is a human side to every aircraft we build. This superb new book achieves a perfect balance of man and machine, and therefore, I couldn't think of a more suitable title.
The book covers the ace's entire life, with his wartime experiences being the obvious focus. Jerry tells the Major's story after years of dedicated research. In the creation of this book, personal interviews were conducted with such famous aces as Erich Hartmann, Adolf Galland and Hannes Trautloft. Further details were acquired form Hahn's wife Gisela, private correspondence and wartime articles. In due course, the complete life story of Hans Hahn emerged.
The flying exploits of Major Hahn are detailed including a complete listing of aerial victories and documents pertaining to the awarding of his various medals. His wartime leadership qualities are legendary as were his abilities as a natural born fighter pilot.
The sheer number of photographs (175), many of them never before published, should leave anyone with interest in German aircraft of WW II hours of careful study. The photos are of excellent quality and each is captioned. They capture images of Hans Hahn at war and play as well as all of the aircraft he was assigned in his lengthy career. Stills from original 8 mm films, though not of the best quality, are included due to their historical significance.
For the scale modeler, the book is a treasure trove of information. Eighteen color side profiles are included from leading aviation illustrator, Tom Tullis. These very accurate color side profiles showcase each of Hahn's aircraft. In addition, side profiles of aircraft flown by some fellow pilots from JG 2 are included. Here you will find information about the aircraft flown by such aces as Siegfried Schnell, Walter Oesau, Josef Puchinger, Egon Meyer and Kurt Knappe. A color reference chart is included for each aircraft making reference to black and white side profiles. Notable features, markings and insignia are clarified for each individual aircraft. The profiles include W. Nr (if known), date, unit assignment and location.
Tullis also includes eight very colorful scrap views displaying the tails of many of Hahn's aircraft from Bf 109s to Fw 190s. Each artwork correlates the number of victories depicted on the rudder to dates. Hahn's final aircraft, a Bf 109 G-2/R6, is particularly intriguing with the remnants of its Stammkenzeichen clearly detailed by the artist.
Major Hans "Assi" Hahn passed away from cancer on December 18th, 1982. This new book ensures that the exploits of this famous German fighter ace will always be with us. Anyone interested in the history of Luftwaffe fighter pilots and their aircraft will have to add this invaluable reference book to their library.
I compliment Jerry Crandall for this undertaking and I highly recommend this important new publication.
© Mark Proulx 2003
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This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016