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Dale Richard Ritter
The Tiger Project: A Series Devoted to Gemany’s WW II Tiger Tank Crews:
Book 3: DR. GÜNTER POLZIN–SCHWERE PANZER (TIGER) ABTEILUNG 503
Adrian Nisbett
HEROES IN DEATH: THE VON BLÜCHER BROTHERS
IN THE FALLSCHIRMJÄGER, CRETE, MAY 1941
• An account of the lives of three von Blücher brothers, all killed during the assault on Crete in May 1941
• Covers their prewar lives, training, their deaths, and the aftermath
• The three brothers were all killed within the same 24-hour period during the fighting around Heraklion
airport, with the youngest brother being killed as he tried to bring aid to his oldest brother
Crete, May 20, 1941. An amazed world watched as the first great airborne invasion in history began.
Among the 8,000 German paratroopers taking part in Operation Mercury were three brothers:
Wolfgang, Lebrecht, and Hans Joachim von Blücher. This is their story. Born into one of Germany’s
best-known military and aristocratic families, the von Blücher brothers were Fallschirmjäger, among
the elite of the German armed forces. Illustrated throughout with family photographs and many
other rare illustrations,
Heroes in Death
recounts the brothers’ lives before the war, their training as
paratroopers, the action for which Wolfgang was awarded the coveted Knight’s Cross, how they died
in the invasion of Crete, and the aftermath of their deaths. Based on family recollections, letters, and
documents, and on records from the Fallschirmjäger archive, this is the first full and accurate account
of a little-known but remarkable story.
Adrian Nisbett lives in South Africa and, following his retirement from full-time work, has spent
much of the past ten years working with wildlife, particularly with cheetahs in Namibia. He has had
a life-long interest in military history and in collecting militaria. He has spent the past two years
researching and writing
Heroes in Death
.
Size: 7” x 10” • 141 photos • 240 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4631-6 • hard cover • $35.00
FOR RELATED BOOKS SEE PAGE 40 • AVAILABLE IN APRIL
• Third title in the successful series on German tank soldiers in WWII.
• A significant, but largely unstudied German tank unit
• First-hand accounts supplemented with rare photographs.
The third book in the series covers the story of a panzer soldat from Germany’s Wehrmacht of the
Second World War. Günter Polzin served his brief military career with Schwere Panzer Abteilung 503,
an outfit that was equipped throughout the war with Germany’s vaunted Tiger tank. With a significant
contribution from Martin Burmester, his story with Tiger-abteilung 503 is unusual, in that there has
been little told from the perspective of a former member of the 2nd Company of 503. While there
are several books available that cover 503, there has been limited coverage of the 2nd Company.
From training to the harsh battles on the Eastern Front, on the invasion front in the West to the final
battles in Hungary, and finally ending the war in captivity, both Polzin and Burmester were with 503
throughout the entire combat deployment of that unit. Combining their experiences with photographs,
many previously unseen, and other, better-known photographs, a more complete picture of 503 is
presented within the context of a Tiger tank veteran.
Dale Richard Ritter was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1970. He teaches on both high school
and college levels near his home in Alburtis, Pennsylvania, where he resides with his wife and three
daughters.
Size: 8 1/2” x 11” • 178 b/w and color photos • Index • 144 pp. •
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4638-5 • hard cover • $49.99
FOR RELATED BOOKS SEE PAGE 42 • AVAILABLE IN JUNE
Into the Blue: Uniforms of the United States Air Force, 1947 to the Present
Vol. 2: DISTINCTIVE UNIFORMS, FORMAL AND INFORMAL UNIFORMS
Lance P. Young, with Dave
Shultz & Johnny Schlund
• This topic has not been addressed by any other author or wor.
• USAF uniform history and collection is a rapidly growing field
• Follow-up volume to the well received first book
These are the uniforms not normally seen on an everyday basis by Air Force members, and include both
formal and informal examples. With over 1,000 images, it is possible to trace the introduction of the
various uniforms and the changes made over the years. Recognizing that uniforms come and go, this
study provides the collector and historian with the uniform, and where possible, the story behind the
uniform. Dave Schultz and Johnny Schlund provide a combination of decades of research, and cover
aspects of the formation of such distinctive career fields as Flight Nurses, WAF Utility Uniforms, Physical
Training Uniforms, the USAF Honor Guard, and the largest of USAF career fields, the Security Forces.
Lance Young has been collecting militaria since his father’s friends gave him souvenirs that they
had brought back from World War II. His love for the Air Force and law enforcement has manifested
itself in his position as an instructor at Gunsite Training Academy, helping law enforcement, military,
and civilians prepare to defend themselves and their families with a wide variety of weapons. In
retirement he maintains his contacts and interests in the community. He resides with his wife Bonnie
in Minden, Nevada.
Size: 9” x 12” • 1,008 b/w and color photos • 304 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-7643-4381-0 • hard cover • $89.99
FOR RELATED BOOKS SEE PAGE 59 • AVAILABLE IN MAY
