Betrayed Ideals: Memoirs of a Luftwaffe Fighter Ace (Fortunes of War)
by Hans-Ekkehard Bob, David P. Williams
Category: Biography & Autobiography

In 'Betrayed Ideals' Hans-Ekkehard Bob seeks to explain the environment he and his generation were brought up in during the Nazi's rise to power in prewar Germany. For many at this time Hitler provided a future and stability for the population of a country that had been defeated in the Great War of 1914-1918 and had also been subjected to an impoverished existence during the years of the Depression. In common with many western countries the young men of Germany were eager to grasp the opportunities offered by new technology - flying being one of them. After service on both the Eastern and Western Fronts Bob's successes of 60 victories earned him the coveted award of the Knight's Cross and promotion to a Gruppenkommandeur. However, Betrayed Ideals does not confine itself to the authors wartime career but also provides a social history of life in Germany both before the war and in its aftermath.