Edition: “Pilot Memoirs”
Language: Serbian (Latin script)
Illustrations: 19 black-and-white photographs, 3 illustrations, 3 facsimiles
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 200
Year of publication: 2024

A book about the life of Austrian fighter pilot Walter Nowotny during his service in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in World War II, presented through the writing of his older brother Rudolf Nowotny. In creating the book, Rudolf relied on his own memories, Walter’s letters sent to the family during the war, as well as the memoirs of Walter’s loyal wartime wingman (“Kaczmarek”), fighter pilot Karl Schnörrer, nicknamed “Quax”

Walter Nowotny (1920–1944), an Austrian by birth, is one of the greatest names among German fighter pilots of World War II and ranks 5th on the list of the most successful pilots of the Luftwaffe, with 258 confirmed aerial victories. He achieved these in just 442 combat missions (top-ranked Erich Hartmann needed as many as 1,404 missions for 352 victories!). Until he was “grounded” by order of the High Command in early 1944, he was considered the ace of aces of the Luftwaffe. He was the first of its members to reach 250 enemy aircraft shot down (October 14, 1943), and by mid-October 1943 he was far ahead of his peers: Adolf Galland, Günther Rall, Erich Hartmann, Hermann Graf, and many other fighter pilots.

In terms of aerial victories, Walter was effectively (through his results) an entire “independent air fleet” within the Luftwaffe. He was a member of fighter wing JG 54, known for having many pilots of Austrian nationality (or those born in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire), including Franz Schall, Max Stotz, Otto Kittel, and many others. One interesting fact from Nowotny’s illustrious career is that General of Fighter Aviation Adolf Galland considered him the best pilot flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in the entire Luftwaffe.

Walter’s biographical data are available in many modern written and video sources today, but the portrayal of a very young man between the ages of 21 and 24, caught in the turmoil of war, is a rare opportunity to be found and read in one place. His older brother Rudolf made it possible for us to gain insight into what Walter Nowotny was truly like, from childhood until his tragic death on November 8, 1944.

The foreword to the book was written by the renowned French fighter pilot Pierre Clostermann.

Walter Nowotny was the 5th most successful fighter ace of the Luftwaffe, with a total of 258 downed Allied aircraft (in just 442 combat missions), 255 of which belonged to the Soviet Air Force. He was considered the best Luftwaffe pilot on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. He was killed in aerial combat over Germany on November 8, 1944, just 29 days before his 24th birthday, flying the jet fighter Messerschmitt Me 262.

To this day, he is widely regarded around the world as one of the greatest fighter pilots in the history of aerial warfare, and his story continues to attract attention in historical and aviation circles.