Messerschmitt Me 210. Das Rüstungsfiasko eines Kampfflugzeugs im Zweiten Weltkrieg by Peter Schmoll (2023)

Hi Pasoleati,

Pasoleati said:
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Did you check https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Schmoll ? For readers who don't understand German, Schmoll is characterized by historian Hans-Joachim Braun as an amateur who doesn't properly state his sources and is ignoring the current state of historic research into 3rd Reich armament economy. Braun wrote that in 2000 in a review of another of Schmoll's books on Messerschmitt, so it's not a verdict on the upcoming book obviously, but I'd consider that less than encouraging.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)
 
Who is Hans-Joachim Braun? I know a Finnish aviation historian who digs deep in the archives (for Braun an amateur aa he isn't an academic) and he rates Schmoll's work very high. It seems that Braun is one those for whom research conducted by non-academics is automatically bad.

It also seems that Braun's own works are very generaluzed technology studies, not detailed production and design engineering studies. Aa for the lack of source, that might have been dictated by the publisher. And e.g. the famous Spielberger series on German tanks and vehicles has no notes either.
 
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Schmoll is a very brave man, attempting to write a development history of the Me 210. I don't envy him the task.
There are several thousand surviving letters and memos from Willy Messerschmitt's personal papers and a substantial quantity of them deal with the Me 210.
Similarly, there are tens of thousands of surviving pages of Air Ministry staff meeting stenographic transcripts - records of about 500 separate meetings from May 1940 to September 1944 - and by my count nearly 20% of them include some mention of the Me 210. Indeed, around late 1941 to mid-1942, most high-level meetings included some discussion of the Me 210.
There's also a substantial quantity of Me 210 development material in the ADRC/T-2 files - probably a few hundred more pages.
Frankly, it's a terrifying amount of material for any writer to contemplate - and the Me 210 story is also deeply interconnected with the DB 601/603 development saga, since engine issues featured in some of the most egregious complaints about the type.
How Schmoll will fit all of that into 200 pages as well as numerous photos and "a special chapter also deals with the symbolism of uniforms in the Third Reich" I've no idea. Hopefully it will prove to be the authoritative Me 210 book everyone has been waiting for and will entirely justify its 50 euro pricetag into the bargain.
 
The title sounds pretty attention grabbing and sensationalist - not a good sign.
 
Hi Dan,

Thanks a lot for the perspective!

newsdeskdan said:
How Schmoll will fit all of that into 200 pages as well as numerous photos and "a special chapter also deals with the symbolism of uniforms in the Third Reich" I've no idea.
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About that special chapter ... in Germany, interest in the "symbolism of uniforms in the Third Reich" often goes along with certain political views that tend to go off the democratic range on the scale.

I see how it makes sense to target about the German armaments industry in a book about the Me 210, but I really wonder which kind of audience the uniform chapter is supposed to appeal to. "Symbolism of" also indicates it's not the superificial "note non-regulation silk shawl worn by flight leader" stuff Osprey books present for the benefit of modellers.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)
 
In defence to Peter Schmoll
He is not professional historian, he was head of fire brigade of Large company in Regensburg
Since 1970s he want write down eyewitness account of WW2 around City of Regensburg and Messerschmitt AG.

Source in german

Battenberg-Gietl-Verlag -

www.battenberg-gietl.de www.battenberg-gietl.de
www.tvaktuell.com

Buchtipp: Sperrfeuer von Peter Schmoll

Buchtipp: Sperrfeuer von Peter Schmoll | „Sperrfeuer“ heißt sein neues Buch. Die Rede ist vom Regensburger Autor Peter Schmoll. Darin behandelt er ein Thema, das ihn seit den 70er Jahren beschäftigt. …
www.tvaktuell.com www.tvaktuell.com
 
martinbayer said:
The title sounds pretty attention grabbing and sensationalist - not a good sign.
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Martin,

If the title is accurate then it's accurate. In any case, the publisher is in control of marketing, formatting, etc. and will catch flak for any uh... exaggerations.
 
HoHun said:
Hi Dan,

Thanks a lot for the perspective!



About that special chapter ... in Germany, interest in the "symbolism of uniforms in the Third Reich" often goes along with certain political views that tend to go off the democratic range on the scale.

I see how it makes sense to target about the German armaments industry in a book about the Me 210, but I really wonder which kind of audience the uniform chapter is supposed to appeal to. "Symbolism of" also indicates it's not the superificial "note non-regulation silk shawl worn by flight leader" stuff Osprey books present for the benefit of modellers.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)
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Until the book is released, I suggest reserving judgment, or contacting the publisher now.
 
Hi Ed,

edwest4 said:
Until the book is released, I suggest reserving judgment, or contacting the publisher now.
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Blame your own dirty mind ... I took great care not to judge Schmoll or his book.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)
 
Henning, you did imply "dirtiness".

Dan's post forces one ask the question: Considering that the material exists in such abundance:

1. Why hasn't it been properly used before instead of repeating secondary sources?
2. Why enthusiasts keen on tenchical issues (and other issues than combat chronicling or colours/markings) keep hearing from authors "such material does not exist"?
 
Pasoleati said:
Henning, you did imply "dirtiness".

Dan's post forces one ask the question: Considering that the material exists in such abundance:

1. Why hasn't it been properly used before instead of repeating secondary sources?
2. Why enthusiasts keen on tenchical issues (and other issues than combat chronicling or colours/markings) keep hearing from authors "such material does not exist"?
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The material consists of thousands of pages. A long-term effort, and knowledge of the German language, including technical terms, would be required. Depending on where the material is located, it may require travel and paying for lodging and other expenses. Assumptions are always bad for research. Knowing who to contact and knowing the right questions to ask are requirements. I have been doing research for my company for 40 years. Also keep in mind that some material was classified. In the United States, declassified documents are released every quarter of every year, however, the files have bland titles or use titles that do not detail what is contained within them. For example, when doing research on another subject, I ran across files that included the term "Impersonal Files." And sometimes, without knowing the file names, a request can get the following response: "We have found no files that are responsive to your request."
 
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edwest4 said:
The material consists of thousands of pages. A long-term effort, and knowledge of the German language, including technical terms, would be required. Depending on where the material is located, it may require travel and paying for lodging and other expenses. Assumptions are always bad for research. Knowing who to contact and knowing the right questions to ask are requirements. I have been doing research for my company for 40 years. Also keep in mind that some material was classified. In the United States, declassified documents are released every quarter of every year, however, the files have bland titles or use titles that do not detail what is contained within them. For example, when doing research on another subject, I ran across files that included the term "Impersonal Files." And sometimes, without knowing the file names, a request can get the following response: "We have found no files that are responsive to your request."
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Based on information received years ago from a Finnish aviation author who has done some research in German archives it seems that the documents Dan referred to have been available to researchers more than 20 years.

Your comment regarding German language skills, including technical terms, is astounding: Can anyone imagine a serious book on German aircraft by authors who don't speak German?
 
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