Hans-Werner Lerche

Purchased due to an interest in test pilots, this book is fun to read as a biography of his test flying days. This is more of a memoir than a book describing the technical aspects of flying unfamiliar Allied aircraft. Therefore, the reader will need to do a bit of ferreting to glean the technical opinions/commentary on performance on all the aircraft he flew as they read through Mr. Lerche’s well written anecdotes. A thoughtful read will reward the patient reader with insights into the aircraft flown by Mr. Lerche.
The title itself; “Luftwaffe test pilot: Flying captured Allied aircraft of World War 2” is somewhat misleading as the book also covers German and Italian aircraft as well. So, although it was not as focused as I would have liked on flight test of allied aircraft, the commentary on the contemporary German and Italian aircraft flown by the author were an unexpected pleasure. Other reviewers have commented on the disjointed nature of the book, I didn’t find it too troubling.
Highly recommended for those with a more esoteric interest in WWII aviation who are willing to slog through some awkward parts to find the diamond.… (plus d'informations)