Book Report, "The Lent Papers", a
biography of Oberstleutnant Helmut Lent, Nightfighter pilot and ace.
Authored by Peter Hinchliffe, published by
Cerberus Publishing, Ltd, 2003/2005
This was a bargain purchase
from one of the book catalogues I receive at my house monthly. At $7.95
(suggested retail is USD 39.95), plus a like amount for shipping, I found it
hard to resist. The book is printed in a matte finish, that's absolutely flat. At
first I found this finish somewhat disconcerting, but I became acclimated to it
rapidly. At least it resists glare and reflected light, unlike many books I've
read. The Lent Papers is very heavily illustrated, with at least one photo on
nearly every page. The photos are of course wartime pictures, some are grainy or
blurry to an extent, but I've not seen at least 90 percent of them before. For
the student of Luftwaffe uniforms and decorations, they are very valuable.
Outside of the various pictures of Lent, his family, fellow airmen, and
occasions during his life and career, there are duplicates of log book entries,
letters and messages, telegrams, and his various award documents. For the
aviation enthusiast, there are pictures of all the various airplanes Lent
trained in, and later flew combat in, not to mention each and every type he
claimed as victories during his nightfighter career. Many of these photos were
gleaned from family sources, in particular those taken before he entered the
military, and the multiplicity of those taken at his funeral. In my opinion, the
illustrations are well worth the price of the book.
Oberstleutnant (Lt. Colonel in
US sevices) Lent started his career just prior to the onset of World War II. He
flew Bf-110 twin engined fighters during the Polish and Norwegian campaigns,
acquiring 8 of his vicories as a day fighter. After being transferred to the
night figters, it took him a little while to make his first score, but once
started, embarked on an almost meteoric career, with victories, promotions, and
decorations following each other in fairly rapid successon.At the time of his
death in a landing accident in October of 1944, Helmut was an Oberstleutnant,
the Kommodore of a night fighter Jagdgeschwader. and a holder of the Knght's
Cross with Oakleaves, Crossed Swords, and Diamonds, and all this at the age of
25. Between his day and night victories, he accumulated 110 kills. Testimonials
written by Geschwader mates abound, and all show Helmut as a strict but
human commanding officer, showing great concern for his men. He also showed
concern for the crews of the aircraft he shot down. As a practicing Christian he
murmured a prayer for his fallen enemies. He appears to have not been a
convinced National Socialist. but as a commanding officer, he was obliged to
give lip service to the regime he served. I mentioned his Christianity, and as a
member of the German Evangelical Church, he did practice his religion, indeed,
his letters home tell of a great devotion to his God. It is not my purpose to
argue the incongruities of a faithful Christian serving a regime as foul as that
of Nazi Germany, just to report to you my impressions after reading his
biography. I would have to say, "Read the book, and form your own
conclusions".
In summary, I found "The
Lent Papers" to be a valuable record of an expert practitioner of his
trade, that of a night fighter ace, full of insights into his personality, and
in the process, a detailled study of the RAF's night assault against Germany,
and the steps taken by the Luftwaffe to counter that attack.
Hal
Marshman Sr
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