Hans-Joachim Walter Rudolf Siegfried Marseille (13 December 1919◦– 30 September 1942) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign. All but seven of his 158 claimed victories were against the British Desert Air Force over North Africa. No other pilot claimed as many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille.
Marseille joined the Luftwaffe in 1938. At the age of 20, he participated in the Battle of Britain, without notable success. As a result of poor discipline, he was transferred to another unit (JG 27), which relocated to North Africa in April 1941.
He reached the zenith of his career on September 1st, 1942, when during the course of three combat sorties he claimed seventeen Allied aircraft. For this, he received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. A month later, Marseille was killed in a flying accident after his aircraft suffered engine failure.
About the Author
Ellie Midwood is an award-winning, best-selling historical fiction writer. She’s a health-obsessed yoga enthusiast, a neat freak, an adventurer, Nazi Germany history expert, polyglot, philosopher, a proud Jew, and a doggie mama.
Ellie lives in New York with her fiancé and their Chihuahua named Shark Bait.
Readers’ Favorite◦– winner in the Historical fiction category (2016)◦– “The Girl from Berlin: Standartenführer’s Wife”
Readers’ Favorite◦– winner in the Historical fiction category (2016)◦– “The Austrian” (honorable mention)
New Apple◦– 2016 Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing◦– “The Austrian” (official selection)
Readers’ Favorite◦– winner in the Historical fiction category (2017)◦– “Emilia”
Readers’ Favorite◦– winner in the Historical fiction category (2018)◦– “A Motherland’s Daughter, A Fatherland’s Son”
Copyright
Of Knights and Dogfights. Copyright © 2018 by Ellie Midwood.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover designed by Melody Simmons
Cover photo by: G.GaritanRuffneck88 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Hans Joachim Marseille photo by: By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2006-0122 / Hoffmann, Heinrich / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de