Flying Is My Life [Illustrated Edition]

Book excerpt: Includes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos. Hanna Reitsch is unusual in being a feminine woman who was yet the equal of men in a dangerous male profession — test-piloting new military aircraft. Her love of flying from childhood on, along with her superior intelligence, determination, and ability to withstand tremendous stresses, gave her the edge that allowed her to rise to the top of the aviation world. Hanna Reitsch offered her gifts to the German nation in the same way that Adolf Hitler and many others did — with a complete giving of herself and her abilities, holding nothing back. Although she lived to 1979, she never renounced her participation with the National Socialist government or criticized Hitler, even under pressure to do so. Hanna’s life story is an amazing one that sounds almost unbelievable in its drama and acts of heroism. She never married or had children; instead she occupied herself with the two burning loves of her life — flying and the salvation of her beloved Fatherland in its time of need.