Review of Flight of the Swastika

[Alexander C Schmoock]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Flight of the Swastika" by David Lakeman.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Flight of the Swastika by David Lakeman is based in the 1940s during the Second World War, which ravaged most parts of the world. The Nazis were fighting against the British and their allies, leading to a great loss of life and properties worth a lot of money. This was the situation Oberst Walter von Lutzdorf found himself in with his best friend, Hauptmann Johann Steinberg. They were anti-Nazi but, at the same time, were patriotic citizens of Germany. They served in the Air Force and went on long-distance flights for their country against the enemy countries. Later on, they decided to provide information to the British about the plans of the Nazis since they were close to top Nazi officials. This decision changed their fate, though unknown to the rest of the world.

James St. Clair, known as Jaime, while flying in the desert towards Tripoli, found two sightless skeletons in a truck in the Sahara desert with means of identification in 1963, twenty years after the Second World War took place. He took the identification pieces to the British embassy and the German embassy. This caused a kind of uproar after the bodies were identified as people who held top secrets of the Nazis during the war, and a lot of people needed to place their hands on the truck and its contents. What happens when the British embassy and the German embassy go on an expedition at the same time?

I like the plot of this book. It is original, and though not a new plot, the storyline, which was well written, made it seem new. There was also a good use of suspense which I totally appreciated. Reading through the chapters would keep you on your toes, wondering what was to come next. The characterization was wonderful too. The author gave life to each character through the way he expressed their thoughts and feelings through words. There was no unnecessary character in this book, and I greatly commend that. The author used this story to spell out the horrors of war and a vision of what had taken place during the Second World War for the ones not born at that time. He inserted some history lessons on the Nazis, Germany in general, and the conflict with the British, which led to the war through the characters' dialogues. I believe this book was professionally edited.

I did not like that some of the chapters seemed unnecessary. They could have been infused into other chapters. That made the story seem too stretched, and at some point, I almost got bored of reading the book because of this reason. Some of the minor events that added little or nothing to the progression of the story could have been shortened.

I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. It was well written save for very few grammatical errors I found in it. I removed a star because of the unnecessary chapters, minor events, and errors in this book. I enjoyed reading this, and the writer's use of imagery deserves commendation.

I recommend this book to history lovers and readers who love adventure with a mix of fiction. They would have a great time reading this book as I did.

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Flight of the Swastika
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[AnInternationalMountainMan]

I think this is quite an interesting book. Many films, movies, and TV series always depict those individuals (fictional or non-fictional) who were against the Nazi Regime. However german patriotism especially in the Military was one of the main reasons why so many people joined the Wehrmacht. I believe it is important to make sure that readers and people, in general, do not start believing that the story of "Die kleinen Braunen Außerirdischen" that is so often portrayed in film and cinema is real. It is important to note that the majority of th german/austrian population did indeed want war and were patriotic enough that they followed the NSDAP Regime of their own free volition. The "Machtergreifung" was not an "Ergreifung", Germany voted democratically for Hitler and his party.