"ALARMSTART EAST" is representative of what is likely to be the final story (much of it told first-hand from the few surviving veterans) of what the air war over the Eastern Front was like for the German fighter pilots who fought there between 1941 and 1945.

This is a very solid, very well researched book, with photos - many never before seen - from the private collections of several of the Luftwaffe fighter pilots the author had interviewed over many years, as well as diagrams and illustrations which give the reader a palpable sense of what life at the front was like for these pilots, ground staff, and support personnel. There is also a chapter that examines and evaluates the various criteria the Luftwaffe used for assessing the aerial victory claims of its Jagdflieger (fighter pilots).

For any aviation enthusiast, "ALARMSTART EAST" is an excellent reference source for learning about the nature of the air war over the Eastern Front between the Luftwaffe and the Soviet Air Force. 

"ALARMSTART: The German Fighter Pilot's Experience in the Second World War" is the result of the past 30 years of research carried out by the author, in addition to his interviews with surviving Luftwaffe fighter pilots who had flown in the West (from September 1939 to June 6, 1944), as well as a few who had flown in the invasion of Poland and subsequently were assigned to the West. 

"Alarmstart" (Scramble!) constitutes what is likely to be one of the last books of its kind in which Luftwaffe veteran pilots are able to share their stories, because the ranks of surviving pilots is thinning out very quickly. Indeed, many of them are now dying off. It is a book that also benefits from containing photos never before released, as well as primary documents, diaries, and flight logs. For that reason, "Alarmstart" comes very highly recommended.