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Anton Rippon

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Gunther Plüschow: Airman, Escaper & Explorer Kindle Edition

by Anton Rippon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.8 16 ratings

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Gunther Plschow of the German Imperial Navy holds a unique place in history—during the First World War he was the only German prisoner of war ever to escape from the British mainland and make it all the way back to the Fatherland. Yet, although his daring break for freedom in 1915 is astonishing in its own right, Plschow was much more than simply an escaped POW. He was also a fearless aviator who flew against the British and Japanese in the Far East, and he was an explorer. After the war, he set sail for the southernmost tip of South America and became the first man to fly over Tierra del Fuego. He continued to explore what was then a largely unknown region of the world until his tragic death in 1931, when his parachute failed to open following a midair accident in Patagonia. In 'Gunther Plschow: Airman, Escaper, Explorer,' Anton Rippon tells this extraordinary tale in vivid detail. It is a tale that would do justice to the best adventure fiction—except that every word of it is true.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“ A superb and thoroughly readable account of the life of the only German prisoner of war to escape from British mainland and make it back to Germany.”
The Great War Magazine

“…a complete and thoroughly excellent account and is highly recommended.”
Over the Front

About the Author

ANTON RIPPON is an award-winning newspaper columnist, journalist and author of over 30 books including Gas Masks for Goalposts: Football in Britain During the Second World War; Hitler’s Olympics: The Story of the 1936 Nazi Games; and Gunther Plüschow: Airmen, Escaper and Explorer. Rippon was named Newspaper Columnist of the Year in the 2017 Midlands Media Awards.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007ZD93CQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (March 10, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 10, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3548 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 236 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,901,792 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #302 in Biographies of World War I
- #364 in Biographies of the Military Navy
- #544 in Historical German Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.8 16 ratings

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4.8 out of 5

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John Ross

An untold story from WW1 brought to life

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014

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What a fantastic book! I’ve got shelves full of history titles related to westerners in China but not come across the exploits of Pluschow before. It’s a story that deserves to be more widely known and this is an excellent biography that should be in the bestseller ranks. I read the book in two days – two very enjoyable days when my overflowing “Do To List” was thrown aside.

Rippon compares the Pluschow story to a John Buchan novel. Actually it’s more incredible and interesting. Not only is Pluschow the only German POW to have successfully escaped from England during WW1, but a pioneering aviator and doing so against the exotic backdrop of Qingdao and facing deadly odds as the German’s lone flier. On top of all this, we also have his escape across China and post-war adventures in Patagonia.

Rippon does a great job of telling the story (or – more accurately – letting the story tell itself) in a fast-paced yet detailed delivery, with all the military details of ships, planes, and men that history buffs want. There was obviously a lot of research behind this book. Pluschow’s own account is a very readable one packed full of quotable material and a lazier, less-knowledgeable writer could have easily taken a more cut-and-paste approach. Rippon’s biography is obviously a work of love and no shortcuts have been taken. It leaves you wanting to go and read Pluschow’s original account.

The books comes with numerous photos. The only thing I can fault is the lack of maps. A map illustrating the siege and battle for Qingdao would have been especially useful. That’s a minor quibble though and, as the other reviewers have done, I’m giving it five stars.

One person found this helpful

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Burke Station

A must read for all World War 1 buffs

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2011

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An informative book about a signficant Great War aviator who participated in the 1914 Tsingtao siege. On another level, Gunter Pluschow's life unfolds like a mystery thriller writtern for the Hollywood screen. A great quick read that will broaden anyone's knowledge of World War 1.

One person found this helpful

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OneLove

WW1 special

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2016

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Great book. Interesting up to the end. Good historical novel.

One person found this helpful

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Peter Kilduff

Outstanding biography of German WW I naval pilot

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2011

Gunther Plüschow earned two high distinctions during World War I. He became the first and only German aviator ever to shoot down a Japanese airplane and he was the first and only German prisoner of war ever to escape successfully from Great Britain and return to Germany. The latter feat was part of an incredible nearly global journey from a besieged German fortress in China eastward to the USA and then on to Europe.

Plüschow's accomplishments became known to Germans with the 1916 publication of his memoir "Die Abenteuer des Fliegers von Tsingtau - Meine Erlebnisse in drei Erdteilen" [The Adventures of the Flier of Qingdao - My Experiences in Three Continents], but have been less known in English until now. Based on the German pilot's own accounts and many other sources, this book tells Plüschow's life story from childhood to his death in a crash in 1931, nine days short of his 45th birthday.

Commissioned into the Imperial German Navy, Plüschow learned to fly before the war and was later posted to the East Asian Naval Station at Tsingtao (today Qingdao), China. He flew one of two Rumpler Taube monoplanes and, after his contemporary Leutnant zur See [Ensign] Friedrich Müllerskowski crashed his airplane, Plüschow became Germany's "one-man air arm" in China. Author Anton Rippon relates how Plüschow flew out of Tsingtau just before it was overwhelmed by numerically superior Japanese and British troops. The German's ruses and odd bits of luck in making his way home are well told in this book, as are Plüschow's post-war exploits.

"Gunther Plüschow - Airman, Escaper, Explorer" is a complete and thoroughly excellent account and is recommended highly. (This review appears in the Autumn 2011 issue of "Over the Front," the quarterly journal of the non-profit League of World War I Aviation Historians.)

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

I was so glad to get this book!

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2021

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I'm so glad I could find a book about Gunther Pluschow, he was an incredible man. I first read about him about 20 years ago concerning his adventures as a lone German Naval aviator in China during World War One and thought there should have been more about about his life after China and after the war, this book does not disappoint, Naval officer, Aviator, Escapist, and Explorer. It is certainly worth the read.

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Top reviews from other countries

Robin C

Interesting to see what Axis prisoners got up to & ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2017

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Interesting to see what Axis prisoners got up to & this man was certainly brave. I wonder what would have happened if he'd not died in a flying accident in South America in 1930. He was the first of only two German POW's to have escaped from British custody and the only prisoner to have escaped from Braitain in World War 1.

Longshanks

unexpectedly good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2014

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A Rare find. I didn't know what to expect from the author and his subject matter. I had hopes but so often with unknown authors dreams are never forefilled. But this transpired to be can well written and informative biography of one of the worlds 'never say die' characters. I can't vouch safe the details but I can say I enjoyed the book, found it well written and devoured it quickly.

Stuart B. Haynes

The story of a remarkable man.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2019

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It makes a change to see The First World War from a German point-of-view.

He can be regarded as a ‘Great Escaper’ as he flew out of Tsingtao, the German Hong-Kong or Macao just before the final Japanese/British assault, escaped from Chinese internment, was captured by the British at Gibraltar on his way home and became the only POW to ever escape successfully from the UK in either World War.

His life story gives a personal taste of life after WW1 as even a man such as he, could not get a decent job in Germany. Hence his decision to become an aviation pioneer flying over the hostile barren wastes at the tip of South America; which further justifiably enhanced his reputation as a film maker and author.
Even so he was always seemed short of money, so that he could not afford to replace or even maintain his plane properly, which unfortunately probably ultimately lead to his death.

A worthwhile read of the story of a man who spent his life battling against the odds; though the book is a bit sparse on details of his life after his triumphal return to Germany and his sojourn in the Southern Hemisphere.

86Charlie

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2017

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Very interesting.

thomas stenhouse

a must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2015

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Great read wish it was longer.