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Immelmann, der Adler von Lille (Immelmann, the Eagle of Lille) was published by the brother of famous World War I Ace Max Immelmann, the first aviator to win the Pour le Mérite (known as the "Blue Max" in his honor), and who was credited with 15 aerial victories before his untimely death on 18 June 1916 in France.

The last chapter in Immelmann, der Adler von Lille covers the reverberations after his death - uncountable condolences, letters, telegrams, poems, flowers from all segments of German society - from the Kaiser to regular German citizens as well as foreign dignitaries and military leaders. Moving Immelmann's body from Douai, France to Germany and his heroes funeral in Dresden where thousands of people lined the streets from the railway station to the cemetery is also covered.

This book has chapters about Max Immelmann's youth, time in school and in training, when he was a university student, the start of World War I and his flying career, the new German Air Force and its development, his time in Fliegerabteilung 62 and reconnaissance flights over the Somme, becoming the first German fighter pilot in France, his flight technique, his many aerial victories, receiving the Pour le Mérite, the last weeks of his life, and his last flight at age 25.

Photos show Max Immelmann as a student in 1910, as a Fähnrich in Schöneberg bei Berlin in 1911, during a ADAC car rally in 1913, in action in his Fokker airplane, standing on a crashed British airplane on his 25th birthday, a downed Morane-Saulnier airplane, with King Friedrich August von Sachsen during his visit to Fliegerabteilung 24 in Lille, with fellow PLM recipient Oswald Boelcke on 20 January 1916, with Crown Prince Boris of Bulgaria in front of Fokker E IV 27, his casket leaving Douai, his grave in Dresden (photo above left) and of course, Oberleutnant Max Immelmann in uniform with a chest full of medals.

This 6 x 8-5/8 inch, 186 page hardcover book with blue linen spine is a new, expanded edition (68 - 77 thousand copies) with a Third Reich copyright date of 1934. It is fully indexed. Published by Verlag von Hase & Koehler of Leipzig, this 86 year old example of Immelmann, der Adler von Lille is in very nice used condition. Cover is somewhat stained, tight spine, no odor.