Author’s Note

Those of you who know me well will know that I cannot keep my hands away from the keyboard for a moment – I need to be writing about something, usually something German-related. This site is no different, in that it provides me with an opportunity to share yet one more of my many passions – a small but not insignificant part of my collection of pre-war German stamps.

Many people tend to start on one project and see things through to the end before embarking on another; I on the other hand have always found myself needing to vary things a little bit.

In addition to this website, I have already produced a number of others on a range of different subjects: by far the most popular has been my online biography of the Second World War tank commander Michael Wittmann – which has generated interest from all around the world – closely followed by a similar work on the U-Boat commander Günther Prien, commander of the U 47 and man behind the audacious raid on Scapa Flow and the sinking of the HMS Royal Oak in 1939.

I have also written a potted online history of the Kehlsteinhaus (better known to English-speakers as the “Eagle’s Nest”) in Bavaria – which is due to be extended further this year when I return from there with a number of new photographs – and am currently working on an ongoing project dedicated to the German national football team, aptly titled Schwarz und Weiß. Meanwhile, I am also intending to put together a pictorial reference on the Romantische Strasse – the scenic road connecting the historic city of Würzburg with the town of Füssen and King Ludwig II’s famous castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.

Some of you may be a little surprised at the variety of the topics; no, it is not a deliberate attempt on my part to make myself look more eclectic. As for the potential workload, I don’t and have never had any sort of deadline date: I will finish them when I finish them. Well OK, I do have a vague plan in place to have Schwarz und Weiß finished in time for the European Championship finals next year.

As for the ultimate mission – well this is quite simple: to share information, facts and stories that I believe people should know more about. It really is that simple. There may be a couple of books in the offing too, which can’t be such a bad thing: I read so many of them, that it’s only right that I somehow find a way of contributing.

As for me, I do actually have a pretty normal life in that I can somehow balance all of these interests with a normal day job and a wonderful partner who isn’t driven to distraction – well not all of the time anyway.

OK, so that’s that out of the way – enjoy the site.


Rick D. Joshua