Contact us @:
rittmeister@tampabay.rr.comDer Rittmeister Militaria, LLC. Content Pages: Jack Hunter Introduction,
Books and Paintings. Updated on 28 June 2010.
Contact us @:rittmeister@tampabay.rr.com
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Our good friend Jack D. Hunter passed away on 13 April 2009, at the age of eighty-seven (he would have been eighty-eight in June).
I miss him. He remains an
extremely important influence on my life,
as well as for many WWI collectors and
readers.
Books - Artwork - Associated Items
Jack D. Hunter - Author
The Blue MaxJack Hunter was an old and dear friend of ours. He has had his "own" page on our Web Site from its inception in 1996. His world-famous, best-seller, "The Blue Max," hit the market in 1964 and was a huge inspiration for me. It fueled what became a life-long interest in the Great War in general, and its War in the Air in particular. Jack passed away on 13 April 2009. He is sorely missed.
"The Blue Max" was the first of SEVENTEEN books Jack wrote over a span of five decades. I remember him telling me how he wrote "The Blue Max" at a small desk in his bedroom. For seven months, he'd write each night after a full day's work at Du Pont, scribbling long-hand with a pencil on a legal pad because his typewriter was too noisy and kept the wife and kids awake. What sustained him was the awareness that (to that date) no one had published a serious, definitive novel about World War I aviation from the German point of view -- even in Germany. This fact, plus Jack's intimate knowledge of World War I aircraft, Germany and the German people, gave him the temerity to try to fill this literary and historical gap. All the way he was cheered on by his beloved wife, Tommy (They were married for sixty-two years. She passed away in 2006).
In 1963 E. P. Dutton, the New York publishing house, agreed to publish "The Blue Max." Its first day of publication was 16 March 1964. Dutton ordered 5,000 copies printed in that 1st edition, then the standard order for an unknown author. Within two weeks of publication however, Darryl Zanuck, chief of 20th Century Fox, personally acquired the rights to make a major motion picture of the work. To capitalize on this, Dutton immediately authorized Bantam Books to issue the novel as a paperback - and the work ultimately became an INTERNATIONAL best-seller, with more than a MILLION copies produced in all major languages, in hard and soft cover and audio.
Meanwhile the 5,000 Dutton 1st editions disappeared, and seldom reappear on the market. They are very expensive. (I am embarrassed to admit what I paid for mine some ten years ago) and VERY difficult to find! We also encourage you to go to the Jack D. Hunter Page (click here) and learn more about this interesting man [and late good friend].
Jack D. Hunter was the author of what most enthusiasts of the Air War consider the definitive novel about World War I aviation, "The Blue Max." This book was made into a movie of the same name in the mid 1960's starring George Peppard, Ursula Andress and James Mason. Jack had been fascinated by WW1 airplanes since he first saw the silent film "Wings" as a young boy. He grew up reading about early aviation, building model airplanes, and talking to men who actually flew during the Great War. Eventually, he combined his enthusiasm for early aviation with personal WW II experiences to create his first novel.
He was born in Hamilton, Ohio on June 4, 1921, and went to various schools in New York and Pennsylvania, getting his BA in Journalism from Penn State University in 1943. His aptitude with languages led him into U.S. Counter-Intelligence during WW II. He went behind the lines to infiltrate the Nazi Party's attempts to set up a clandestine organization to keep itself alive after the end of the war. His success in this endeavor gave him the basis for several of his spy novels, particularly "The Expendable Spy." His close association with Nazi officials during this time also gave him insights into what fueled Nazism's rise to power and its birth among the upheavals in German society following World War One. His striving to understand how Nazism seduced so many Germans led him to the creation of his most fascinating character, Bruno Stachel, the WW I German ace and anti-hero of "The Blue Max." Jack passed away on 13 April 2009 at his home in St. Augustine, FL.
"The Blue Max" is actually the first of a trilogy about Stachel, whose character is much darker in the books than in the movie. Unlike the movie, Stachel is very much alive by the end of "The Blue Max." His story continues in "The Blood Order," which details Stachel's involvement with the Nazi party during the days of the Munich Putsch through the Nazi rise to power in the 1930's, and finishes in The Tin Cravat, which details the early times of World War II. {A militaria note: Each of the books is named for a military decoration. A Blue Max is WW I Germany's highest award, the Pour le Merité. "The Blood Order" was given by Hitler to Nazis who had participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923; and "The Tin Cravat" was the nickname of the highest WW II German honor, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.}
He was the author of 17 novels, with a close to 60-year career in print and broadcast journalism, military and Congressional service, corporate public relations, book editing and aviation art. Two of the novels, "The Blue Max" and "One of Us Works for Them," were sold to the movies. A third, "The Expendable Spy," won the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award of the Mystery Writers of America. Both "The Flying Cross" and "Slingshot" are under option by film producers; and eight of the titles were recorded and released unabridged by Blackstone Audio Books in 1995-97.
Jack was a newspaper reporter, rewrite-man, editor, columnist and radio newscaster for eight years. Next came 22 years as an advertising and public relations executive with the DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware (like his father and younger brother). He also served as special counsel and chief speech writer for members of the House and Senate in Washington, D.C. for six years. He was senior editor of Serendipity Press, book publishers, for two years. He also served as a writing coach and editorial consultant for the Florida Times Union and St. Augustine Record for 10 years.
He married Shirley Thompson Hunter (Tommy, as she was known to her friends, passed away in 2006) in 1944 and they had four children: twin daughters Lee and Lyn, daughter Jill, and son Jack D., Jr., and three granddaughters. Jack made his home in St. Augustine, Florida.
2. Maler (painter)
In addition to his writing career, Jack was a professional artist specializing in mixed media paintings of historic moments in early aviation. His work is displayed at the U. S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, in the U. S. Air Force Museum at Eglin AF Base, Florida, and in many other galleries and private collections in the U. S. and abroad. At Der Rittmeister Militaria we are proud to have several of Jack's original paintings displayed in our home. We acquired our first in the 1990's.
The Webmaster asked me to share with you how I became privileged to call Jack Hunter my friend. Some years back my wife and I happened to be visiting an antique mall in St. Augustine, Florida. Outside one of the shops I saw displayed some of the most wonderful paintings of WW I aircraft that I had ever seen. When I looked up from those paintings, I saw that the name of the shop was "THE BLUE MAX." Intrigued, I walked in and was greeted by a lively, friendly lady. After I'd looked around the shop, I finally asked the burning question, "Why in the world did you name your shop "THE BLUE MAX?"
I was stunned when this lady said, with a twinkle in her eye, "Because my husband wrote the book!"
I was absolutely bowled over. As a high school kid in the 1960's I had seen the movie starring George Peppard and James Mason. This had led me to the book, which was even better than the movie, and sparked what has become a life-long interest in WW I aviation. Now I was meeting the author's wife, and finding out that Jack Hunter had also done the paintings that were on display. My wife bought me both of the displayed paintings (originals) for me as a birthday present (do I have a great wife or what?) and Mrs. Hunter encouraged me to call Jack, saying he loved to hear from his readers.
I finally worked up the nerve to call, and after an hour of intense conversation, I felt that I had known Jack all my life. We soon arranged to meet and I had the privilege of going to his home and seeing where he wrote and painted. Over the years I acquired more of his paintings and enjoyed the pleasure of his company, spending hours talking about anything and everything.
What I appreciated most about Jack was his love of WW I aviation and his genuine desire to meet people who shared that interest. Like me, Jack's love affair with the old planes was sparked by a movie. In his case it was Wings, from the 1920's. Jack had the advantage of speaking with the men who had flown during the Great War, while they were still young and those experiences were fresh in their minds. As a young man, he even briefly met Ernst Udet at the Cleveland Air Races, in which the future Luftwaffe official appeared. Today, none of those gallant airmen are alive. We do not have the same opportunities that Jack had to speak to the men and find out what it was like fighting for your life in those early crates.
Jack maintained a sense of wonder about WW I aviation and the study of it fully eighty years after he first began. He got as excited as a kid when he discussed it. This was tempered with the wisdom of having lived among the people who produced Germany's Great War aviators. He was a generous and caring man to all who knew him and met him. He was truly a gentleman of the old school. As I grow older, if I can show half the class and grace that Jack did, I will feel I have accomplished something.
I was blessed with the best father that ever lived, and I would not have traded him for anything. But, had I needed a father, I would have welcomed Jack Hunter. This is the greatest compliment that I could pay Jack. I consider myself truly fortunate to have called him my good and faithful friend.
-Ken Greenfield-
Several people have asked about the availability of Jack's books on audio tape. Here is the address:
Blackstone
Audio Books
P. O. Box 969
Ashland, OR 99520
Also, Jack still has his own web site. Click here to see it http://www.jackhunter.com . It contains current information about Jack's paintings and his books (and the ability to order those that are in print). We offer Jack's books and his art work as it is available to us.
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