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Specialty Press |
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Black Cross Volume 3 - Junkers Ju-90 by Karl-Heinz Regnat |
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Reviewed By Floyd S. Werner, Jr., #26266 |
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ISBN 1-85780-178-4 MSRP: $19.95 USD Because of its civilian heritage, the Ju-90 is often overlooked in the Luftwaffe histories. Starting out life as a four-engine bomber, the Ju-90 (then the Ju-89V3) was cancelled in favor of the more radical He-177. Undeterred, Junkers soldiered on with converting the Ju-90 into an airliner for Lufthansa, first flying on 28 August 1937. A very large airplane for the day, the Ju-90 was capable of carrying 40 passengers, with sections for smokers and non-smokers. Serving with Lufthansa, eleven Ju-90s flew passenger routes until the outbreak of the war. With Germany at war, Lufthansa turned over a large portion of their Ju-90s to the Luftwaffe. The Ju-90 was then used to transport troops and supplies from the Norway invasion and later into Stalingrad. The Ju-90 sired the Ju-290 transport aircraft, which was more widely used. This softbound 96 page book covers the history, development and construction of the type in detail. The book has plenty of photographs (136) and detail drawings (79) for just about everything, including the cockpit, passenger compartment, engine, wings and various details. These things alone make this book a must. The photos are clear and the drawings crisp. The drawings are from manufacturer manuals and are beautifully detailed and easily read (if you read German). The other four-engine rivals, such as the FW-200, are discussed and illustrated as well, but not in the same vivid detail. The evolution of the Junkers family of transport aircraft is covered and how they contributed to the Ju-90. A brief history of all the Ju-90s in service with Lufthansa is included. For the modeler there is a look at the only Ju-90 model, the Airmodell vacuformed kit. There are photos of the in progress and finished model, masterfully modeled by Ralf Schluter. Note that there is now a Revell Germany Ju-290 in 1/72nd. As the third volume of this series, this book continues the same standard set by the rest of the series. I can’t wait to see the follow-on books. The top quality photos and excellent writing make this an essential reference. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in German aviation or airliners. This is a nice book for any collection and the best available reference for this aircraft. You can obtain a copy of this book by calling Specialty Press at 1-800-895-4585 or by visiting www.specialtypress.com. A $4.95 shipping and handling fee is added to each order. Thanks go to Specialty Press for the review copy. |
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