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Classics Publications |
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Luftwaffe Colours: Volume 5 Section 3 Jagdwaffe: Defending The Reich 1944 - 1945 |
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by Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek |
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Reviewed By Brian R. Baker, #43146 |
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MSRP: £16.99 GBP ($24.95 USD) This book is part of a series of 20 substantial paperbacks dealing with the birth, life, and death of Germany’s fighter forces, the Jagdwaffe, during World War II. This is next to the last in the series, and hopefully it is representative of the extensively researched coverage of a topic that is currently very popular with aircraft modelers today. The author, Roger Forsyth, although an Englishman, is a Luftwaffe specialist, even to the point of having a cat named Messerschmitt. Eddie J. Creek is also a Luftwaffe historian, and an excellent artist, judging from the quality of the drawings in the book. Although the story of the Luftwaffe’s resource-challenged struggle against the USAAF and RAF bomber offensive against Germany has been often told, this book is unique in that it actually provides some new and interesting information on the subject. It is advertised on the back cover as a study of camouflage and markings, but it is actually much more than that. It is a comprehensive study of the events that led to the ultimate defeat of the Luftwaffe’s fighter forces, with careful analysis and first-hand accounts of the actual events, written mainly by pilots who were there at the time. Consisting of 96 pages of text, 200 black and white and some color photos, and 27 color profiles, along with maps and data tables, the book offers intensive coverage of actual operations, along with photos and color drawings of specific aircraft involved, with explanations of the colors and markings show on the airplanes. The only thing missing is a series of plan views showing wing and tail surface camouflage patterns, but these are adequately covered in other books on the subject, so this is not a problem. The book mainly deals with late-model Bf-109G’s and K’s, and more particularly, Focke Wulf FW-190A’s and D’s, with some mention of the TA-152H’s that were coming into use right at the end. Most of the material has not, to my knowledge, appeared in print before, although a few familiar photos shed some new light on the murky subject of late-war Luftwaffe camouflage and markings. A case in point is the photo on page 284 of “Yellow 15”, a 1/JG 301 FW-190D-9 that was photographed in wrecked condition at Straubing, Germany, at the end of the war. Previous interpretations of this photo stated that the aircraft was “Red 15”, since the number on the aircraft appears to be dark. However, with our current knowledge of the use of orthochromatic film at the time, which made yellow appear dark, and which has led to a lot of confusion among aviation historians, the interpretation is that the numbers were actually yellow, and the color shades of the fuselage bands confirm that the colors were actually yellow and red, a very colorful airplane indeed. I particularly enjoyed the coverage on the operation of the FW-190A’s in the Sturmgruppen, the heavily armed and armored aircraft that were used to attack the bomber formations from astern, while Bf-109G’s hopefully protected them from the fighter escort. The tactics used were clearly explained, along with the difficulties that were involved with getting large numbers of fighters in the proper attack position and protected from the ever present P-51’s and P-47’s. Many photos are provided of these aircraft along with some of their pilots, most of whom did not survive the war.. Anyone reading the accounts of these actions should appreciate the dedication and devotion to duty of the men involved on both sides of the battle, as most of the Luftwaffe pilots had to have realized by that stage of the war that their survival chances were rapidly diminishing. But they fought on, and this is their story. The book is well written, profusely illustrated, and provides new information. I certainly intend to obtain more of this series, as I have always had an interest in Luftwaffe aircraft. I would recommend it highly, as it will be very useful in my modeling. It is available from Specialty Press, 39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN, 55056 for $29.95. A $4.95 shipping charge also applies. Online, the address is www.specialtypress.com and the phone numbers to call are 1-800-895-4585 or 651-277-1400. |
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