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Osprey Publishing |
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German Jet Aces of World War 2 by Hugh Morgan and John Weal |
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Reviewed By David M. Knights |
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MSRP: 19.95 Volume #17 in the “Aircraft of the Aces” series is “German Jet Aces of World War 2” by Hugh Morgan and John Weal. The subject is one of particular interest to me since the bulk of subject matter deals with the pilots of the Me-262s in the Luftwaffe. I have always thought the Me-262 was one of the prettier warplanes ever made and the Luftwaffe camouflage in 1944 and 1945 is some of the more interesting and attractive camouflage ever applied to aircraft. The book is 96 pages with 11 pages of color illustrations consisting of side views of aircraft and illustrations of uniforms of the Luftwaffe jet pilots. The first part of the book covers the development of the Me-262 and the almost criminal lack of foresight in the development of what was one of the most significant leaps forward in aviation ever developed. At one point, the Germans had a developmental lead of almost a year and half in the production of a jet aircraft, yet, while the Me-262 was clearly qualitatively superior to the British Meteor, the Meteor began initial service at almost the same time as the Me-262. The book then covers the different units that flew the Me-262 in combat; from the initial development unit to the initial “Kommandos” that were established to develop combat tactics with the new aircraft and finally the front line wings which took the Me-262 into combat, mainly JG7, KG51, JV44 and KG(J)54. The stories of combat are most interesting; most coming as direct quotes from the pilots involved. The stories clearly convey that flying an aircraft like the Me-262 that was such a technological leap forward was no easy task, and many of the Me-262 losses were due to the technical failures that occur with any new, cutting edge aircraft. Finally, the last part of the book covers the other jet and rocket aircraft used by the Luftwafffe and the pilots who flew them. This in most part covers the Me-163, though the Ar-234 and the He-162 are also briefly covered. While the 11 pages of color side views are interesting, covering some of the aircraft flown by the top jet aces of the Luftwaffe, the fact that the illustrations cover only the left side view of the aircraft illustrated. Frankly I would have rather seen more comprehensive coverage of fewer aircraft, such as the ones found in “Stormbird Colors” by Brett Green and Benjamin Evans. Still, I do recommend this book to the Me-262 enthusiast. |
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