Specialty Press

Schlachtflieger: Luftwaffe Ground Attack Units 1937-1945

by  J. Richard Smith, Chris Goss, Martin Pegg, Andrew Arthy, Nick Beale, And Robert Forsyth

Reviewed By  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $29.95 ISBN 10: 1-85780-274-8 ISBN 13: 978-1-85780-274-0 Review copy courtesy of Specialty Press (www.specialtypress.com) This is one of a series of publications titled "Luftwaffe Colors" dealing with the activities of the Luftwaffe during World War II. It covers the Luftwaffe's close support units, which were originally distinctly different from the dive bomber units that achieved such notoriety especially at the early stages of the conflict. One unusual feature of this work is the multi-author approach, with each historian writing in his specialty area. Several of the authors are well known to avid historians and modelers. One welcome new face to this group is Andrew Arthy, an Australian enthusiast who, when not modeling and working on his website SMAKR, is finishing the requirements for his PhD in history. So these are qualified authors, to say the least. J.Richard Smith begins the saga with coverage of the origins of close support aviation in the World War I Imperial German Air Service, whose aircraft were the first to be specifically designed for the infantry support role. He then goes on to describe the rebirth of German close support units in the early to middle thirties, mentioning the early types such as Udet's Curtiss Hawk, the Heinkel HE-50, the Henschel HS-123A, and the Junkers JU-87 "Stuka". He continues with a chapter on the Luftwaffe experience during the Spanish Civil War, when Heinkel HE-51's were used for close support when they were found to be outclassed as fighters, and the introduction of the Henschel HS-123. For whatever reason, the authors neglected to include a section on German close support activities in the Polish and French campaigns, and these actions are merely alluded to in later chapters. The story picks up with a section by Chris Goss on the Bf-109F "Tip and Run" raids by the "Jabostaffeln" of JG2, which were created to conduct raids against the English in exchange for RAF bombing attacks against German cities. Later, other units were formed, and they were eventually equipped with Focke Wulf FW-190A's, which were far more suitable for low level intruder operations. Martin Pegg continued the story with the formation of the Schlachtflieger units for invasion of the Soviet Union. Originally equipped with a mixture of Bf-109E's and HS-123A's, it was found that radial engine aircraft were more effective in this role, and the Messerschmitts were eventually retired, later being replaced by HS-129 anti-tank aircraft, and FW-190's, which proved to be the Luftwaffe's best close support type. In addition, the venerable Junkers JU-87, now in the Dora version, continued to serve, although the loss of air supremacy during 1943 led to its eventual but not complete replacement by FW-190's. In late 1943, the Luftwaffe reorganized its close support units. JU-87 units were classified as dive bomber units, and were intended for use against strategic targets rather than in direct support of the army. Later, these units assumed the same function as the close support organizations, and they were eventually integrated into the Schlachtflieger units. The last development covered is the evolution of the anti-tank aircraft, the HS-129B and the JU-87G. An uncredited chapter covers the Night Attack Units on the Eastern Front from, 1945 through 1945. This is followed by Andrew Arthy's description of the ground attack units in the Mediterranean from 1942 to 1944. The Far North campaigns are covered by a photo gallery, after which Nick Beale's coverage of the Sonderstaffel Einhorn, which operated FW-190's carrying extremely heavy bomb loads. Smith then describes the use of the ME-262 in the close support role, although these aircraft were assigned to bomber units rather than Schlachtflieger units. Another Neale chapter deals with SG-4's operations in Italy and France late in the war, followed by a section on the operations of NSG 1, 2, and 20 on the Western Front late in the war. The last chapter is perhaps the most interesting, especially as these operations were entirely new to me. Late in the war, a unit was formed using the Bucker Bu-181 "Bestmann" primary trainer, which was equipped with Panzerfaust anti-tank rockets. Between 150 and 170 BU-181's were converted, so this was no small scale project. Numerous photos are included, and the operations of this unit have never, to my knowledge, appeared in print before. All of the chapters are profusely illustrated with first class photographs, including some color, and the color profile drawings would certainly be useful for modelers. The book, however, is really more of a historical treatment of the operations of the close support units rather than a detailed analysis of the development of color schemes and markings, as is alluded to in the title. There is a lot of new material in here, and I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in Luftwaffe close support operations. There is enough here for both the modeler and historian. The book can be ordered from www.specialtypress.com by email, or from Specialty Press, 39966 Grand Ave., North Branch, MN 55056. Price is $29.95 plus $4.95 for shipping and handling. Phone is 1-800-895-4585. Thanks to Marie Norton at Specialty Press, and John Noack at IPMS National for the review copy.

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