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Luftwaffe in Detail 
(Air War Over the Czech Lands) 
History Profile No 1

 

 

by Jiri Rajlich

 

S u m m a r y

Publishers’ Details:

Wings and Wheels publication.

ISBN:

80-902677-8-5

Contents and Media:

A4 format, 85 pages, 13 colour illustrations, 300 photographs

Price:

 

Review Type:

Book Review

Advantages:

Excellent pictures; original material, good narrative; English text

Disadvantages:

Some poor quality (but still interesting) pictures.

Recommendation:

Highly Recommended

 

Reviewed by Ian Sadler

 

F i r s t L o o k

This book is published in the familiar format of A4 landscape and on high quality gloss paper.

It has 85 pages with 13 colour illustrations of aircraft. 300 black and white photographs of varying clarity are also included. More on this later.

The book is split into the following sections:

  • Luftwaffe in the Protectorate,

  • Aviation Industry,

  • First Blood,

  • The Greatest Air Battle,

  • Agony of the Luftwaffe,

  • The Eastern Front, and

  • Allies Kaput the end of the Luftwaffe in the Czech Lands.

Firstly a comment about the quality of some the photographs, since a great many of those used were taken under difficult and dangerous circumstances. It is a remarkable record and to track them down is no mean feat.

I mention this because they are not up to the standard of the rest of the publication, which is outstanding.

This book is going to rewrite the history of this neglected part of the war.

Not only has the author managed to find many new and previously unpublished original wartime photographs; at the same he has managed to weave the story of the aircraft in with the photographs of the pilots and their fate.

As you read the book a fascinating story unfolds. I can safely say that once again aircraft modellers are going to have to re evaluate all the previously published material on late wartime camouflage and markings.

I will single out two outstanding photographs, even for non-aircraft modellers. Page 39, top right, a photograph of Lt Col John D Landers in his P51D cockpit. I never knew that anyone from the Pacific War served in Europe yet he has 6 visible Japanese victory signs above 11 German victory signs.

The second is even more remarkable as it shows at that period of the war anything went as far as camouflage. Page 42, middle, clearly shows a squiggly pattern very much like those used by the Japanese but on a HE 177.

If late war German, American, and Russian aircraft are you main interest, this book will fill a very important niche in the history of that period.

Once again the Editor is to be congratulated for producing an outstanding book on a period that has been much neglected and poorly documented. As a non-aircraft modeller I recommend it very highly.

Ian Sadler

Review Copyright © 2000 by Ian Sadler
Page Created 04 October, 2000
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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