The fascinating story of Germanys aircrew training schools, units and their aircraft; how they operated, and where they operated. Filled with 1-72nd scale drawings, color camouflage and markings profiles.

Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935-1945: Luftwaffe Training Units & Their Aircraft

History

Barry Ketley

Mark Rolfe

Europe

Hikoki Pubns

Bomber pilots who become fighter aces are rare-Hermann Buchner was one. A Luftwaffe NCO pilot and Knight's Cross holder, the author gives a riveting account of his training with the pre-war Austrian airforce, instructing with the Luftwaffe, then the terrifying ground attack operations on the Eastern Front trying to stop the Russian mincing machine. Sometimes taking off from his home airfield while under Soviet shellfire, he paints a picture of a man surviving against incredible odds, who became one of the elite with JG7, and learned that the important thing with the Me 262 was to land near a convenient foxhole . . .

Stormbird: Flying Through Fire As a Luftwaffe Ground-Attack Pilot and Me 262 Ace

Biographies & Memoirs

Buchner, Hermann

Leaders & Notable People

Luftwaffe pilot Walter Schuck flew the Me109 in the Arctic Sea fighter squadrons, becoming the Russian air force's feared enemy in the far north. Awarded the Knights Cross in April 1944, he claimed his 100th kill in June of that year, then barely 48 hours later shot down 12 aircraft in one day a record never achieved by any other Arctic Sea pilot. His mastery continued when in March 1945 he joined Jagdgeschwader 7, newly equipped with Me 262 jet fighters and shot down two Allied fighters on his first operation. He took command of the third Staffel of JG 7, and his success in the aerial theatre was unsurpassed when he brought down four B-17 bombers while on a transit flight. Shortly afterwards, meeting one of the bombers' escort fighters in combat, his fuel system exploded and he had to bail out. Walter Schuck's war was over, after more than 500 front-line sorties and 206 confirmed kills. Celebrated by his colleagues for his skill, courage, sheer guts, and chivalry, including his deep feelings for those he shot down, he earned the nickname "Adler der Tundra" or "Northern Knight". In this autobiography, the author tells his story simply, conveying his impressions of life, the rationale of the Luftwaffe, and the everyday life of a military man in those times, including the difficulties and hardships of the war in the Arctic Seas. In a gripping narrative, the author helps us to understand why he and his colleagues were prepared to lay down their lives for their people and their country. Rich in detail and facts, and supplemented by photographs from his personal collection and color aircraft profiles, Walter Schuck helps us to put the past into context, painting a unique picture of life in the Luftwaffe during the times of the Third Reich.

Luftwaffe Eagle: From the Me109 and Me262

Schuck, Walter

Military

Much has been written about the Luftwaffe, but no aspect has been more controversial than the question of camouflage and markings of the aircraft. In this comprehensive study, author Michael Ullmann follows the development and use of many colors and establishes the links between the then-standard RAL colors and those adopted by the German Air Ministry. Using much original documentation, he reveals how and why these finishes were developed and applied to both military and Lufthansa aircraft in such detail that anyone with an interest in the subject, whether a historian, scale modeler, or aircraft preservationist can recreate Luftwaffe colors with unprecedented accuracy. Supplemented by more than 300 photographs, more than 40 drawings, 16 pages of detailed color aircraft profiles, and a highly accurate chart of real paint chips, Luftwaffe Colours 1935-1945 presents a remarkable insight into the art of World War II German camouflage markings.

Luftwaffe Colours 1935 - 1945

Ullman, Michael

This is the sequel to Tim Mason's acclaimed story of the A&AEE (Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment)during World War II. The book picks up developments from the end of the war -- the beginning of the end of the piston-engine era and the dawn of the jet age -- and into the Cold War. The aircraft tested ranged from tiny piston-engined trainers, four-engined transports and a whole spectrum of jets and helicopters, many of which still serve as current RAF and Fleet Air Arm frontline types. The Ministry of Defense has specially cleared some of the material for use in the book. This work includes accurate color drawings by David Howley illustrating many of the innovative and eccentric aircraft and their extraordinary (and routine) mods and equipment.

The Cold War Years-flight Testing at Boscombe Down 1945-1975

Mason, Tim

Americas

Military aircraft decorated with gaudy personalized artwork, usually of the ribald and risque variety, are generally associated with American bombers and fighters, most of which flew by day. In contrast, those of their allies in the RAF and RCAF, especially the nocturnal bombers, are usually perceived as being sober and dull. That this was far from being the case is revealed in this photographic study which shows that the men who flew aircraft wearing roundels could be just as imaginative in decorating their machines. The results were as varied as the skills of the mostly untrained artists, who used all manner of sources as their inspiration, but especially pinup pictures by Vargas and Petty. The author not only shows the finished nose (and tail) art of many aircraft, but also pays tribute to many of their crews. To do so he has enlisted the aid of a number of the men responsible for painting the aircraft, as well as the assistance of Walt Disney studios-and the model who was the original 'Petty Girl'. This work includes hundreds of close-up pictures of artwork on many different types of aircraft: Lancaster, Halifax, Mosquito, Beaufighter, Spitfire and Hurricane among them-in many cases accompanied by the story of the aircraft and crew as well. Detailed color artwork by the author and Jon Field show many of these emblems and the rest of the aircraft markings.

RAF & RCAF Aircraft Nose Art in World War II

Clarence Simonsen

Shrouded in secrecy and intrigue during its lifetime and myth and legend since its dissolution, the KG 200 still remains for many one of the most fascinating units of the Luftwaffe. Delivering spies while flying captured Allied aircraft, clandestine reconnaissance missions over land and sea, testing new weapons such as the 'Mistel' composite bomber and the piloted V-1, and extremely long-range liaison flights were just some of their tasks. But there was also a more sinister aspect to their operations: men from KG 200 played a significant part in the notorious action against the French Resistance on the Vercors plateau, others were involved in what were effectively suicide missions. Geoff Thomas's deeply researched text throws new light on all aspects of this unit, dispels a number of myths and shows that despite its 'special' status, KG 200 was just as much a prey to the Nazi hierarchy's power politics as every other branch of Wehrmacht, with results that were often tragic but frequently farcical.

Kg 200: The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit

Geoffrey J. Thomas

Much has been written about the Luftwaffe, but no aspect has been more controversial than the question of the camouflage and markings of the aircraft. In this scholarly study, the author follows the development and use of the many colors used and establishes the links between the then-standard industry RAL colors and those adopted by the German Air Ministry. 
Using much original documentation, he reveals how and why these finishes were developed and applied to both military and Lufthansa aircraft-in such detail that anyone with an interest in the subject, either as an historian, aviation modeler or aircraft preservationist-can recreate Luftwaffe colors with unprecedented accuracy. Includes hundreds of photos illustrating the many patterns-and unofficial variations-as used in the field, all reinforced by specially commissioned color artwork by Jon Field.

Luftwaffe Colours, 1935-1945

Engineering & Transportation

Ullmann, Michael

Transportation

In the early morning of New Year's Day 1945, as the last great German offensive in Ardennes slowly smoldered to an end and the Allies prepared for a final year of war in northwest Europe, against all odds, the Luftwaffe -- assumed to be starved of fuel and fighting spirit -- launched a massive, surprise, low-level strike targeted at Allied tactical airfields throughout France, Belgium, and Holland. Planned under great secrecy, the raid gambled on using the bulk of Luftwaffe fighter assets on the Western Front, with the aim of decimating significant elements of both the British 2nd RAF and the USAAF on the ground. As the winter skies lightened, more than 900 German aircraft -- most of them Fw 190s and Bf 109s -- swept across vulnerable and unsuspecting airfields, including Brussels and Eindhoven. Altogether, more than 200 Allied aircraft were destroyed, with a further 150 damaged. But for the Luftwaffe it was a Pyrrhic victory; 271 fighters were lost and many more damaged. Worse still, of the 213 pilots lost, more than 20 were valuable formation leaders. Using hundreds of eye-witness accounts and rare photographs, this is a definitive study.

Bodenplatte: The Luftwaffe's Last Hope--the Attack On Allied Airfields, New Year's Day 1945

Manrho, John

Putz, Ron

Surely some of the most colorful warplanes ever to see active service, the aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force carried the samurai regard for brightly colored armor and equipment into the 20th century. The heraldic traditions of the warriors of ancient Japan found new expression as the emblems for all types of air units in the service of the Emperor. Used by flying training schools, fighter squadrons, bomber groups and, ultimately, suicide formations, all sprang from the Japanese love of symbolism and design. Some were hundreds of years old, others existed for only a few weeks or months. Each one that can be verified from photographs is illustrated here in glorious color. This title's 100 pages of full color drawings show the emblems both by unit and by aircraft type, allowing the enthusiast to rapidly identify exactly which formation a specific aircraft may have belonged to. Numerous photos illustrate the many variations of emblems and the different aircraft types which carried them. Organizational charts give Orders of Battle in different theatres of war, ranging from Manchuria, China and Burma to the Home Islands.

Emblems of the Rising Sun: Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Unit Markings 1935-1945

SCOTT, Peter

Asia

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