Fighters of the Luftwaffe by Joachim Dressel & Manfred Greihl

Fighters of the Luftwaffe by Joachim Dressel & Manfred Greihl lands on the shelves of my shop.

London: Arms & Armour Press, 1993, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Tables;

From the cover: In this encyclopedic new work, the combined talents of two leading German aviation historians have produced possibly the ultimate illustrated reference to all German fighter aircraft. Most of the 300-plus original photographs have never been published before and they superbly illustrate all sub-types and development models of more than 30 aircraft.

All types are included: the advanced designs in the rearmament of the 1930s, such as the Heinkel 112, Henschel 121 and Messerschmitt 109, through every wartime fighter, including the FW 190A-D models, Bf 210 and Me 410, Ta 152, He 219 and Do 335, and full coverage of the development of the revolutionary jet and rocket aircraft in which Germany was far in advance of the Allies.

The appeal of this book is also in the range of aircraft photographs, which show special power-plant, radar and weapons developments as well as unusual unit markings, photos of types in manufacture and operational conversions in the field all rarely seen. The accompanying text emphasises the development of the Luftwaffe fighters, with facts and figures on the huge range of variants and sub-types under testing and of which little is known for example, the evolution of the standard Bf 109 into the P 1091 Extreme High Altitude Fighter of almost 60,000-feet operational ceiling.

There are numerous books on this subject, but few can boast the number and diversity of new illustrations and the comprehensive nature of the technical data in this superb new study. Restorers, collectors, historians and modellers will relish the wealth of fresh information offered by such a volume which sheds much new light on a subject previously considered incomplete.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Green boards with Yellow titling to the Spine. 160 pages. 11″ x 8¾”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Somerset at War, 1939-45 by Mac Hawkins

Somerset at War, 1939-45 by Mac Hawkins lands on the shelves of my shop.

The Dovecote Press, 1990, Hardback in dust wrapper.

2nd printing. [First Published: 1988] Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Maps; Tables;

From the cover: This is the first book to document the history of Somerset during the Second World War, and is thus one of the most important books on the county to have been published, for the story it tells is as dramatic as any in Somersets past.

The outbreak of war in 1939 left its mark on every parish in the county, and over the next five years was to bring the black-out, bombing raids, airfields, evacuees, American troops, nights on Home Guard duty or days in the Land Army, sons and daughters away in the Services, tales of heroism and hardship that even today have lost none of their impact.

Yet despite the suffering, an indomitable sense of humour shines through on every page. For in telling the story of Somerset at war, Mac Hawkins has left no stone unturned, evoking a period that will bring back a whole host of memories to those who lived through the war and yet is still relevant today. Two years of detailed research have gone into a text that is both accurate and readable, whilst the 200 illustrations, most of which have never been published before, superbly document what the realities of war meant to the people of Somerset between 1939 and 1945.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Price Clipped. Previous owners’ inscription to the first blank.

Green boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 216 pages. Index. 10½” x 8″.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

German Warplanes of World War II by Christopher Chant

German Warplanes of World War II by Christopher Chant lands on the shelves of my shop.

Spellmount, 1999, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Jacket illustration: A Bf 109 pilot prepares for action on the Eastern Front. Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Colour Photographs; Diagrams; Tables;

From the cover: The aircraft of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, were integral to the success of the Nazi war machines Blitzkrieg campaigns during the first three years of World War II. The combination of fighters, fighter-bombers, dive-bombers, destroyers, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft swept opposition aircraft from the skies, paralysed enemy ground forces, and then went on to reduce towns and cities to rubble. German Warplanes of World War II is a detailed reference directory of all the main German warplanes that served between 1939 and 1945. Ordered alphabetically by manufacturer, German Warplanes of World War II includes the most famous Luftwaffe aircraft that fought in the conflict, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Junkers Ju 87, the infamous Stuka dive-bomber.

Fully illustrated throughout with colour and black-and-white photographs and superb colour artworks, German Warplanes of World War II provides detailed information on each aircraft, including design and development history, variant details and full specifications tables. In this way the book builds into an authoritative view of warplanes such as the Junkers Ju 88, which first flew in 1936 but went on to perform a host of different duties in World War II up until May 1945, the Heinkel He 111 bomber, and the Henschel Hs 129 close-support aircraft. German Warplanes of World War II also includes the innovative jet-powered aircraft that entered service towards the end of the war and fought valiantly in an effort to stave off the hordes of Allied aircraft assaulting the Third Reich, such as the twin-jet Messerschmitt Me 262 and rocket-powered Messerschmitt Me 163.

In addition, German Warplanes of World War II contains detailed appendices which include full specifications and development history on all the other significant German warplanes of World War II, such as the Junkers Ju 52, Dornier Do 24, Heinkel He 162, Junkers Ju 86 and Messerschmitt Me 410.

Very Good+ in Very Good+ Dust Wrapper.

Matching Pictorial boards. 160 pages. Index. 11½” x 8¾”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!