Jagdwaffe: Battle of Britain: Phase One: July-August 1940 (Luftwaffe Colours: Volume Two, Section 1)

Jagdwaffe: Battle of Britain: Phase One: July-August 1940 (Luftwaffe Colours: Volume Two, Section 1)
Eric Mombeek,David Wadman,Eddie J Creek | 2001-12-10 00:00:00 | Classic Publications | 96 | Aviation
This book tells the story of the Martin B-26 Marauder, a much-maligned yet capable aircraft and its performance against one of the most controversial, mysterious and enigmatic units of the Luftwaffe, the Jadverband 44 (JV 44). It is a story that aims to set the record straight about the Marauder's combat performance as well as the desperate efforts of young German airmen to shoot it down in the final days of the war.

This is an in depth look at one of the last and defining air battles that took place at the end of WWII. The Battle over Bavaria took place in April of 1945 and was fought by the JV 44 and the Marauders of the 17th, 323rd , and 344th Bombardment Groups. The JV 44 was in Bavaria to defend the German jet aircraft production centers and the Marauders were there to bomb them.
Reviews
Eric Mombeek wraps up his four-volume coverage of the Battle of Britain for Ian Allan/CLASSIC COLOURS with this well-done volume published in 2002. Like its BoB predecessors, BATTLE OF BRITAIN: PHASE FOUR, NOVEMBER 1940-JUNE 1941 combines first-rate scholarship with numerous illustrations and gorgeous artwork to produce a winning history of this most crucial battle.



The final phase of the BoB was characterized by increasingly strong daylight fighter-bomber attacks and night attacks by bombers on London and other cities. The RAF challenged these raids with kills being scored by both sides. Yet all of the Luftwaffe efforts were pointless; England would never cave into terror attacks, especially the hit-and-miss Bf 109 jabo missions. Likewise Fighter Command was growing in strength now that their bases weren't under attack. Lastly Operation Sea Lion had been cancelled and many Luftwaffe units were being switched eastward for the invasion of Russia. So, while there were many exciting and dramatic aerial combats fought over England in these months, it was all for nought. The new year would see the RAF 'leaning into' France with small formations of bombers heavily protected by escorts; the Battle of Britain was over.



As documented in Mombeek's nicely written book, several interesting developments took place during these months. The changing nature of Luftwaffe attacks, which now utilized Bf 109 fighter-bombers, was one. In late 1940 Italy deployed units equipped with BR.20Ms, Z.1007s, CR.42s and G.50s to the Channel Front. Their subsequent raids on England were disasters. And, in November 1940, the latest Messerschmitt fighter - the Bf 109F - became operational. At least initially it would prove a mixed blessing.



As with previous volumes, BATTLE OF BRITAIN: PHASE FOUR features a number of interesting first-person accounts by Bf 109 pilots. The book is filled to overflowing with color and black & white photographs and 28 great color profiles by Tom Tullis.



All in all, a fitting end to a well-told tale. Recommended.
Reviews
Eric Mombeek continues his four-volume LUFTWAFFE COLOURS history of the Battle of Britain with this 2002 book, covering events in September and October 1940. These two months would see heavy combat and major changes in German tactics yet, at the end of October, Britain will have prevailed.



Just as Luftwaffe pressure on RAF Fighter Command bases and aircrew were having serious effects, Hitler shifted the thrust of the German attack, ordering massive attacks on London. While Londoners were to endure countless day and night attacks in the coming months, Hitler's decision effectively gave breathing space to the RAF and victory to the British. Heavy bomber losses on 15 September brought another change as Goering ordered Bf 109s to mount fighter-bomber strikes against London. And finally Hitler postponed Operation Sealion, the invasion of England. There would be more combats in the coming months but the fat lady had sung!



Mombeek does a nice job of presenting the 'big picture' during those momentous two months but is especially good at portraying the individual Jagflieger experience. Volume three features first-hand accounts by various pilots such as Hans-Ekkehard Bob, Werner Schuller and Fritz Losigkeit, a detailed bio of Franz Von Werra and diary entries from a fifth Bf 109 flier.



Volume three is a visual delight. Over 200 black & white and color photos depict Jagflieger, their aircraft, RAF opponents, air combat scenes, crashlanded Bf 109s, etc. Tom Tullis and Eddie Creek contributed 27 first-rate profiles of Bf 109s as flown by JG 3, 26, 27, 52, 53, 54, 77 and LG 2.



In summary, Mombeek's book is an excellent overview of operations during those two crucial months with lots of "I was there" accounts, tons of pix and great color artwork. A great package...Recommended.
Reviews
Section 2 Vol 2 of the Jagdwaffe series covers Phase 2 of the Battle of Britain. The book largely covers Aldertag and the battle for the airfields up to the period of September 6th. The books includes many magnificent photos (including downed Messerschmitts BF109s over English soil) and colour profiles as well as giving a good brief account of the daily fighting. The section concludes with the Luftwaffe slowing gaing the upper hand with British Fighter Command resources strained to the limit (especially that of its pilots). However this had come at a heavy price and had taken far longer than anticipated due to incorrect German intelligence. The book does show that the battle was furiously and hard fought and at this stage of the battle, victory was perhaps within the Luftwaffe's grasp.



The book also includes some individual pilot accounts of the battle and also includes a brief biography on Adolf Galland. This is yet another excellent book in the excellent Jagdwaffe series.
Reviews
Although the Jagdwaffe series is a detailed examination of Luftwaffe fighter camouflage and markings and pictorial the series also covers the history of the Jagdwaffe. This particular book looks at the German preparation and plan of campaign for the Battle of Britain and covers the opening phase of the battle from 1 July to 12 August 1940. What I particularly like is the separate boxed text of interviews of Luftwaffe fighter pilots giving a brief history of themselves and usually also describing an exciting fighter engagement. Like the previous books in the series this book includes many photographs and colour profiles of Messerschmitt 109s that would prove invaluable to the keen modeling enthusiast. This book explains how and why Messerschmitt 109 E camouflage and markings changed in this period to tone down the colours against the channel and english countryside. Also included in this book is a six page biography on Werner Molders. This is an excellent book and series and is highly recommended to those who have an interest in the Luftwaffe and specifically Volume Two to those who have an interest in the Battle of Britain.
Reviews
I bought this volume on speculation. I am a fan of the Bf 109E and very interested in the Battle of Britain. So this book fed two interests. I found the color profiles to have excellent detail and Mr. Mombeek backs up his schemes with numerous photos, most of excellent quality, some in color. He explains the markings and paint schemes with numerous color diagrames. I think that if you are a student of Luftwaffe markings or the Battle of Britain you will find this book of interest as I did. I am looking forward to obtaining the remaining three volumes of this series.



What this book lacks is text. More of an explanation or background as to why he chose that particular aircraft to depict or if the scheme was typical of that squadron or a unique set of markings.

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download