Hill, Mike. The 451st Bomb Group in World War II: A Pictorial History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001

ISBN 0-7643-1287-1
160 pages

Introduction; photos; charts; tables

   This Group history begins with "A Photo Album" amounting to almost seventy pages with three or four or more captioned photographs per page and punctuated with an outline history of the unit's formation, movement, operations, and deactivation. Five pages follow with shots of the 451st's base, Castelluccia Field, in Italy, and then three pages of spectacular high-altitude shots of B-24's painting contrails across clear skies. The next section, running some eight pages, brings together a variety of photos to illustrate "A Typical Mission" from pre-flight maintenance and preparation to take-offs, flak, fighter attacks, the actual drop, losses, and return to base. About twenty pages display photos of crews and individual airmen (along with the occasional mascot), often posed in front of aircraft. The book also includes a list of all the Group's missions, and an illustrated list of more than 300 B-24s that served with the unit.

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Smith, Peter C. Luftwaffe at War: The Sea Eagles: The Luftwaffe's Maritime Operations, 1939-1945. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. Published in the UK by Greenhill Books.

ISBN 1-85367-442-7
72 pages

Photos

   Greenhill's Luftwaffe at War series continues to grow, with each new volume closely following the standard format already established. The Sea Eagles is no exception. The book opens with a four-page synopsis of German air-sea operations in Norway, the Med, over the Baltic Sea and Black Sea on the Russian Front, over the Bay of Biscay, etc. This introduction is followed by eight pages of color photos of aircraft, airmen, and air action. The book then settles into the usual pattern of more than fifty pages of black and white photos—all captioned with a sentence or two—including Condors, floatplanes, He 177s, and many other aircraft used in the maritime role, along with shots of their pilots, crews, and ground staff.

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Green, Brett. Eagle Files #3: Augsburg's Last Eagles: Colors, Markings and Variants. Hamilton, MT: Eagle Editions, 2001

ISBN 0-9660706-5-8
80 pages

Introduction; Acknowledgments; photos; color plates; line drawings; References; The Author

   While Greenhill rounds out its series of Luftwaffe photo volumes, Eagle Editions continues to make headway with its own interesting illustrated series of Luftwaffe volumes. The Eagle Files series, however, is aimed more toward modelers and illustrators, emphasizing as it does details of aircraft construction, markings, and exact shades of color. This volume investigates the last year of the Bf 109 (aka Me 109) in Luftwaffe service. The author examines some black and white photos of late-war aircraft for background, then delves into the last remaining unrestored Bf 109, carefully documenting its history, its color scheme, its markings, and other minutiae in photos —many in color—and text.

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Vasco, John. The Sting of the Luftwaffe: Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 and Zerstorergeschwader 1 "Wespengeschwader" in World War II. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001

ISBN 0-7643-1305-3
159 pages

Preface; photos

Appendices: Damage/Loss List; Reports; Flugbuch Entries of Karl-Fritz Schroeder; Flugbuch Entries of Fritz Sax; Flugbuch Entries of Edwin Hess

   Perhaps the most ambitious of these four titles is John Vasco's. He's done a fine job of piecing together information about the incarnations of this interesting Luftwaffe unit. Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 was formed in April 1941 from two existing Gruppen which had participated in the Battle of Britain, and with little respite was thrown into action on the Russian Front equipped with Bf 110s. I. Gruppe was withdrawn in October 1941 to transition to the Me 210A, but ended up returning to the Russian Front in May 1942 with more Bf 110s. Meanwhile, the Geschwader was redesignated Zerstorergeschwader I in January 1942 and the unit's III. Gruppe was formed and equipped with Bf 109s. III. Gruppe was later detached to North Africa where it was chewed up and disbanded, and a new III. Gruppe was formed. The Geschwader's IV Gruppe was formed in September 1942. The formations of the Zerstorergeschwader continued to be shuffled around from front to front and re-equipped throughout 1943 and the first half of 1944 until it was finally disbanded in July of that year. This book chronicles the unit's aircraft, men, and action in photos with brief captions, and also contains detailed appendices with day-by-day loss data and other information.

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   All of these books are available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from the publishers.
   Thanks to the publishers for providing these review copies.