Regnat, Karl-Heinz. Dornier Do 335: An Illustrated History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 2003

ISBN 0-7643-1872-1
208 pages

Photos; tables; diagrams; Bibliography

   It's always a source of some amazement how Schiffer Publishing can come up with big, heavy books about the most unusual airplanes. In this case Karl-Heinz Regnat has put together the complete story of the Dornier Do 335, most notable for its push-me-pull-you design with one engine and propeller in the nose and another engine and propeller in the tail of the aircraft. Designed by Claude Dornier, who already had much experience with fore and aft propulsion systems in his pre-war flying boats, this kind of tandem engine arrangement also appeared in designs in Italy in 1935 (the JONA 10), the Netherlands in 1939 (the Fokker D. XXII), and Japan in 1943 (the Tachikawa Ki-94 Model I).
   In Germany, the Do 18 of 1936 "...may well have provided the inspiration..." for Dornier's P.59 flying boat of 1937. Regnat shows the evolution from the P.59 design to the P.231 project. Along the way, he gives considerable technical data (with sections on crankshafts, connecting rods, pistons, etc) for the Hirth HM 60 engine. In January 1943 Dornier's presentation of the unconventional P.231 earned a Luftwaffe contract for a high speed bomber with a bomb load of 500kg and a range of 2000 kilometers. Arado, Heinkel, Junkers, and Messerschmitt also presented their own designs, and Regnat examines the competing aircraft in chapter three.
   Construction of the first Do 335 prototype, based on the P.231 project, began in the spring of 1943. Before much progress had been made however, it became clear that the Do 335 was suffering because of emphasis on jet development, notably the Me 262 which seemed to meet and exceed the specifications for which the Dornier model had been designed.

   The previously-described events had an influence on the Do 335 project even before the prototype was able to demonstrate its performance. The big moment for all those involved in the project came on 26 October 1943. On that day Dornier's curiosity took to its natural element for the first time. No less a personality than Hans Dieterle, who had piloted the He 100 on its record-breaking flights, was at the controls when the Do 335 made its first flight at Mengen near Sigmarinen. Dieterle got some idea of the performance potential of Dornier's tandem design after just a few minutes in the air. His flight test report, dated 26 October 1943, was largely positive. The following is an extract from that report:

   "One immediately felt at home in this aircraft, a sign that no unpleasant characteristics or peculiarities appeared. The unusual power plant arrangement revealed no unpleasant characteristics-- as far as could he determined. In point of fact, in single-engined flight it is far superior to conventional twin-engined aircraft. As far as could be determined, the rear propeller has no negative effects on the control surfaces. Takeoff and landing are simple, which is clue in part to the special undercarriage arrangement. There are no significant trim changes. Controllability is generally good, however the ailerons will probably need some modification as control forces are too heavy. Stability about the longitudinal axis is too weak, but very strong about the vertical axis."

   Dieterle was unfortunately forced to break off the flight prematurely after the main undercarriage refused to lock in the retracted position. The reason for this was a failure in the system which retracted the circular mainwheel covers into the closed position. As a result, the wheel covers were removed and three days later Dieterle took the aircraft into the air again for a repetition of the first flight. In spite of some minor complaints, it was obvious from Dieterle's test report that the Do 335 was a "hit". This did not mean, however, that the aircraft would not have "teething troubles" to overcome, like every other new aircraft design. Milch, a strong advocate of the Do 335, was encouraged. He expressed his positive impression in a letter to the Reich Chancellery. So far he had only been able to offer theoretical calculations, but now, after the VI's maiden flight, there was positive proof that the Do 335 was an outstanding aircraft. Furthermore, its 1000-kg payload was twice that of the Me 262. Its speed at low level was an impressive 640 km/h. The RLM subsequently ordered fourteen prototypes, ten A-0 pre-production aircraft and eleven examples of the A-1 production version. The contract also included a requirement for three examples of a two-seat training aircraft. Slowly, after much valuable time had been lost, things began moving. Work began on a heavy fighter (Zerstorer) version, which required major design changes. Galland foresaw the addition of two wing-mounted MK 103 cannon for the Zerstorer. The Do 335 was no longer seen strictly as a high-speed bomber to compete with the Me 262.

   Three chapters cover testing and pre-production models. Despite the favorable impression made by the preliminary test flights, the first production model did not appear until early in 1945, and it was only a two-seat trainer version. By then of course, it was far too late for the aircraft to enter service with the Luftwaffe. In chapter eight, "Production Status," Regnat gives all available information on each of the two dozen finished machines.
   The next ninety to a hundred pages provide a complete technical description of the Do 335 A model, with details on more than three dozen separate systems and sub-systems such as the fuselage, undercarriage, forward engine, rear engine, exhaust system, fuel system, hydraulics, cockpit, etc. The "pilot escape system," or ejection seat, was especially important to anyone in the cockpit, as simply bailing out would have put the pilot at risk of being chopped up by the rear propeller. The concluding chapters cover further information about production planning, Do 335s taken as war prizes by the Allies, etc.
   Visually, the book is clean and easy to read with numerous black and white photos, sketches, and diagrams. In sum, it offers thorough and workmanlike if unspectacular coverage of another exotic German aircraft and will probably appeal most to Luftwaffe specialists.

Hermann, Dietmar and Peter Petrick. Focke-Wulf Fw 187: An Illustrated History. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 2003

ISBN 0-7643-1871-3
160 pages

Foreword; Background; photos; tables; diagrams; Bibliography

   Dietmar Hermann (with four titles already on hand or else on the way from Schiffer) in collaboration with Perry Petrick writes about another obscure German airplane, the Fw 187, mostly notable as a curiosity.
   When Kurt Tank's Fw 159 prototype lost to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 during the 1935 trials for a new standard Luftwaffe fighter, he sought to gain a contract for his firm with the design for a new twin-engine, single-seat fighter called the Fw 187. The new design attempted to minimize drag with a very narrow fuselage cross-section, thereby helping to maximize speed. The Luftwaffe was sufficiently impressed to issue a contract for three prototypes. The first mockup was displayed in January 1936 and the initial prototype first flew on 10 April 1937.
   Taking over as test pilot for the new plane was Hans Sander, and the authors gathered much information from Sander before the pilot's death, including a chapter on assessing the Fw 187's flight characteristics. Hermann goes on to describe the progress of testing of the prototypes and compares the Fw 187 with the very similar British Westland Whirlwind. In 1938, however, progress came to an end:

   At the end of 1937 a new test pilot, Paul Bauer, joined Focke Wulf. According to Hans Sander, Bauer was a daring test pilot and parachutist. Bauer took little time in adjusting to his new surroundings and was soon assisting Hans Sander in testing the Fw 187. He flew the Fw 187 extremely well and knew how to get the best out of the machine, especially in aerobatics. What he lacked, however, was a thorough background in technical training. His willingness to take risks was to cost him dearly.
   On 14 May 1938, during aerobatics training in the Fw 187 V1, Paul Bauer was killed when the aircraft crashed. After a steep dive to ground level, he pulled the Fw 187 V1 up into a loop. The aircraft lost too much speed and entered a spin. Out of control, the V1 crashed to the earth. In this extreme situation Bauer attempted to bale out. He succeeded in jettisoning the canopy and releasing his straps, however he failed to get out of the aircraft before it struck the ground. He was buried in Hamburg. The company held a minute of silence in his honor. The RLM is alleged to have used the crash as an excuse not to order a procurement program for the Fw 187. This claim is repeated in numerous publications. This is too simple an explanation, however. Many later successful aircraft suffered crashes. Even aircraft whose success appeared questionable from the beginning entered production. One only has to recall the He 177, which went through a series of crashes resulting in the type being nicknamed the "Reich Cigarette Lighter". Moreover, the crash of the Fw 187 was due to pilot error, not a design flaw.
   Other arguments for the cancellation of the single-seat Fw 187 are more convincing. Goring was firmly convinced that two engines were too many for a fighter aircraft and his views carried weight in the RLM. As Hans Sander put it, at that time the Luftwaffe did not yet realize the need for a twin-engined escort fighter with long range. Not until near the end of the war was the correctness of this philosophy acknowledged, resulting in the rushed development of the Do 335, which never proceeded past the test phase. In any case, by May 1938 the fate of the single-seat fighter version was sealed. Preliminary discussions concerning a twin-seat version of the Fw 187 had taken place some time earlier. Indeed a mock-up of the two-seat version was inspected by the RLM in December 1937.

   The two-seat version of the Fw 187 also failed to get beyond pre-production. Although the Fw 187 was faster and had a greater operating range, the Messerschmitt Bf 110 entered service as the Luftwaffe's twin-engine, twin-seat Zerstorer aircraft and the Focke Wulf project was cancelled. The four available machines were assigned to "factory protection" duty where they flew a number of combat missions and in May 1943 shot down a Spitfire.
   In mid-1942 an upgraded, up-engined Fw 187 Kampfzerstorer was considered as a replacement for the Bf 110 when the planned replacement, the Me 210, proved unsatisfactory. This program also went nowhere, but Hermann presents "in its entirety for the first time" the complete specifications of the Kampfzerstorer version.
   As with Regnat's work on the Do 335, this book is filled with charts, tables, diagrams, and photos, including many close-ups of engines, controls, etc. The Fw 187 book is also very similar to the Do 335 book in overall appearance. And, like the Do 335 book, this volume seems to be aimed mostly at the aviation specialist.

Ransom, Stephen and Hans-Hermann Cammann. Me 163 Me 163 Rocket Interceptor, volume 2. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications, 2003

ISBN 1-903223-13-X
224 pages

Introduction and Acknowledgements; Forewords; photos; tables; diagrams; maps; Sources; Abbreviations; Glossary; Addenda and Corrigenda to Me 163 volume one; Index

Appendices: Unit Organisation; Me 163 Production Summary; Flight Logs

   Visually, there's no mistaking this for anything but a book from Classic. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with the production of Dornier Do 335 or Focke-Wulf Fw 187, it's immediately clear that much more time and effort has been lavished on the layout for Me 163. If nothing else, books from Classic always look darn good.
   In this case, Stephen Ransom and Hans-Hermann Cammann bring us volume two of their history of the Me 163 rocket-powered interceptor. (We brought volume one to your attention about a year and a half ago.) Compared to the Do 335 and Fw 187, the Me 163 was a more successful—and much better known—Luftwaffe model, so the authors have quite a bit more to say about it.
   The second volume picks up with the operational history of I./KG 400 at Brandis from July 1944 through April 1945. Operations are covered as chronological entries, some quite short ("Uffz Kurt Schiebeler [Me 163 BV50, 16310059, PK+QU] attempted unsuccessfully to intercept a P-38 Lightning. He took off at 16.30 and landed at 16.55 hours.") while others run much longer and include reports from Allied pilots as well as the German perspective. The second chapter, considerably thinner, does the same for the shorter existence of II./JG 400 at Stargard and Husum. Together these two chapters comprise by far the biggest chunk of the book. The next chapter, "Bat-Ships," deals with what must have been cases of mistaken identity:

   During the last nine months of the Second World War, Allied aircrews regularly reported sighting the Me 163 while over Germany en route to their targets or, occasionally, being attacked by one or more Me 163s.
   However, a large number of these sightings and attacks took place in locations well beyond the range of Me 163s operating from airfields known to have been used by EKdo 16 and JG 400, namely, Bad Zwischenahn, Wittmundhafen, Venlo and Brandis. Particularly mysterious are the sightings which took place in the area Aachen-Cologne-Bottrop from 11 September 1944 to 25 March 1945, a time when 2./JG 400 was no longer based at Venlo, the airfield closest to where the sightings were made. The unit had, in fact, moved from Venlo on 3 September 1944!
   The authors have repeatedly asked JG 400 pilots if they knew of a Staffel located in the area. All have stated that they were unaware of any re-deployment of Me 163s close to the western border of Germany after the withdrawal of 2./JG 400 to Brandis. Even Wolfgang Spate, the Geschwaderkommodore, said he, of all people, would have known where his squadrons were based! Bearing in mind that the Me 163's silhouette had by then been made known to Allied pilots, what then did these pilots see and engage? One obvious answer is that they mistook the Me 163 for the Me 262, which was encountered in larger numbers than the rocket fighter. The detail with which the Allied pilots described their encounters, however, leaves room for doubt. In this chapter, the authors have collated the reports according to area and date and present them verbatim so that readers can judge for themselves.

   The authors continue with material on training, Me 163 variants, derivatives of the Me 163 ("No further than the drawing board"), and a very interesting chapter on the Japanese development of the MXY8 Akikusa and J8M1 Shusui rocket interceptors. The final chapter of the book, "Where are they now?" covers Me 163s captured by the Allies at the end of the war and includes three pages of data on the eventual fate of more than two dozens machines.
   Unlike most Classic books, this one contains few sidebars amongst the main text, but the layout artfully integrates photos, maps, diagrams, tables, and charts in a most elegant fashion. Unlike the Do 335 and Fw 187 books, this one also splashes some pages with color, including a sprinkling of color photos. Maybe it's because of a more artsy approach or maybe it's simply a sexier topic, but interest in the two volumes on the Me 163 seems likely to transcend the narrow field of aviation experts and the books will probably appeal to a broader audience.

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