German Bomber Aircraft of World War II (Technical Guides) Hardcover – June 14, 2020

Excellent! This is a great reference for WW2 aircraft enthusiasts. I was surprised to see some prototypes and rare aircraft designs that are rarely ever mentioned in other books.

Love the artwork in this book!

I had a chance to read this field guide and I was quite surprised that it includes not just bombers but also ground attack aircraft as well as helicopters, maritime patrol aircraft, and various fixed-wing aircraft for non-combat purposes like transports, trainers, and reconnaissance aircraft. Moreover, the Junkers Ju 287 forward swept wing jet bomber was ironically not included in the chapter about bombers because it was the first multi-engine jet bomber to fly (the first two prototypes, of which only the first was completed and flown, were meant to emulate the flight characteristics of the production Ju 287 [which would have been nothing more than a jet-powered Ju 388 with forward-swept wings] and thus were constructed from components of other aircraft). Nonetheless, this work includes some lesser-known aircraft like the Messerschmitt Me 264 prototype intercontinental bomber, Reichenberg suicide plane (a manned version of the V-1 cruise missile), and Blohm und Voss Bv 238 flying boat, considering that the Me 264 was the closest Hitler ever came to developing a counterpart to the B-29 Superfortress and B-32 Dominator. While the Junkers Ju 52 was the most prolific German transport aircraft of World War II, the Arado Ar 232 and Messerschmitt Me 321/323 Gigant are notable in that they put Nazi Germany light-years ahead of the Allies in developing purpose-built airlifters (although some American transport gliders of World War II were designed to carry a few military vehicles).

The book is good but there is nothing new that you can’t find online. It is small for what it is. I was expect more of a fold out and closer photograph details.

This book is a good primer on the subject. I imagine it (along with its companion volume on German fighters) would be a very welcome gift to a person who was starting out with an interest in historic aviation or airplane model building. The selection of aircraft is very good. Indeed, though titled "Bombers" it includes chapters on ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft, transports, seaplanes, and, a nice bonus, helicopters. In addition to photos there are full color profiles of each aircraft. However, there are no three-way views or cutaways. A few notable aircraft also get a two-page spread with an annotated illustration of the plane in action --- these are cribbed, though, from prior Amber publication (viz Aircraft Anatomy of World War II). While there may be a few quibbles with the text, it is overall clear and concise. As other reviewers have noted, this is a small book (roughly 9" x 7" and slender); some evidently found that to be too small, but I thought it was a neat size, perfect for any bookshelf. The book is clearly not aimed at those who are already knowledgeable on the subject and are looking for more depth of technical or operational details, but it does a fine job as a basic overview.

It needed more models of bomber aircraft, but what it does provide is quite good.