The Ju-87 is, in some ways, an iconic symbol of Nazi Germany and of the early year of the war. When used in a situation of complete air superiority, it was a very potent weapon. However, when going up against a technologically similar foe, it was easy game.

This did not mean that the aircraft was useless. When used in areas where the Luftwaffe enjoyed even temporary air superiority, the Stuka was still a very potent weapon. As such, when it came time to really need more ground attack aircraft, the Ju-87 was chosen for the task. Two main reasons. One is that it was a proven airframe that could deliver a considerable weapons load and was rugged enough to operate in some rather primitive conditions. Secondly, the production line was still up and running and the upgrades to the aircraft were such that they would be easily incorporated into extant production lines.

Thus was born the second generation Ju-87. The Ju-87D and variants benefitted from a larger and more powerful Jumo 211 engine. There were also a few aerodynamic improvements made, such as a more streamlined canopy and moving the coolant radiators under the wing instead of under the engine. This made for a more sleek airframe and with other improvements, made the plane faster and more useful.

In this second volume, the authors cover some of the other aspects of the second generation Stuka. The book opens with a goodly section on some of the more successful Ju-87 pilots, beginning with Hans Rudel, one of the most well known Stuka pilots and the most decorated German soldier of WWII. This is followed by sections on Erwin Hentschel, Alwin Boerst, Ernst Kupfer and other successful Ju-87 pilots. The section on 'Stuka Aces' covers the first third of the book.

It is then followed by a brief rundown on the various units that flew the Ju-87 including SG 1,2, and 77, which takes us to about half-way through the book. The remainder is page after page of the sort of 3D artwork that Kagero has chosen as its current hallmark in most of their books to some extent or another. This includes overall and detail images of various parts of both the Ju-87D and Ju-87G airframe and equipment. It makes an excellent reference for modelers and all of these images is in full color.

In all, it is a superb volume and one that anyone with an interest in this plane should have on their shelves.