As Classic's excellent series winds down, this one covers the last year of the war and the conditions in the air above Germany during that time. Initially able to do considerable damage against Allied daylight bombing, the situation deteriorated until the end when there was little that could be done against the overwhelming mass of attacking aircraft.

It was simply a case of several things working against the Germans. First was that the Jagdwaffe was steadily losing its most experienced pilots, either killed or so badly injured that they couldn't fly. As difficult as it was to fly against the bombers themselves, the inclusion of escort fighters made things just that much more difficult. Successes were found from time to time, but overall, rarely was an Allied bombing mission turned back because of the German air defenses. Sending 100 aircraft against a total mass of several hundred protected aircraft just doesn't produce the sorts of results one wants.

In addition, all this bombing against fuel supplies meant that often there was insufficient fuel for training and later this even affected the number of planes that could be sent up for missions.

Then there was the Eastern Front. The Russians were of much more a concern to the German high command than Allied bombing so the majority of Luftwaffe units were being used in what was basically a ground attack war against the Soviets, leaving few to meet the bombing onslaught from the West.

Finally, there was the confusion and ineptness of high German leadership, who constantly meddled in the attempts of the Jagdwaffe to make some major gains. Even towards the end of the war, the political in-fighting was intense and this can't bode well for the troops doing the actual fighting. Even the addition of new aircraft types such as the FW-190D-9 and the Ta-152H were but a pittance. Had they come earlier, things may have been different, but really, it would just have prolonged the inevitable.

This edition brings forth all the courage and bravery of the pilots, the frustrations of the unit leaders, and the colors and camouflage of the aircraft involved. As always in this series, there are superb profiles and photos of the aircraft in question. I find these books a real inspiration for scale modelers and historians alike. This is one of the best and one I most highly recommend.

August 2005

Review book courtesy of , where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Visit their website at the link above or call them at 1-800-895-4585

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has 300,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.