Well, folks, here is yet another of Kagero's very nice unit histories. This time, they have chosen the last year of JG 1. As with every Kagero book, there is a freebie, and this time there is a very nice Techmod decal sheet in 1/72 and 1/48 covering the 9 aircraft shown in profile. These are mostly FW-190s with a couple of Bf-109s and a He-162 tossed in.

Like other Kagero books, it is a dual language book with Polish on the left and English on the right. All of the photos are dual captioned as well. Also like the other books, the English portion was not written by someone with English as their primary language. As a result, there are some odd phrases and word usage. Nothing that takes away from the write-up, but they do catch one by surprise from time to time. Editing is a touch sloppier on this one as there were a number of misspelled and missing words. I can understand how it happens as I make the same errors myself from time to time.

What really struck me from reading the book is how heavily outnumbered the geschwader was. While the kill to loss ratio was generally around 1:1 or better, the Germans did not have the huge pool of replacement pilots or planes readily at hand. At one time, the entire JG 1 had fewer than a half dozen serviceable aircraft and ready pilots. Aircraft transition time from 109s to 190s and then to 162s (for those gruppes that made the switch) was generally something that took several months, during which they were not heavily involved in combat sorties.

I should mention the cover. While a few 162s were shot down by Allied planes, none were the victors. The image shown is of the only pilot to get close. Unfortunately, his guns jammed and he was unable to press on the attack. A fascinating look into the trials and tribulations of a unit that spent most of its war in the west.

Review book courtesy of me.

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