The most feared aircraft of the early war was the Ju-87 Stuka. This reputation was earned in Poland and the earlier attacks in Europe where they were able to wreak havoc on the largely undefended armies and population. The screech of the landing gear mounted siren when the planes went into their dives was an added psychological boost to instill terror into the hearts of those under their bombs. Once the going got tough in terms of a dedicated air defense, the Stukas were pulled out of the fight and sent to those places where the opposing air forces were either very weak or non-existent.

Stuka Geschwader 2 was formed in 1934 as St.G 162, equipped with the He-50,  and given the Immelmann name in 1935. As the premier dive bombing unit, it got the Hs-123 and later the Ju-87 before others. On 1 May 1939, with war looming, it was renamed St.G 2 and eventually sent to northern Germany where it took part in the invasion of Poland. The unit participated in the attacks on Belgium, Netherlands, and France, where the lack of strong air defense and general air superiority allowed it to operate with great efficiency. When the battle turned to Great Britain, it was there that the weakness of the Ju-87 was shown in its inability to defend itself against a determined and modern enemy.

The unit then went to Greece and again, thanks to a weakened aerial defense, was able to wreak havoc. It was especially good at sinking British warships in the waters around Crete during the British evacuation. Later, it took part in operations in Russia where it was equipped with the newer Ju-87D and G aircraft. It was here that they became proficient in 'tank busting' with the Ju-87G mounted with twin 37mm cannon under the wings. In September of 1943 it was realized that most of the work of the unit was ground attack instead of dive bombing and so was renamed Schlactgescwader 2 (SG.2). Thus St.G 2 came to an end.

Another of Kagero's most interesting Polish/English  unit histories. This is one of the better written books in terms of translations with little in the way of syntax differences. Makes for a much more enjoyable read when you don't have to decipher just what in the world the author meant! This edition is full of photos, many of which I've not seen before, though there are a few of the 'standards' in the pages. There are only 7 profiles and those all of Ju-87s. What is nice is that the 'centerfold' Ju-87A is in prewar colors and a full three view is provided, a most useful reference for modelers. The goodie in this book was a book mark with RLM 66 and RLM 67 on it. Frankly, I've not heard of RLM 67 (which is listed as Olive Green) and never used it on any of my models.

Overall, this is one of the better editions and if your interest is towards the Ju-87 or the Luftwaffe, then you should have this one on your shelves.

Purchased by me.

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