One of the Luftwaffe's 'jack of all trades' has to be the Ju-88. Developed as a fast bomber, it was much loved by the crews who flew and fought in it. Able to carry a decent bomb load over a goodly distance, it was one of the primary bomber types used not only during the Battle of Britain, but also in other theaters of operation. One of these was the Mediterranean and by extension, the North African theater. The initial deployment was of LG1 to Sicily to help in the operations against Malta, but like many of Germany's campaigns, that one was soon joined by the need to help in Greece as well as in North Africa with the Afrika Korps.

 However, its primary mission was anti-shipping, an area where it achieved some success, though not as much as the Luftwaffe would have liked. It was pretty much a problem on not having enough to do all of the different missions that were required. Often missions were carried out with only a handful of planes when several dozen would have been much more appreciate. The war with Russia further depleted the opportunities in the Med, yet the Ju-88 units carried on as best they could. In addition to anti-shipping, there were dive bombing missions, convoy escort missions, and the need for both strategic and tactical reconnaissance. Like all of Germany's efforts, these units were able to operate pretty well at will in the beginning, but with the Allies continually growing in capabilities and numbers, the tide slowly turned until late in the war, most operations were extremely hazardous in any areas with major Allied build up.

The author does a super job of covering the history and operations of the various Ju-88 units that were sent to the Mediterranean. These planes were seen from Gibralter to Cyprus and everywhere in between. We are around for the successes and failures with many first hand accounts of what it was like to be flying these missions.

This is further enhanced by a superb selection of period photos and the profiles done by the author. There are a number of very interesting and  unusual  camouflage schemes carried by the Ju-88s of this area of operations, making this a book that modelers as well as those who just like the aircraft will come to covet and enjoy. It is a book that I definitely enjoyed reading and is one I know you will like as well.

January 2010

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