There comes a time in the history of nations and armies when the normal things aren't working well and one just has to try something different. So it was with the Luftwaffe in late 1943. American bombing raids were getting larger and larger and the normal tactics just didn't seem to be stopping the raids. Despite some pretty incredible successes, they kept on coming.

Major Han-Gunter von Kornatzki came up with the proposal of a mass attack on a bomber stream with heavily armed and armored aircraft and chose the FW-190 to be the aircraft of choice. This plane was modified with additional armor plating around the cockpit as well as armored glass to protect the pilot. The outer cannon were replaced with 30mm guns and the cowling guns were often removed and the troughs covered over. All this additional weight made them poor dog-fighters, so they needed cover to keep any Allied fighters away.

Kornatzki's ideas were accepted by the Luftwaffe and he was given 6 months to prove his idea. Pilots were hand chosen and had to sign oaths that showed a willingness to ram the enemy if nothing else would work. This wasn't a suicide unit as the pilot was expected to parachute to safety so that he could return to the fight.

This was the formation of Sturmstaffel 1. After training in tactics, the unit became operational in January of 1944. It was a success and later in 1944 it became a full Gruppe and part of JG 3. Later units joined in the cause, including the Wilde Sau night fighting unit JG 300 and other units. Though able to wreak havoc on the US bombers, their successes were just a tiny bit of the overall numbers of attacking bombers and were not enough to stop the raids.

John Weal tells a great tale that will have you fully engrossed in this book. As with all books of this type, it is in a day to day diary format, but told so well that the reader doesn't get bogged down in stats. It is further enhanced by a superb collection of photographs and the usual excellent profiles. I wouldn't doubt that we'll see many of these on decal sheets in the near future!

Overall, I'd have to say that this is one of Osprey's better titles. This reviewer found it to be thoroughly entertaining and gives it his highest recommendation. 

November 2005

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