This is the second volume covering German reconnaissance units during world war II. The books starts with the changes in organization of these units and the switch in chain of command. Previously, these units were pretty much controlled by the Army as they knew what they needed to have done and so communicated directly with the recce units involved. A change now required any request for service to go to the Luftwaffe and then to the units. This was done to allow the Luftwaffe to have greater control over the use of these units, but it also did not have the immediacy of the previous arrangement from Army perspectives.

One of the major changes was the increase in purpose built reconnaissance aircraft to deal with the greater ranges needed; especially in Russia. High altitude work was also part and parcel of the reconnaissance job and the work of the Ju-86P is discussed in this section.

In addition to the standard recon work done by Ju-88, Ju-188 and He-111 aircraft, specialized planes like the Fw-189, Bv-141 and Ar-240 were used for shorter ranged work. There was also a lot of high speed tactical reconnaissance performed by units flying the Bf-109, FW-190 and later the Me-262 and Ar-234 turbojet aircraft.

Nautical reconnaissance was mostly performed by Bv-138 flying boats, He-115 float planes and from land bases, FW-200 and Ju-290 aircraft were the major players. Even very short range work from submarines was tested using the Fa-330 unpowered gyrocopter.

Unlike most of the Classic books that have a sort of diary feel to it, this particular volume, in concert with the previous issue, goes  into how the various missions of reconnaissance units were carried out. The various units and their missions are also covered in some detail. Of course, there is the excellent selection of period photos and the equally superb color profiles that have made this series so informative and useful for both enthusiasts and modelers alike.

It is a volume that you really should have in your library, especially if you have the others in the series. A great read and one you can buy with confidence.

April 2008

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