Continuing with their superlative books on Luftwaffe aircraft, this latest edition from Classic Books concentrates on the fascinating Junkers Ju-287. This was the first forward-swept wing jet aircraft and the initial prototype was pieced together using bits of various airframes in a remarkably short period of time. 

As fate would have it, though a very promising design that was, by all accounts, a delight to fly, the cessation of all bomber development in late 1944 stopped development and flying of this interesting type. It and its nearly complete cousin were shoved into the trees where the Allies later found them.

But the story does not end there as the Junkers factory and the 287 were in what was to be Soviet controlled territory so it and all the tooling and workmen were shuffled off to Russia where development continued. Many of the Soviet's early jet bomber designs can be traced back to the Ju-287 so it had impact well beyond the war years.

In this book, the authors cover not only the full story of the Ju-287, but also the history of forward swept wings from the initial days of manned flight up until the present. Though the design has only been used commercially in a very few aircraft, it does hold promise and is still being developed by the Russians as a possible next generation of jet fighter.

The story is superbly told and further enhanced by many high quality photographs, some of which are in print here for the first time. It is a book that is a fascinating read and belongs on the shelves of anyone who is a true enthusiast. Highly recommended.

March 2009

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