The fourth new book in the 'Black Cross' series is the He-111. Arguably the most widely used Luftwaffe bomber, the He-111 was developed under the auspices of a Lufthansa airliner, though its carrying capabilities of only 10 passengers makes one wonder if it would have been economically viable if built just for that role.

This edition continues in the vein of the other three in that there is a background history of the designer and previous aircraft that lead up to the He-111. A full developmental history is given, starting with its use by Lufthansa. This section includes the He-116, which was a four engined follow-up aircraft. Then it goes into Luftwaffe usage and all the different variants are covered, along with what the differences were between them.

Using period technical manuals as references, there is then a very large section on the aircraft and systems, using an He-111H-16 as the baseline. This technical details section will be of most use to the detail modeler as here one can see just how everything is positioned in relation to each other. There are lots of drawings and detail photos that really enhance this portion of the book.

This is followed by a listing of all the prototype aircraft, then several pages of the He-111 in operation around the world. A modeling section is next with a couple of built up models of the Italeri 1/72 He-111. This was before the excellent Hasegawa kit was produced. An official RLM camouflage diagram is next and that is followed by the last section in the book, a selection of color profiles.

Overall, it is an excellent book, not only as a primer on the type, but especially for the detail modeler or those interested in the technical aspects of the aircraft. It is a book that every Luftwaffe enthusiast should have on their shelves.

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