Now some of you may be thinking that you've seen this book before. Well yes and no. Author Ullman did produce an earlier version of this book that was ten dollars cheaper and had a hundred fewer pages in it. This is an expanded version with all that has been learned since the last edition added in or changed.

It is still very much a scholarly work that is full of photographs, camouflage charts and color profiles. Color information on the Luftwaffe is probably one of the best researched aircraft camouflage subjects around. This is probably the best researched book on the subject currently available. It is not a color profiles book, but a scholarly work that cites the various official documents on color to show how these planes were intended to be painted and marked. We all know that these requirements were often amended on the field and differed somewhat from place to place where the aircraft were built. We also know that as the war situation grew worse, these specifications were followed less and less to the letter and more with what was on hand.

Nonetheless, the Germans were still following these requirements pretty closely and I've always been amazed that even when it was known that the end was near, there were still people concerned about the proper camouflage of an aircraft. Now I could go on and say more about it, but for the sake of brevity, I'll refer you to the earlier review. All that was said about that edition can be said about this.

So here it is. Pretty well all you would want to know about the subject and the culmination of years of research and inquiry. It is a book that every Luftwaffe camouflage enthusiast should have on their shelves, even if they have the earlier edition. It is a book that I know I'll be referring to time and time again over the years and one that I can most highly recommend to you.

Specialty Press wanted me to pass this information on to you who might already have the earlier edition. "I just wanted to point out that even though this book has significantly more pages than the earlier version, this is mostly due to format/design/page size changes. The actual new material in the book is only about 10 pages' worth, according to the publisher.  I just wouldn't want anyone who already owns the original version to be misled into thinking that this new edition has a ton of additional information in it." I appreciate the forthright commentary and know you will as well. If you don't already have the earlier edition, get this one as the last one sold out quickly.

November 2008

Review book courtesy of Specialty Press, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Visit their website at the link above or call them at 1-800-895-4585

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