Luftwaffe Colours Vol. 2 Section 2

Jagdwaffe
Battle of Britain Phase Two
Aug-Sept 1940

by Eric Mombeek
with
David Wadman & Martin Pegg

Classic Publications

Reviewed by Brett Green

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The Classic Colours Jagdwaffe project is an ambitious series of books covering the camouflage and markings of Luftwaffe fighter aircraft from the first tentative challenge to the Treaty of Versailles to the end of the Third Reich.

Battle of Britain Phase 2, August-September 1940 is the sixth title in the series. The time period covered is short, but the few weeks from 13 August represented perhaps the most serious crisis of the war as the outcome of the Battle of Britain teetered in the balance.

Eric Mombeek's text provides a series of "snapshots" of campaign highlights interspersed with pilot's recollections and an analysis of the likely threat of Operation Sealion - the German seaborne invasion of the United Kingdom. The text is interesting and logically structured.

However, the focus of this book is camouflage and markings. The book excels in this area. More than 250 wartime photos illustrate the planes and their pilots. Captions are detailed and helpful. Tom Tullis supplies 29 of his marvellous colour profiles covering a wide range of colour schemes. Colour illustrations of unit markings also pepper the book. Two colour photos are a rare bonus.

Battle of Britain Phase 2 is presented in soft cover format over 96 high quality pages.

Notwithstanding the short timeframe and depth of information in the Battle of Britain Phase 2, it does not pretend to be a detailed history or operational record of the campaign. The focus is camouflage and markings of German fighter aircraft, and the book covers this aspect very well with its photographs and profiles. The inclusion of personality profiles, pilot's accounts and analysis of key events of the period place the aircraft and their markings in a historical context

The Classic Colours Jagdwaffe series is an ambitious project. Eric Mombeek's Battle of Britain Phase Two will be a valuable resource to modellers of Luftwaffe subjects on its own, or as part of the whole series.

Recommended.

Eric Mombeek's "Battle of Britain Phase Two", and other Classic books, may be purchased 
through specialist bookstores worldwide or from Classic Publications Website

Review Copyright © 2002 by Brett Green
This Page Created on 09 January, 2001
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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