Junkers Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader in North Africa and the Mediterranean

Description

This volume follows the Luftwaffe's twin-engined 'Wunderbomber' southwards to describe its deployment in North Africa and the Mediterranean theatre of war. Early 1941 saw the first sporadic air raids on Malta, followed by the campaign in the Balkans which resulted in the conquests of Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete. After supporting land operations in North Africa during the latter half of 1941, the Ju 88s resumed their assault on Malta. Bringing the story to life are personal accounts of the more famous actions - the bombing of shipping off the coast of Greece and the sinking of three Royal Navy destroyers south of Crete, all illustrated with rare photographs and full-colour profiles.

Osprey's primary Luftwaffe author/artist, JOHN WEAL has written and/or illustrated more than 25 titles in the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Aviation Elite Units series since 1994. Possessing one of the largest private collections of original German-language literature from World War 2, his research is firmly based on this huge archive. Fluent in German, Weal has also spent much time establishing contact with ex-members of the Luftwaffe, from General Staff Officers of the RLM to frontline aircrew. He has often used these private sources to gain access to further archival material, including complete Luftwaffe orders of battle for the various fighting fronts and individual combat reports. A freelance airbrush artist since the days of the monthly RAF Flying Review, and its various successors, Weal also helps his German wife run a small technical translation and interpreting agency.

"The author does a super job of covering the history and operations of the various Ju-88 units that were sent to the Mediterranean... This is further enhanced by a superb selection of period photos and the profiles done by the author. There are a number of very interesting and unusual camouflage schemes carried by the Ju-88s of this area of operations, making this a book that modelers as well as those who just like the aircraft will come to covet and enjoy. It is a book that I definitely enjoyed reading and is one I know you will like as well." --Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness, www.modelingmadness.com (February 2010) "A solid pick for such [military history] collections... John Weal's Junkers JU 88 Kampfgeschwader in North Africa and the Mediterranean, telling of the history of the twin-engined bomber that performed as a bomber, reconnaissance platform, and fighter. Any library strong in aircraft development will find this a specialized winnger, as well." --The Bookwatch (January 2010)