German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 20): No. 20

One of the things I like about the Nachtjager is that they were totally defensive - which doesn't really ring true with the Nazi philosophy of Blitzkrieg and Total World Domination. How many lives they saved from allied bombs - how many sleeping children - is unknown, but they did a good job and looked good doing it.The Me 110 was a slow-poke and pretty easy to shoot down in a fair fight, but at night it really came into its own. That lack of zip was actually a bonus as they crept up on unsuspecting bombers and ripped their bellies open. Especially useful were the upwards-firing schrage musik cannons, as you could come up underneath Halifaxes, Lancasters and Wellingtons and just tear into them. The poor guys inside wouldn't have a clue what was going on as their planes disintegrated around them and the next thing they knew they were falling through the cold night sky with blood in their mouths. I am not unpatriotic or anything, I just think night bombing of cities is a cowardly act, and this is an excellent introduction to the sport of knocking them down!

I have given this book a 5 star rating. It is ideal for model makers (like me) and amateur historians (again, like me) as it has some interesting images. The information is concise and well laid out. As with all Osprey books, it is well researched. In short, it's an ace of a book!!

Great value. Great product.

The book is swamped by inacuracies that severely degrade its value. On the other hand the photographs published in the book represent some value. If you are looking for general overview the book will do. If you are an Luftwaffe aficionado or modeler you should consider whether the couple of pictures (which could be obtained from different sources) is worth the money.

Really excellent quality for second hand book

Good Product

Mi aspettavo un testo un po' meno 'tecnico', è sicuramente buono per chi è più interessato agli aerei che non alla storia ed ai suoi protagonisti.

Excellant book that tells of the Luftwaffes battle against RAF Bomber Command. Because this battle covered almost the entire Second World War, this book does not go into detail. However, this volume is an excellant intrduction to the subject, and, as such, is reccomened.

This 1998 edition from the Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #20 is an enlightening, and vital aviation history title capably executed by Jerry Scutts. It is not intended to be a detailed history of the German Air force (Luftwaffe) Night Fighter Arm (Nachtjagd) but instead focuses on the operational techniques employed by the "Nachtjagd" and relates the experiences of a number of it's leading crews. Wolfgang Falck, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, Helmut Lent, and Prinz Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and other night fighter aces are featured. The Osprey volumes are concise and handy. This volume is 96 pages loaded with excellent black and white photos, color plates of the aces aircraft (Bf 110, He 219, Ju 88C, Do 215B and Bf 109G), 6 figure plates of the aces, and Appendices listing the names and scores of the "Experten" and 1/96th scale drawings of the aircraft. I highly recommend this volume to anyone that enjoys reading and studying World War Two Aviation. There is a computer simulation (game) called "Defending the Reich" by HPS Simulations that reenacts part of the Night Fighter campaign which I also recommend for anyone that enjoys historical simulations. Defending the Reich

This Osprey title recounts the battles at night between the night fighters of the Luftwaffe's Nachtjagd and the bombers of RAF's Bomber Command. As such it does a very good job. The buyer will get the usual, excellent Osprey color plates, photos and illustrations.The author, Jerry Scutts, tells the story of the formation of the Nachtjagd, its development as the war progressed as well as the weapons used and brief mention of the German night fighter pilots who were successful in the defense of the German homeland against the terror bombing campaign carried out by Bomber Command. The book covers the principle Luftwaffe aircraft used in the night fighter role, mainly the ME-110 but also the JU-88, DO-17, the ME-109 and FW-190 used in the "Wild Boar" role, as well as the HE-219 in limited numbers.We read of men such as Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Wolfgang Falck, Helmut Lent and Wolfgang Schnaufer - often in their own words. The reader gets a sense of the technological war waged by the RAF and Luftwaffe. The careful reader will note that no technological advantage lasts long before countered by an advance of technology by the other side. It's an important topic considering the massive sums sunk into technology by the world's militaries - especially that of the US.This is a very good work covering the air war at night during WWII, but I was expecting more about the night fighter aces themselves. Most of the book covers the airwar itself as the war went on with brief mentions of the pilots. Nonetheless, I give this Osprey title four stars for packing a lot of information about the night airwar into a relatively small package.