HISTORY:
** Powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower, offering, as an interceptor, a considerable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannon. Such a blend of armament and speed allowed the Me 262A-1a to inflict carnage on the Allied heavy bomber formations, and also to evade their fighter escorts – even the later marks of Spitfire and the formidable American P-51 Mustang.
In this new study, Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth utilises first-hand accounts from Me 262 pilots to chronicle actions against Allied bombers and their escorts, as well as detailing hit-and-run bomber attacks on road junctions, Allied airfields, vehicle columns, troop assemblies and supply dumps. Enhanced by vivid illustrations, including archival photographs and specially commissioned profile artworks, this engaging account also sheds light on the aircraft’s important reconnaissance role. **
** Quoted from the back cover of the book.
THE BOOK:
Osprey Publications has released Me 262 Units in Combat as Number 155 in their Combat Aircraft series. It is a soft cover book with 96 pages and is the standard Osprey Publishing size of 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Included with the text are black and white photographs, color illustrations, detailed captions and more. It has a 2024 copyright, a publication date of December 19, 2024, and the ISBN is 978-1-4728- 6077-4.
THE CONTENTS:
Chapter One
- Speed Kings
Chapter Two
- A Dubious Debut
Chapter Three
- Virtues of Necessity
Chapter Four
- A New Fighter Wing
Chapter Five
- Production and Training
Chapter Six
- Daylight Operations Phase 1
Chapter Seven
- Weaponry
Chapter Eight
- Night Defender
Chapter Nine
- Daylight Operations Phase 2
Appendices
Colour Plate Commentary
Selected Bibliography and Sources
Index
** The Osprey Publishing website states that the contents list shown with the book listing is “subject to confirmation”. The contents listing I have provided has been taken from the book and is accurate.
THE TEXT:
As with his many other publications, author Robert Forsyth has written an excellent aviation history book about the German Me 262 fighter jet and the units to which they were assigned in a well written and easy to follow and understand manner. The text goes into very specific detail in all areas of the book as outlined on the contents page, please refer to the contents listing that I have provided for the areas that are covered through the book. The chapters in the book are filled with excellent information from the beginning of the fighter jet program through to the end of the war. The amount of information provided is very detailed such as when discussing the Me 262 pilot training program, the author details how the Me 262 pilot’s practical instruction began with a half-day’s exercise in starting and stopping the jet motors and taxing. The pilots then moved on to the flying portion of the training and the flying instruction is also listed which consisted of a total of nine take-offs with different exercises that the pilots had to perform. In the chapter dedicated to the Me 262s weapons, Robert Forsyth has provided detailed information on the 30mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 108 cannon, Werfer-Granate 21 air-to-air mortar, R4M Orkan air-to-air rocket and the Mauser MK 214 cannon weapon systems and discusses their successes and what led to their success, the weapons effectiveness on Allied aircraft as well as discussing the weapons failures and the issues that led to the failures. Along with his own words, Robert Forsyth has also provided several quotes from individuals, both German and Allied, directly involved with the Me 262 noting their observations, experiences and thoughts. The text in the book is nicely written and well detailed. As I read through the text, I didn’t notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Grammar and spelling might not be an important factor to everyone however it is something that I take notice of and pass on my findings. Anyone interested in Germany’s Me 262 jet fighter and military units they were assigned to and their combat actions during World War II will find the text very informative.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
A total of 53 black and white photographs are included in this volume. There are no color photographs featured. The photographs range from wide angle photographs to close-up detailed photographs and are a combination of in-action photographs, photographs removed from motion pictures to photographs that have been staged for the photographer as well as official military personnel profile photographs. Several of the photographs of the various models of the Me 262 are wide angle photographs of the entire aircraft. However, there are also close-up detailed photographs of subjects such as the Me 262 weapons, landing gear, engines, reconnaissance camera, military markings, kill marks, etc. There are also several close-up photographs of German officers, pilots, ground crew and others. These photographs show items such as period civilian clothing as well as German uniforms to include soft caps, medals and military ribbons. One of the photographs that I found interesting is of a Me 262 being refueled by an Opel Blitz Bowser fuel truck. Another is of a German mechanic with a Kettenkrad preparing to tow an Me 262. Author Robert Forsyth stuck to the title of the book and chose subject specific photographs and did not include photographs that strayed from the main subject. The majority of the photographs are clear and easily viewable; however, a few have an out-of-focus hazy look while others appear to be either too dark or too light. However, this can be typical for the period of history being discussed and the quality of the photographs is no fault of the author and does not take anything away from the book. The majority, if not all, of the photographs will prove to be excellent reference material for the scale aviation modeler due to the details they contain. The military historian and German aircraft of World War II enthusiast will benefit from the excellent photographs as will anyone that is interested in Germany’s Me-262 fighter jets and the units to which they were assigned during World War II.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS:
There are 12 pages featuring a total of 24 color aircraft profile illustrations included in the volume by illustrator Jim Laurier. The illustration on the front cover is by illustrator Gareth Hector. There are brief captions that accompany each profile providing information such as the aircraft model, markings, location and timeframe represented. Accompanying the illustrations is the Colour Plate Commentary on Pages 93, 94 and 95 which provides more detailed captions for each of the illustrations. The illustrations will prove to be valuable to the scale aircraft modeler as well as anyone interested in German M2-262 fighter jets during World War II.
The aircraft profile illustrations are all very well done and nicely detailed and are excellent representations of period camouflage and markings. Some of the profiles featured are for the following aircraft. and are of:
- Me 262 V5 Wk-Nr 262 000 0005 PC+UE, Augsburg, Germany summer 1943
- Me 262 S1 Wk-Nr 130006 VI+AF, Lechfeld, Germany spring 1943
- Me 262A-1a Wk-Nr 170067 ‘White 3’ of E.Kdo 262, Lechfeld, Germany, summer 1944
- Me 262A-1a ‘White 1” of Kdo, Nowotny, Achmer, Germany, autumn 1944
- Me 262A-1a ‘White 7’ of Oberfeldwebel Hermann Buchner, Kdo, Nowotny, Lechfeld, Germany, October 1944
- Me 262-1a Wk-Nr 130179 Black ‘F’ of Kdo, Schenck, Lechfeld, July 1944
Please refer to the scans that I have provided of some of the aircraft profiles.
THE CAPTIONS:
The captions are well written and explain the accompanying photographs and illustrations in great detail eliminating any doubt as to what is shown. The captions go into very specific detail as to the specific individuals shown and their military rank and military unit they are assigned to as well as the fate of some of the individuals, the types and models of aircraft shown, aircraft armament and payloads, external and internal items on the aircraft, types of camouflage, aircraft markings, dates and locations and other such pertinent information. I enjoyed reading Robert Forsyth’s captions as they are very informative to the reader due to their detailed content as opposed to other captions that I have seen that are very brief and lacking crucial information.
CONCLUSION:
As with the other Osprey Publishing titles I was impressed with this book. This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, many subject specific photographs and illustrations, well detailed captions and more, all detailing Germany’s Me 262 jet fighter and military units they were assigned to and their combat actions during World War II. As with the other Osprey Publishing titles, I have no hesitation recommending this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal reference library.
Osprey Publishing also offers Me 262 Units in Combat as:
Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6078-1
and
Ebook (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6079-8
Osprey Publishing’s, Me 262 Units in Combat is also available as a Kindle version through Amazon.
PRICE:
UK £16.99 / US $25.00 / CAN $33.00
This book was provided to me by Osprey Publishing. Please be sure to mention that you saw the book reviewed here on the KitMaker Network when you make your purchase. Thank you.
