German Jet Aces of World War 2

Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #17

by Hugh Morgan

The Third Reich's last ditch efforts to sweep the massed Allied bomber formations from the skies of Germany centred around the new crop of jet 'wonder weapons' that were issued to the Jagdwaffe from mid-1944 onwards. Far in advance of anything the Allies had even in the experimental phase, types like the Me 262, He 162, Me 163 and the Ar 234 could perform their combat sorties with relative impunity. However, paucity in numbers and unreliable jet engines eventually cancelled out any technological edge that these aircraft offered.

Genres: World War II, History, Aviation, Military Fiction

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1998

Reviews

[Andrew Fear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a slightly deceptive title. It's really a brief history of the Me 262, arguably after the Spitfire the most iconic plane of WW2. As such it's an interesting read and a lesson in what political meddling can do. Who knows what would have happened if Adolf Galland had got his way in 1943 and the 262 had been rolled out straightaway as a jet fighter. I was expecting a bit more in the way of biography of the aces and personal experiences than this book offers, annoyingly there's no bibliography so I can't chase this aspect of the subject immediately. The last chapter is a coda on other German jets and the rocket-powered Me 163 and while interesting it is very brusque. I think Osprey would do better by publishing a separate book on these topics, particularly the latter. The space here would have been better employed talking a bit more about the aces, or perhaps the Me262's radar or the R4M rockets which we are assured were devastating but aren't told much about. Overall an interesting read, but not quite one which does what it says on the tin...

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1998, 'German Jet Aces of World War 2' is No 17 in the 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series and tells the story of the Luftwaffe pilots who were recruited away from their piston-engined combat aircraft units to build up the newly formed jet-engined combat aircraft units. This means that many of the jet fighter pilots were already aces before they set foot in a jet. It also means that some failed to add any additional victories to their tally after doing this, and the title also includes these. This is useful, as it helps put the successful candidates into perspective against those who fell due to a combination of combat and operational accidents, so that you realise just how this was the crucible in which jet fighter tactics were learned. Many photos are included - some are real gems, whilst others have been reproduced many times in other places yet here have the advantage of better captioning. As usual, a large number of colour artwork profiles are included, along with some 1/72 scale plans of the Me 262, confirming that the series is aimed firmly at the aviation modeller. Excellent.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book on the start of jet fighter combat , the planes and their aces. Worth a read for anyone interested in the subject.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

263 - 2016