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Wings of the Luftwaffe: Flying German Aircraft of the Second World War
During the first chaotic months after the fall of the Third Reich, the RAE sent test pilots throughout the British Zone of Occupation to collect examples of the Luftwaffe's standard aircraft and then ferry them to Farnborough. Captain Eric Brown was a pilot in this ferrying operation. Here Brown delivers a detailed assessment of the characteristics of these principal German aircraft: Fw200C; Heinkel He162; Junkers Ju87; Dornier Do217; Messerschmitt Me262, Bf109G, Bf110, Me163, and several others.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2026
WINGS OF THE LUFTWAFFE was one I enjoyed and will hang on to for many more years. It wasn't one of my best though, which I will explain in a moment. But first let me tell you why this book is unique. First off all, this book was written by a British pilot who actually flew all the planes listed in this book. Included are drawings of the top, bottom and side view of the planes. There are also diagrams of the structures of the planes, and of the copits as well, where every little button, lever and doohickey is listed. The author actually saw some of the early versions of these planes up close before the war and they made an impression on him. During the war he fought some of them. It was a curious thing though, the comment he made. He never felt like he was out to kill an enemy airman. He was out to shoot down the enemy plane. No PTSD here. After the war he continued to fly captured planes for evaluation.
Great advances are made in aircraft development during a time of war. A new aircraft can give a decisive edge, which translates into enemy pilots killed or captured. The chance to examine, or better yet, fly a new enemy plane can be an important event. One example from the early days of WWII was when a Japanese Zero tried to land in Alaska and it flipped over and killed the pilot. The US recovered the plane and when they examined and flew it they not only learned the secrets to its early victories, but also how to fight against it. The same applied to captured German aircraft.
One recurring event during WWII was a German plane landing by accident in a British airfield which they had mistaken for German. This happened over and over! You would think this was such a stupid thing to do, and how could it happen, but then you aren't up there, in the clouds trying your best not to get shot down. In the heat of combat, and rotten English weather, one could possibly lose one's bearings, I suppose. In this manner, a perfectly good German FW-190 fighter and a ME-110 night fighter were captured intact. The British learned how to fly their Spitfires against the seemingly invincible FW-190 while the electronic warfare folks learned the secrets to the ME-100's radar and how to jam it.
Some points of interest, at least to me, was that the author found a preference for the piston engine FW-190 over the turbojet ME-262, which many believe would have been a war winner had it been produced sooner. He also felt that the ME-110 was a far better aircraft than what his countrymen gave it credit for. You see, during the Battle of Britain, many were lost as they tried to dogfight it out with the more maneuverable British Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. But when the ME-110s were used as night fighters against lumbering British bombers, they were in their element. There was another event of a German plane landing on a British airfield, but under extraordinary circumstances. A German DO-217 bomber, in full aircraft wartime markings, landed and passed off a secret package before taking off again. In spite of all the British wartime secrets people write books about now this event was never explained. Also, the ME-162 was a rocket fighter. This tailless little bat-like fighter had a rocket motor. Two highly corrosive and explosive fuels actually exploded when mixed in the combustion chamber. This fighter was fast! It was so small that it lacked landing gear and took off on a trolley and landed on a retractable skid. Some 80 percent of all ME-162 losses were due to catastrophic losses during takeoffs and landings! Some war winner, huh?
Now for the part that put a slight damper on this book for me. Much of the print in this book is dedicated to how to start up, take off, and land the various planes. A pilot would find this interesting, especially one flying a wartime plane in private hands. They are still around. I remember the time and ran over and touched the corrugated skin of an actual German JU-52 transport that was sitting outside a hanger.
I am giving this a 3.5 rounded up, for sentimental reasons, to a 4.
Great advances are made in aircraft development during a time of war. A new aircraft can give a decisive edge, which translates into enemy pilots killed or captured. The chance to examine, or better yet, fly a new enemy plane can be an important event. One example from the early days of WWII was when a Japanese Zero tried to land in Alaska and it flipped over and killed the pilot. The US recovered the plane and when they examined and flew it they not only learned the secrets to its early victories, but also how to fight against it. The same applied to captured German aircraft.
One recurring event during WWII was a German plane landing by accident in a British airfield which they had mistaken for German. This happened over and over! You would think this was such a stupid thing to do, and how could it happen, but then you aren't up there, in the clouds trying your best not to get shot down. In the heat of combat, and rotten English weather, one could possibly lose one's bearings, I suppose. In this manner, a perfectly good German FW-190 fighter and a ME-110 night fighter were captured intact. The British learned how to fly their Spitfires against the seemingly invincible FW-190 while the electronic warfare folks learned the secrets to the ME-100's radar and how to jam it.
Some points of interest, at least to me, was that the author found a preference for the piston engine FW-190 over the turbojet ME-262, which many believe would have been a war winner had it been produced sooner. He also felt that the ME-110 was a far better aircraft than what his countrymen gave it credit for. You see, during the Battle of Britain, many were lost as they tried to dogfight it out with the more maneuverable British Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. But when the ME-110s were used as night fighters against lumbering British bombers, they were in their element. There was another event of a German plane landing on a British airfield, but under extraordinary circumstances. A German DO-217 bomber, in full aircraft wartime markings, landed and passed off a secret package before taking off again. In spite of all the British wartime secrets people write books about now this event was never explained. Also, the ME-162 was a rocket fighter. This tailless little bat-like fighter had a rocket motor. Two highly corrosive and explosive fuels actually exploded when mixed in the combustion chamber. This fighter was fast! It was so small that it lacked landing gear and took off on a trolley and landed on a retractable skid. Some 80 percent of all ME-162 losses were due to catastrophic losses during takeoffs and landings! Some war winner, huh?
Now for the part that put a slight damper on this book for me. Much of the print in this book is dedicated to how to start up, take off, and land the various planes. A pilot would find this interesting, especially one flying a wartime plane in private hands. They are still around. I remember the time and ran over and touched the corrugated skin of an actual German JU-52 transport that was sitting outside a hanger.
I am giving this a 3.5 rounded up, for sentimental reasons, to a 4.
March 27, 2017
Neat book by an RAF pilot whose job at the end of the war was to go around test piloting various German aircraft. The text is his thoughts/opinions on how the aircraft performed. Some data he got wrong in terms of what things were used for by the Germans but this is a minor quibble and understandable given the time frame.
June 25, 2024
The previous reviewer needs to think again ! Mr Brown knows alot more than him ! An outstanding book, pure gold.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews