This is a compendium edition of the much regarded and long out of print Nachtjägervolumes in the acclaimed Classic Coloursseries on the aircraft, camouflage and markings of the Luftwaffe between 1933-1945. The book focuses on the operations and the aircraft of the Nachtjagdfrom its origins in the inter-war years through its desperate and climactic battles against the massed raids of RAF Bomber Command from 1943 onwards. The force evolved from using single-seat Bf 109s to twin-engined Bf 110s and Ju 88s, with advanced radar equipment and weapons systems, supported by a sophisticated ground reporting network. It produced many leading night fighter aces such as Wolfgang Falck, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer and Helmut Lent. As the war progressed and the strategic situation began to tilt away from Germany's favor so, ironically, the pace of development quickened with the Luftwaffe introducing uprated versions of the Ju 88 as well as new types such as the Do 217 and He 219 alongside the tactical innovation of 'Wilde Sau' night fighting which saw the return of single-seat Bf 109s and Fw 190s. In the last, desperate months of the war, even the Me 262 was introduced as a night fighter in limited numbers. Nachtjägeris an important resource for modellers and students of Luftwaffe history, providing a detailed narrative augmented by many photographs and specially commissioned color profiles.

To be produced in the same style as the 'Jagdwaffe' series (which concentrated on German day fighters), this is the first of a two-part history of the German Nachtjager - the nightfighter force - in World War 2. The Luftwaffe used many aircraft in the nightfighter role, primarily to combat RAF Bomber Command's nocturnal heavy bombing raids against German targets from 1940/1 onwards and a 'cat and mouse' development of aircraft enhancement, weapons, guidance systems and radar took place. The book contains a wide variety of aircraft. This volume, for example, concentrates on the single-seat Me109 fighter adapted as a nightfighter, early versions of the Me110 and the Ju88. The text will be accompanied by a wide range of photographs - many being published for the first time - together with the usual colour profiles, biographies of top nightfighter aces such as Falck, Schnaufer, Lent, Jabs and others. Furthermore, there will be pilot accounts and text boxes offering details of the Schrage Musik upward-firing, FuG202 Lichtenstein and SN-2 radar sets, etc.With the great importance attached by the Royal Air Force to its nocturnal bombing raids, the importance to the defence of Germany of the nightfighter squadrons cannot be overstated. This volume and its companion will provide the modeller and historian with a detailed examination of the Nachtjager forces deployed by the Luftwaffe during the war and will be required reading for all interested in the subject of the nightly battles over the skies of the Reich during World War 2.

Night fighters

Both a guide for modellers and a basic introduction to the working practices of the steam railway, this is an in-depth look at the nature of passenger train operation on Britain's railways. Topics discussed include working practices and train formations, non-passenger coaching stock on passenger trains, locomotive types developed specifically for passenger services and station design. c200 b/w photos. c96 pages. Softback. This title has not yet been published. Your order will be recorded and the book will be supplied as soon as it becomes available. Your credit/debit card will not be charged until the book is available for despatch

A highly illustrated history of German experimental secret project fighters and ground-attack aircraft in alphabetical order starting with those manufactured by Arado and ending with Junkers. This first volume in a new series reveals a remarkable range of secret projects and experimental aircraft that did not appear in the very popular Luftwaffe Secret Projects series. Aircraft, projects and designs are detailed, with approximately 175 color illustrations. Historians, aviation enthusiasts, and modelers will find this book a valuable resource.

Germany’s air ministry was quick to grasp the potential of the jet engine as early as 1938 and by 1939 several German aircraft manufacturers were already working on fighter designs that would utilize this new form of propulsion. Rocket engines too were seen as the way of the future and companies were commissioned to design fighters around them. As the Second World War began, the urgent need to bring these advanced new types into production saw a host of innovative aircraft designs being produced which would eventually result in Messerschmitt’s Me 262 jet fighter and the Me 163 rocket-propelled interceptor. And as the war progressed, efforts were increasingly made to find better ways of utilizing jet, rocket and latterly ramjet engines in fighter aircraft. Aviation companies from across Germany set their finest minds to the task and produced some of the most radical aircraft designs the world had ever seen. They proposed rotating wing ramjet fighters, arrowhead-shaped rammers, rocket-firing bat-winged gun platforms, sleek speed machines, tailless flying wings, tiny mini fighters and a host of others ranging from deadly looking advanced fighters to downright dangerous vertical launch interceptors. Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe Volume 1: Jet Fighters 1939-1945 by Dan Sharp, based on original research using German wartime documents, offers the most complete and authoritative account yet of these fascinating designs through previously unseen photographs, illustrations and period documentation from archives around the world.

This book is the first in a two-part comprehensive study of the development and operational history of the Junkers Ju 88, exploring the many variants of this famous and long-serving Luftwaffe multirole aircraft. The text is supported by several hundred rare photographs, manufacturer’s handbook data, scale line drawings, and specially commissioned color artwork. The work will represent the most comprehensive study of the Ju 88 in many years. The first volume gives a detailed examination of its construction program and development from its beginnings in the mid-1930s through all the variants produced during the war. Amongst its many roles, it was known widely as a feared night fighter, representing the pinnacle of German aeronautical design technology. It also served in numbers with the air forces of Finland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Spain, and France. Its appeal as a combat aircraft—especially to modelers—was due to its widely dispersed service and as such, its variants, including the Ju 188 and Ju 288 are also covered.