Read n' Reviewed: Luftwaffe Gallery # 5
Written & Published by Erik Mombeeck
56 pages, softcover, in A4 Landscape format
96 photographs (most of them unpublished before),
28 colour artworks by Thierry Dekker,
personal accounts from Luftwaffe personnel
Price: 18 Euros/ US$19.90 plus postage.
Product Link
Written & Published by Erik Mombeeck
56 pages, softcover, in A4 Landscape format
96 photographs (most of them unpublished before),
28 colour artworks by Thierry Dekker,
personal accounts from Luftwaffe personnel
Price: 18 Euros/ US$19.90 plus postage.
Product Link
Over
a period of over twenty five years now, Erik Mombeeck has been
collecting interviews, pictures and paraphernalia from survivors of
the WWII conflict from all around the world. As the readers of his
book, we have been the welcome recipients of some before unknown knowledge, unpublished pictures and accounts from the battlefields in
the sky during that conflict. With new material becoming more rare,
forgotten, and sometimes lost altogether – every book seems like it
is harder to produce for these types of historians. However, a new
generation has been exposed to their grandparents memoirs and photos
through them often being passed down over the years, and still more
new material is now coming to light. Let's see what is in this –
the 5th instalment of this popular Luftwaffe pictorial...
Each
of these books is a landscape, A4 softcover format. This volume is
fifty-six 56 pages, with ninety six photos inside. Most if not all of
these unpublished before. We also have twenty eight lovely profiles
and artworks by the very talented Thierry Dekker included.
In
this issue we have:
1)
Emblem Gallery: Raining Cats And Dogs
2)
Camouflage Gallery: Jg 2 Mottle Musings In Collaboration With Neil
Page
3)
Markings Gallery: All In A Spin – Colourful Spinners
4)
Unit Gallery I : Six Months With 2./JG 2, from Eagle To Owl
5)
Unit Gallery II: Wekusta 2 In All Weathers by Pierre Babin
6)
Readers Corner
...all
for a 18 Euros price tag – so to me so far this book looks like
quite an achievement – but it is the contents that count – so
let's have a look through the book.
The
book starts off with a nice introduction. This fleshes out the
contents of the book, but also denotes the many noted historians that
contribute to this book. There is quite an interesting team of
enthusiasts involved in this book and it is another promising sign of
what's inside.
The
first section of the book is called "Raining Cats & Dogs"
– and it highlights the many emblems and insignia of the feline
and canine that were draped on German WWII pilot's mounts in the
past.
Some
really well known emblems of hunds und katze are on show, in
picture form combined with text to describe the scenario, or or in
profile from from Thierry Dekker. Sometimes we see a picture of the
aircraft and then the profile right next to it to better illustrate
the markings and colours which are provided, which really brings a
little more life to each of the subjects. There are some beautiful
aircraft in this section, including a various number of Bf-109, Fw
190, Stukas, Zerstorers – all of the earlier Luftwaffe mainstays
really in some lovely quality pictures. The emblems themselves are
also replicated in large full colour drawings.
To illustrate the many emblems and pilots of the book, we thought you
might recognise some of these decorations, the dackell of JG77 biting the Russian aircraft (and the story behind those dogs) the well
known "Rudel" stukas with the red and black Scottish terrier
from the Immelman group. The interesting English top hat wit american
& British flags on them being pee'd on by a nice little dog is
something i had never seen before. The famous "Bonzo" of
JG2 and the longer limbed cat with an arched back are here amongst
the many emblems. This is a major part of the book and all of the
shots here held some interest for me, enough to want to know more
about them from the author's text.
The
next section of the book explains and shows images of the changes
in camouflage of several aircraft in the early phases of the war, from
the Polish campaign through to August in 1940, which was well into
the Battle of Britain era. These aircraft are all Bf 109e models, but
they all have something interesting to them that the author points
out. The study also involves the pilots, ground crew and their pooches as well that give you a nice slice of their life on the airfield 'round these aircraft.
Through
the use of the excellent pictures of these aircraft, often in a
varied state of repair or disrepair, to the emblems or personal
markings reproduced by the artist and then the next dimension of
bringing these aircraft into colour with the profiles of nearly every
craft here. For me, each of these aircraft are kind of brought to life
from this mix of photographic and modern artistic reproduction in
colour. I have studied the profiles to see if there was anything
missed, and indeed there were some things I would have missed if it
was not for the diligence of the artist Mr Thierry Dekker. He
must have studied these pictures very hard to pick out the smallest
detail that he has included in these profiles. A great discussion on
how and why the markings of these fighters changed through the
periods of slightly different use by the Luftwaffe.
We
go into a spin next with the next section. A three page study of some
of the variety of really different spinner patterns that we often see
on Luftwaffe aircraft. There are a bunch of smaller shots in this
small section, but the subjects are however interesting to me.
Next
off we look at the 2.JG 2 unit and their transition over a six month period from the Fw 190a in the famous black hawk nosed fighter emblem
in day time missions over France. These are some of the most iconic
looking butcher birds, and this unit history during that period is
brought out mostly this time in block text, with the pictures mostly
there to add colour to the writing. The personal accounts included in
this short section of five pages are the real cream here and I love
to read first hand accounts like these.
The
profiles of the butcher birds, from the Falcon-nosed day fighters to
the nearly all over RLM 76 birds used in night time interception
duties are present again and they add a lot to the book, especially
for modellers.
Lastly in this book another short chapter, this time another section of
mainly text based story telling concerning the weather recon unit
"Wekusta 2" who flew mainly heavy Ju-88's, He-111's and
later He 177's.
Again
we have a lot of text with pilot's accounts interlaced in there, also
pictures of the aircraft and profiles to match them. Just enough to
keep the modeller and the enthusiast engaged I feel. The letters are
haunting, and the last letter to a parent of a flyer lost in a tragic accident are something you would never want to read about your own
child, but just so insightful as an inclusion here.
As usual the reader's corner at the end of the book adds feedback from the strong enthusiast community.
Well
that is it for this edition of LuGA – I think no.5 is a worthy
addition ot the series, and the fact that our author Mr Mombeeck
keeps on unearthing new material that is conveyed in such an
interesting and professional fashion should be acknowledged.
This
is a great read, reference and conversation piece for Aircraft and
Luftwaffe historians alike.
Adam
Norenebrg
You can order the Lu/Ga 5 sending a message here Check out Erik's site for more on his books, his personal blog and Luftwaffe history.
