Having a particular interest in World War II ground attack aircraft, I eagerly awaited the release of this book and was not disappointed with my purchase.   

 Chapter 1 covers the time from when Ernst Udet returned from a trip to the United States in 1931 after being amazed by a demonstration of a Curtis Hawk II biplane dive-bombing a target through the exploits of the Legion Condor in the Spanish Civil War.  It discusses how the Schlacht (ground attack) pilots used this experience to hone their skills and develop tactics for the conflict that loomed ahead.  Chapter 2 covers the Blitzkrieg of 1939 and 1940.  Chapter 3 deals with the first half of the war on the Eastern Front while Chapter 4 covers the Mediterranean theater and night operations on the Eastern Front. 

 Chapter 5 covers the New Order of the Schlacht arm, where there was a five-fold expansion, largely brought about by re-designating all Stuka units as Schlachtgruppen.  The book concludes with Chapter 6, which provides an excellent picture of the reversal of the Reich’s fortunes as the Schlachtgruppen fly around-the-clock sorties in a desperate attempt to hold back the Allied armies in the west and the Red tide in the east. 

 The author demonstrates a great deal of knowledge about the subject matter, with specific detail being given about the various Geschwaders, Gruppen, and Staffeln and the machines they flew.  Most of the Luftwaffe’s ground attack operations were flown on the Eastern Front, so it’s logical that the majority of the book is devoted to that theater of operations.  The colored profiles are very well done, and include the more well-known Hs 123, Me 109, Fw 190, Hs 129, and Ju 87 as well as lesser known aircraft like the He 51, He 46, Go 145 and others.  These will provide plenty of inspiration for future modeling projects.  I was somewhat surprised that the Fw 190 profiles did not include any F-8s with the “blown hood”, but that doesn’t detract from what is provided.  There are plenty of good photographs throughout the book as well, some being familiar but many being new to me. 

 I highly recommend this book.  

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