Comments: Softcover, 96 pages, 68 black-and-white and 3 color plates with color schemes for 23 Bf 109s, 14 Fw 190s, and 3 He 162s
ISBN: 978-1-4728-2291-8
Price: $23
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
From the publisher: Formed shortly after the outbreak of World War II and equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109Es, Jagdgeschwader 1 was tasked to defend the North Sea and Baltic coastal areas as well as Germany's main port cities and naval bases. The greatest challenge for JG 1, though, came after 1942 in its defense of the Reich against the U.S. Eighth Air Force’s B-17s and B-24s, bearing the brunt of increasingly regular, larger, and deeper-penetrating daylight bombing raids accompanied by fighter escorts. Levels of attrition subsequently grew, but so did experience among the leading aces who were often the subject of propaganda films and literature.
Many of Germany’s most famous WWII aces flew with JG 1, including Herbert Ihlefeld (132 victories), Heinz Bär (220), and Walter Oesau (127), piloting Bf 109Es, Fw 190s, and the He 162 jet fighter. Packed with photographs, profile artwork, and revealing firsthand accounts, this is the story of the Luftwaffe fighter pilots who battled to defend the skies of Germany.
FSM says: Modelers may find an essential detail in one of the few aircraft photos, but the main attraction will be the color plates profiling schemes for 50 different aircraft.