Messerschmitt Me 109 cz. 3

Monografie Lotnicze 44
Me 209-609, Projekty, Wersje Pochodne: Czeskie I Hiszpanskie
By Robert Michulec
AJ Press, 2000
ISBN 83-86208-67-8
88 pages, Polish text

Available from AIRConnection for $19.99

Reviewed by Will Riepl

The number of books on the Bf109 has got to be at an all-time high, which makes it more and more difficult for a publisher to put out something that hasn't been done before. Well, AJ Press has come out with part three of their series on the famous Messerschmitt and they've accomplished just that. Covering the Me 209 through the 609 (which is a mix of both real and paper projects), this book also covers the Jumo-engined Czech examples and the Merlin engined Spanish examples, giving a pleasant blend of real and hypothetical planes.

While I'm not normally into paper projects, there's some VERY interesting examples presented in this book, such as the stretched wing, stretched fuselage examples. And when I say stretched, I mean STRETCHED. What's even more interesting are the ones that look like a paper projects, but really existed. Picture a Bf109E with a Twin Wasp engine and a bubbletop canopy. Yup, it really existed, as the Bf109V21 and looks more like a Japanese Ki43 than a Bf109.

There are lots of excellent scale drawings in this book, giving plenty of fuel for those ambitious souls who want to convert your preferred Bf109 kit, while the photos offer plenty of interesting information. There's a full page of color photos of the surviving Me209, still in its original scheme. Color profiles are also included, mostly of Czech and Spanish examples, but some of the more sedate Bf109 options are also illustrated.

With all the Bf109 books out there it's hard to justify yet another one, but this one is a real must-have for any Bf109 aficionado. The coverage of real airframes such as the Czech and Spanish examples is first rate, and the rest gives some insight into the thoughts of the Messerschmitt designers as the war progressed. The price is well worth the material presented, so don't pass this one up.