German Air Projects 1935-1945

Volume One: Fighters

By Marek Rys
Mushroom Model Magazine Special, 2003
ISBN 83-916327-5-X
112 Pages, Softbound

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

I must admit I am not much of a fan of Luft '46 and project aircraft, so when I received two books on the subject this month, I was a bit despondent. However, once I started reading the text these project aircraft grew on me. This title focuses on fighter aircraft, and is the first in a series of books that will cover the entire gamut of Luftwaffe aircraft. Like other titles by Mushroom, this one comes in a small package that is filled with great writing, drawings, and color work. Since most of these aircraft are projects, there are few actual photos of the real thing.

The book presents the project aircraft in an alphabetical listing, starting with Arado. This is only the first half of the two-part fighter volume, so the contents stop at Gotha. In between, though, are Bachem, Blohm und Voss, BMW, Daimler Benz, Dornier, Fieseler, and Focke Wulf. The text explaining the various aircraft is well written and informative, while the drawings are clear and provide a good view of how the aircraft might have looked. Rounding out the title are several color pages with CGI interpretations of what some of these aircraft might have looked like if they entered service.

This series looks to be a rather interesting one, as it shows a different view to what the designers of World War Two were thinking. Coupled with a comprehensive library of actual Luftwaffe aircraft, this book will provide a great insight into the aviation design process. My thanks to Mushroom for the review sample.