JG 2 Jagdgeschwader "Richthofen"
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Units 5
Author: Marek J. Murawski
Publisher: Kagero
ISBN: 978-83-62878-70-3
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 30
The Kagero Units series provides a nice matchup of historical text and photos with decals in multiple scales. Given that aim, one should not expect this to be a thorough history of the unit, nor should one expect dozens of decal options either. For those interested in the general story of JG 2, coupled with some colorful markings, this is a great way to get that.
The book follows the history of JG 2 from its origins in 1934 as JG 132 through its initial combat experience in the skies over Poland in 1939. JG 2 remained in service throughout the war, and saw service throughout Western Europe and North Africa. Several notable aces flew with JG 2, including Egon Mayer, Walter Oesau, and Helmut Wick, and the unit operated just about all major variants of the Bf 109 and Fw 190.
Throughout the book are plenty of photos showing various aircraft of JG 2. These cover the entire range of aircraft, from the Bf 109E to the Bf 109G, Fw 190A to Fw 190D. While the photos are welcome, what modelers are really interested in are the decals, which has the subjects depicted in color profiles. This book provides markings for two Bf 109s and two Fw 190s:
- Bf 109E-4, WNr 5159, White 9, flown by Oblt Hermann Reifferscheidt
- Bf 109F-2/B, Yellow 3, flown by Uffz Richard Übelbacher
- Fw 190A-2, WNr 0120333, White 8, flown by Lt Jakob Augustin
- Fw 190D-9, WNr 400271, Black 4
The decals are nicely printed by Cartograf and include all the unit emblems, personal markings, and individual aircraft numbers. A very nice feature about these books is that the decals are provided in multiple scales, and this sheet is no different. The decals are provided in 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scales.
This is a nice addition to the Kagero Units series, and will make for building a nice collection of JG 2 aircraft. My thanks to Casemate for the review copy.