Specialty Press and Crecy Publications bring us an outstanding study of the Ju-88 airplane. The book has a total of 15 chapters, which covers the historical backdrop under which the Ju-88 was developed, includes very detailed analysis on other prototypes and German bombers, even allied bombers in a similar class and then it delves into the evolution of the Ju-88 from the A-1 model, to the late war models and the long range maritime fighter patrol.

The chapters are

• A Nazi Warplane: Setting the scene for German airpower
• Hugo Junkers and JFM
• German aviation technology from WWI to WWII
• From Nazi Schnellbomber to Wunderbomber
• A program of national importance
• State-of-the-art warplane
• Comparisons with contemporaries
• Improving a proven desing
• Ju-288
• Mid-war production maturity – 1941-1943
• Late war development: mid-1943 to 1945
• Die Bomber Kommen
• Late war comparsion with newer designs
• Flying and fighting the Ju 88, Ju 188 and Ju 288
• Summary
• Appendix 1: Engines
• Appendix 2: Radio and Electronics

The book has plenty of technical data and is more aeronautically oriented than most books used by modelers. It has plenty of technical drawings, probably from maintenance manuals as they are in German and excellent detail pictures, in several cases during construction. The book includes color profiles, scale line drawings and plenty of period, black and white, pictures. There are also plenty of comparison tables a performance drawings.

It also has some very interesting sub-sections covering details about the manufacturing and construction of the Ju-88 as well as some observations and likely root-cause for “wrinkled” wings found in the Finnish airframes, but not in Luftwaffe airframes (not climate related, but landing speeds due to front line airfield conditions).

If you are looking for information on a specific mark of the Ju-88 (like the C-6) this book won’t make it easy to find it. You will have to look for when the mark was developed (early/mid-war) and then you will have plenty of information, images and drawings. In other words, this book tells you the story of the Ju-88, but it is not a “quick guide” to it.

The book also cover the Ju-188 and Ju-288 models and it has a brief chapter as to “flying and fighting” which is the main topic of Volume 2.

In just a few words: this book is excellent!

I would like to thank Specialty Press and IPMS/USA for the review sample.