Author Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian. What makes him qualified to author a book on a very non-linear and confusing chapter of history is the vast network of contacts he garnered throughout his time in the Middle East and Africa. He has authored/co-authored about 60 books, over 1,000 articles, and is the Helion Series Editor for Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and Technology at War. When someone with Tom’s credentials writes a book about a topic that you’re interested in reading, you pick up the book and prepare to be educated.

This book from the series “Inside” shows detailed drawings of the German aircraft instrument panels in great detail.

Instrument panels of the following aircraft:

• Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-12
• Messerschmitt Me 262 A
• Heinkel He 111 P-1
• Henschel Hs 126 B
• Dornier Do 17 Z
• Fieseler Fi 156
• Henschel HS 123
• Focke Wulf Fw-190 A-3
• Junkers Ju 87 B-1

One would not initially think that a book named “German Instrument Panels” would be an interesting, dare I say fascinating book, but if you’re a modeling nerd like me, yes it very much is. The author has rendered the IPs of several famous, German WWII aircrafts panels into easily identifiable graphics, each accompanied by a breakdown of every dial, gauge, and switch.

The book was written by Wilhelm Bender, a Medic in the German Infantry and Artillery from 1939 to the end of the war. This tells the story of his war experiences on the Eastern front and the use of the Raupenschlepper tracked support vehicle.

The book is really about everyday life and issues being a soldier in the regular German army in the Eastern Front, from the days Germany was winning battles to the long road to total defeat of the German war machine.

The personal collection of photos Wilhelm uses in the book are excellent and help show the conditions and day to day life of these soldiers during the whole war. They are all very different from the normal war book and all are like a behind the scenes of the war. They show a very intimate view of Wilhelm’s involvement in the war.