Specialty Press is a publisher and distributor of aviation books. Their long running series on in-depth design and operational histories of various aircraft in the Luftwaffe continues with the publication of their comprehensive look at the Junkers Ju 52. What the C-47 was to the Allies, the Ju 52 was to the Axis. The trimotor transport served as the primary pre-war civil aviation aircraft for Germany and during the war it served on every front in the war in a wide variety of roles – bomber, transport, ambulance, minesweeper, and seaplane.

The book has fourteen chapters that provide a broad overview of the origins of the Ju 52 and its role in building a robust German civil aviation industry in the 1920s and 30s. The text, rather brief but concise, is supplemented with dozens of well reproduced photographs and several color profiles of civil versions of the Ju 52. The bulk of the book, however, is dedicated to the plane’s wartime service. The bulkiest chapter of the book is its role as a transport aircraft. Rather than concentrate on technical details or flying characteristics, the bulk of these chapters are devoted to brief operational histories of the transport and other service units involved. While no new ground is broken in terms of understanding the place of the Ju 52 in the German war effort, you certainly get a deeper appreciation of the role the Ju 52 played until the end of the war.

For a modeler, this is a superb reference. The photographs are crisp and there are enough color profiles to whet the lips of any modeler interested in the Ju 52. The 1/72 Italieri kits and the classic Monogram 1/48 kit can easily be enhanced by referring to the dozens of photographs detailing the interior and other fine details of the plane. This is a must for anyone who has more than a passing interesting in the Luftwaffe. My only complaint is the binding began to crack after only a few uses. My thanks to IPMS and Specialty Press for allowing me to review this book.