Osprey Publishing continues to expand its Combat Aircraft line of books. This time with the title Luftwaffe Mistel Composite Bomber Units.

This book, like all the other in the series, is very well researched and profusely illustrated with period pictures. Where relevant, it includes pictures of different pilots (including a few allied pilots) whose diaries and exploits are covered in the book.

The different chapters of the book covers the history of the Mistel units in a chronological way, from its beginning as a way to deliver gliders (rather than towing them it was considered to have a composite Bf-109/DFS 230) and its transition to an offensive weapon via the delivery of a modified war-weary bomber airframe.

The book covers with good detail the technical challenges of coupling two airplanes to a single set to commands, the risks involved at take-off -as the Ju-88 landing gear was at maximum weight- and multiple details related to the explosive warhead and weapon delivery system.

Mistel units were used in combat in both the Western and Eastern Front. Several first hand accounts of Mistel operations –and training- are included in the book. I was surprised to find out how many Mistels were lost to allied airmen during interceptions. I thought it was a very rare occurrence, but it was more common than I have originally imagined.

After the landings in Normandy, all the Mistel units were moved to Germany in preparation of an attack on Scapa Flow, where the carriers and capital ships were the targets. However, the attack never materialized due to a combination of lack of airframes, allied strafing attacks on Mistels being staged for the attacks in different bases, and the constantly changing strategy of the last months of the war in which orders were issued and later a counter-order would be issued as well.

After the planned, but never realized, attack on Scapa Flow, a very large attack (with over 100 Mistels) was planned on the factories and hydropower plants on the Soviet Union. This attack was never realized either due to the complexity of the plan and again, lack of airframes and even the late state of the war.

Most of the Mistels were used in the final months of the war in attacks on bridges and railway stations in an attempt to slow down the Soviet advance in Berlin. Some of those attacks were delivered with accuracy and a few achieved the destruction of their targets.

I would say that this book is one of the best of the Combat Aircraft series, mainly due to the fact that the Mistel is a little documented weapon, and this book provides excellent insights on operational activities, plus all the images. The 16 composite profiles would inspire you to build the Mistel in your collection. I know it made me dig out mine from my pile of models for “some day” and move it to the “some time soon”.

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Osprey Publishing and IPMS/USA for the review sample.