Fonthill Media’s Axis Suicide Squads – German and Japanese Secret Projects of the Second World War by Justo Miranda.

Author Justo Miranda has multiple books & publications out on Luftwaffe ‘paper-projects’ and late war designs. He is a tech drawer and Spanish Air Force Museum advisor.

This hardbound book is 224 pages and includes information on both actual aircraft used, and many “paper projects”.

The cover flap reads “This book details the designs of all German and Japanese aircraft, examining the suicide bombers and aerial rammers deployed as desperate measures to counter the Allied advance. Axis Suicide Squads is an in-depth history of the tragic necessity for such drastic countermeasures; it contains comprehensive technical information relating to each machine and detailed, hand-drawn diagrams depicting the mechanics of how the aircraft functioned.” This is a great summary of what this book is all about.

When I was younger my comics of choice were of the Military persuasion and one of my favorites was The Haunted Tank which initially featured an M3 Stuart blowing away Tigers with it’s 37mm. I didn’t realize the issue with that but I loved the stories and so started my love of the Stuart. As I got older I turned to more history books and read about the Honey used by the British in the desert and the US in Tunisia. When the new Tamiya kit showed up it just had to be built even though I haven’t built a 35^th scale tank in, cough, 40ish years.

IPMS/USA again thanks Ross and his Team at SAC for supporting the IPMS USA reviewer corps with one more of many monthly releases, with extremely useful and well-thought out landing gear additions for the modeling crowd out here in the modeling world. And thanks to IPMS leadership for sending it to me to be reviewed.

Consisting of 14 separate well-cast white metal parts, this gear is the usual replacement for the kit gear. It’s been my experience that GWH tends to use a more robust plastic than many other manufacturers, but SAC metal gear is still worthwhile to install.

Born from the great North American F-86A, the F-86D/K all weather interceptor had a long and widespread career. It served the USA both home and abroad and as this book covers with 7 NATO air forces as well as US forces in Europe. The F-86D/K served NATO until the final ones were retired from the Italian Air Force in 1973.

The book has 5 total sections with the first section a brief overview of its development and production. Section Two covers the USAF in Europe. Section 3 is the largest section comprising 50 pages with coverage of the type’s service in Royal Danish, French, West German, Royal Hellenic, Italian, Royal Netherland and Royal Norwegian Air Force. Section Four has a look inside with manual pages and detail pictures reproduced throughout. The book ends with the squadron badge of every unit in Europe both US and European to operate the F-86D/K.

The Messerschmitt Bf-110 is another iconic mainstay of Luftwaffe aviation that is most recognizable to almost any aviation enthusiast. Originally designed in the 1930’s, the 110 was one of the Luftwaffe’s heavy-fighter/bomber mainstays. Originally it was anticipated to be replaced in the early 1940’s by the Me-210, but due to the 210’s poor performance issues the 110 was given a second chance.

Due to the cancelation of the Me-210, the Luftwaffe had decided it needed to continue to utilize the 110 airframe. In order to do so the 110 needed to overcome its shortfalls in order to keep up with the ever changing and rapid developments in aviation during World War Two. Through the procurement of more powerful engines for the 110 airframe it was able to prolong the use of the aircraft well to the end of the war.