This book was something of a disappointment, I felt. The photos are extensive, but there is a large amount of repetition. For example, the first chapter or section describes Arado trainers. It consists of 22 pages of photos and associated caption text. The first seven pages contain nine different photos of the Ar 66 followed by more pages with nine photos of the Ar 68, then two photos of the Ar 76, seven photos of the Ar 96, and finally two photos of the Ar 196. The same procedure occurs with the other manufacturers: Bὕcker, Dornier, Focke-Wulf, Gotha, Heinkel, Junkers, Messerschmitt, and then a collection of airplanes in a “Miscellaneous” category. At least the photos are all different.
The Junkers photos are interesting, if only because they include the Ju W34 for which I haven’t seen many photos in other books. The W34, by the way, was a remarkably large single-engine airplane for its time. It was used as a bomber trainer.
There is no text discussing the flying school system or air training curriculum. The photo captions all essentially state “Here is a [insert airplane manufacturer and model], used at such and such a place and such and such flying school ,” with occasionally further information such as “piloted by [name of flying student].” There are no design development histories of the aircraft and no tabulations of aircraft dimensions and performance characteristics.
Far and away the best book I have found so far on Luftwaffe trainer airplanes and the air training system is “Fledgling Eagles: Luftwaffe Training Aircraft, 1933 - 1945” by Ketley (2009). It provides a great account of the Luftwaffe training aircraft and the training system. It also discusses the overall weakness (if not incompetence) of the Luftwaffe leadership with regard to long - term planning and training. There is extensive text describing the development of each aircraft type and PLENTY of photos. The book also discusses in detail the overall Luftwaffe training system. It further relates the failures of the training system and the short - term thinking of the leadership leading to the demise of the Luftwaffe in late 1943 / early 1944.
An excellent book on the US military training aircraft and the training system is “American Military Training Aircraft —Fixed and Rotary-Wing Trainers Since 1916” by Johnson (2015). It discusses prototypes, production aircraft, and proposed or concept designs that never went anywhere. The text discusses the design development history as well as the procurement and production history. Besides the airplanes designed and built specifically as trainers, the book also describes the conversions such as the trainer versions of bombers such as the B-25 and many others. Acquisitions of civilian designs are also included. Tabulations of dimensions, performance characteristics, and numbers acquired are included. Pages 5 – 22 describe the evolution of the military training system over the years.
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
Top reviews from other countries
- Popov56Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2019
A useful overview of a very large subject
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K.W.Reviewed in Germany on May 23, 2021
Gute Fotodokumentation über die Schulflugzeuge der Luftwaffe
