This is a highly detailed and extraordinarily well researched piece of work, which has never been attempted in such a way before. It is effectively unique and will undoubtedly become a standard reference for enthusiasts, aviation historians and authors.

The two authors, who are well-known and highly respected as experts in their field, have spent twenty years compiling the most comprehensive and detailed history and listing of all the Luftwaffe's bomber units. This is the second volume that covers some of the fifty bomber Geschwader, together with their component Staff flights and Gruppen. The books cover pre-war formation, designation and reorganisation and continue through to the end of the war, with locations, bases and transfers together with an exhaustive break down of theatres of operations, key battles and missions flown and aircraft types that were flown by each unit. In addition there are comprehensive listings of unit commanders and when - and often where - they were in command.This is the second and final volume of a highly detailed and extraordinarily well researched piece of work, which has never been attempted in such a way before. It is unique in its coverage and will become a standard reference for enthusiasts, aviation historians and authors.The book is profusely illustrated with a large number of unseen photographs depicting bomber aircraft in their unit markings with close-ups of the unit emblems and badges, of which many will be in colour. In addition the book contains unique photographs of many of the unit commanders.

This is the first of two volumes providing highly detailed material on the organization of Luftwaffe bomber units in World War II. The books cover some 50 bomber Geschwader together with their component Staff flights and Gruppen, as well as formations, designations, and reorganizations through to the end of the war, with locations, bases, and transfers. Includes a comprehensive breakdown of theatres of operations, key battles, and aircraft types that were flown by each unit.

This two-volume series will provide aviation historians with an exhaustive reference work on all the Luftwaffe's dive-bomber and ground-attack units, including information on operations. All 16 Stuka Geschwader, 17 ground-attack, and 20 night-harassment units are covered along with their component staff flights and Gruppen and specialist anti-tank units. The two-volume series (divided into the early and late phases of the war) cover pre-war formation, designation, and reorganization until the demise of the Luftwaffe, with lists of key operations, locations, bases and transfers, together with an exhaustive breakdown of theatres of operations, key battles and missions flown, and aircraft types that were flown by each unit. In addition, there are comprehensive listings of unit commanders including dates and locations of the commands. Illustrations show aircraft types, unit markings, close ups of unit emblems, badges, and commanders, many in color. These books are the product of many years of research by the authors, both of whom are highly respected experts in this field, and present highly detailed information in this form for the first time.

This second volume in the seminal series on aerial combat, pilots, and tactics in Libya and Egypt in the middle of World War II. In volume two of this series, historian Christopher Shores begins by exploring the 8th Army’s movements after Operation Crusader when they were forced back to the Gazala area in northeastern Libya, as well as their defeat in June, 1942, the loss of Tobruk, and the efforts of Allied air forces to protect their retreating troops. Shores continues with the heavy fighting that followed in the El Alamein region. This features the Western Desert Air Force and the arrival of the first Spitfires. The buildup of both army and air forces and the addition of new commanders on the ground aided the defeat of Rommel’s Deutsche Afrika Korps at Alam el Halfa, after which came the Second Battle of El Alamein. With the arrival of the United States Army Air Force, the Allied air forces gained dominance over the Axis. Shores recounts the lengthy pursuit of the Italo-German forces right across Libya, including the capture of Tripoli and the breakthrough into Southern Tunisia. This allowed a linkup with other Allied forces in Tunisia (whose story appears in Volume 3). Included with the action are stories of some of the great fighter aces of the Desert campaign such as Jochen Marseille and Otto Schulz of the Luftwaffe, Franco Bordoni-Bisleri of the Regia Aeronautica and Neville Duke, Billy Drake, and “Eddie” Edwards of the Commonwealth air forces. Finally, Shores touches on the Allied and Axis night bombing offensives and the activities of the squadrons cooperating with the naval forces in the Mediterranean.

In many ways, the Heinkel He 177 'Greif' (Griffon) was Nazi Germany's 'lost' strategic bomber. With some fundamental creases ironed out, and built in large numbers, the He 177 would have offered the Luftwaffe the means with which to carry out long-range, mass bombing attacks against targets of a strategic nature. Although competing interests and personalities served to prevent this from happening, from mid-1943 the aircraft nevertheless saw service over England, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and in Russia. The He 177 flew to the end of the war, with some machines undertaking extremely hazardous low-level missions against Soviet armour in Poland in late 1944-45. This fascinating book, filled with detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, tells the story of this aircraft, including the political infighting at the top of the Luftwaffe's hierarchy that stymied its development, its radical technical design and its state-of-the-art weaponry.