German
Ju 87 Stuka in Foreign Service. Mushroom Model Publications
By Clarence Wentzel. IPMS USA
Jun 16, 2006, 08:36

This latest book from Mushroom Model Publications concentrates on covering the usage of the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka in air forces other then the German Luftwaffe. The softbound book contains 104 pages and includes a great number of black and white photos, two wartime color photos and twenty seven pages of color profiles.??The book is organized so that each chapter covers a different air arm’s usage of the Stuka. The chapters include; Hungary – Magyar Kiralyi Honved Legiero, Italy – Regia Aeronautica, Romania – Aeronautica Regala Romana, Bulgaria – Vozdushni Voyska, Slovakia – Slovenske Vozdusne Zbrane and the VVS – KNOR or the Russian Liberation Army. This last group consisted of a number of Russian POWs who volunteered to fly for the Luftwaffe against the Russian Army. I had not been aware of this latter group and the history of the group was interesting, though brief. Details of aircraft supplied, campaigns, losses etc. are provided in easy to digest format.??In addition to providing the photos and profiles that the modeler loves, the book provides an interesting history lesson. Germany’s allies were not always friendly with each other so Germany had to be careful that the weapons that were provided to one ally were not used against another. The book reviews some of these relationships. It also covers some of the personalities within the various foreign air arms. A number of them distinguished themselves while flying what was arguably an obsolete aircraft.??As with most aircraft involved in the war, a number of Ju-87s were captured and used for evaluation purposes. This book covers a number of Ju-87s in British, US, Russian and Yugoslav hands. These provide some very colorful and unique marking opportunities for the modeler.??Being a Small Air Forces fan, I was very pleased with the book. I am sure that most modelers and history fans will enjoy it also. Well recommended.

© Copyright 2004-2013 VenturaPublications.com and contributors.