S u m m a r y
|
| Publisher's details and
Title |
Midland Publishing Military
Aircraft in Detail - Heinkel He 100 Record Breaker |
| Media: |
Soft Cover; 96 pages plus covers |
| Price: |
Available
for GBP£16.99 from Ian Allan |
| Review Type: |
First Read |
| Advantages: |
An interesting and easy to read discussion on the trials and tribulations of the He 100. Includes a fascinating assortment of unpublished photographs and has the added bonus of technical drawings. |
| Disadvantages: |
|
| Recommendation: |
Highly Recommended |
Reviewed by
Rob Baumgartner
On 23 April 1942, a flight of Avro Manchester bombers managed to destroy Heinkel’s drafting office and along with it, much of the company’s archives. This turned out to be a dark day for the Luftwaffe historian.
Despite this, Erwin Hood has penned a book based largely on what primary information is still available. Inevitably the author has had to rely on speculation in some areas but this is done in an informed and reasoned manner.
The Luftwaffe chose the Messerschmitt Bf 109 as its front-line fighter regardless of Ernst Heinkel having a much faster design. The eighth prototype of his new aircraft set a new world speed record in March 1939 and despite this the Luftwaffe still did not adopt the type for active service.
The author explains the reasoning behind this move, and a whole lot more besides, in this latest book in the “Military Aircraft in Detail” series.
It contains 96 pages and is divided up into six chapters.
The first part deals with the lead up to the project and discusses the personalities and prevailing atmosphere of the time. Subsequent sections discuss the anatomy of the He100, its variants, and the aircraft’s high speed accomplishments.
Examination of the type being used as a propaganda weapon follows along with a chat about Russian and Japanese interests in the project.
To help convey this information the text is complimented by over 130 black and white photographs. There are also 8 pages of general arrangement drawings to further assist the reader and familiarize him with the many changes that resulted in the different airframes.
Colour profiles can be found in this work and these cover the Heinkel He 100 D-1, V8, V2, and V1 aircraft.
The narrative is pleasant to read and gives an excellent all round picture of the difficulties faced by the designers.
This book covers all aspects of this mysterious aircraft including later projects that were based upon it. The author’s love of the aircraft is clearly evident in this book and will make interesting reading for anyone that has the slightest interest in this enigmatic aeroplane.
Recommended
Thanks to Simon at DLS Publishing for the review sample
Review Copyright © 2008 by Rob Baungartner
This Page Created on 9 January, 2008
Last updated 9 January, 2008
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