Junkers Ju 188, Ju 388 and Mistel: books - history

Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2 (Osprey)

The Junkers Ju 188 was the epitome of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design, representing the enhancement of an earlier type and incorporating increased performance and technological sophistication.
As part of the 1939 "Bomber B" program, it was intended as a replacement for the Ju 88 and He 111 medium bombers, taking advantage of uprated Jumo and BMW engines and incorporating a radically redesigned cockpit area with all-round visibility for high-speed bombing, torpedo-bomber carrying, FuG 200 radar, and camera-equipped reconnaissance operations.
What emerged, from the autumn of 1943, was a sophisticated bomber and reconnaissance aircraft - and intended night fighter. After operational trials, the Ju 188 equipped three bomber Geschwader and several long-range reconnaissance Staffeln in the East and Italy, conducting operations over Britain and the Western Front as well as Russia and the Mediterranean.

This comprehensive title charts the design, development, and deployment of an advanced aircraft which was ultimately overshadowed by improvements to the airplane it was designed to replace. Supported by specially commissioned illustrations and contemporary photography, this is the essential guide to the Junkers Ju 188.

Junkers Ju 388 - Development, Testing and Production of the last Junkers High-Altitude Aircraft

The Junkers Ju 388 was a high-altitude aircraft developed from the Ju 88. In its bomber and reconnaissance versions it would elude enemy fighters by flying high, while as a heavy fighter and night-fighter it was to intercept the Boeing B-29 and the feared DeHavilland Mosquito.

In developing this last member of the Ju 88 family, the Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke was able to draw on a wealth of experience with high-altitude aircraft such as the Ju 49, EF 61 and Ju 86 P/R. The Luftwaffe had great plans for the Ju 388. In the summer of 1944 it was one of the five remaining aircraft types in Delivery Plan 226, along with the Me 262, Ar 234, Ta 152 and Do 335. These five types were to fill all roles. With the exception of the Ju 388, all of these aircraft have been dealt with extensively in aviation literature.

This book closes a gap in the available literature, reconstructing for the first time from original documents the complete story of the Ju 388.

Mistel : German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945

This is a revised and reworked edition of the author's long out of print 2001 study of the origins, development and operations of Germany's composite aircraft during the Second World War. Known as the 'Mistel' concept, the designs were originally intended for use in peacetime as a means of extending the range of aircraft, but in 1942 a small team of pilots and engineers adapted the idea for military usage.

Comprising Bf 109 or Fw 190 fighters as upper components mounted on top of 'war-weary' Ju 88 airframes fitted with massive hollow-charge warheads replacing their cockpit sections, these extraordinary machines were deployed for the first time off Normandy in July 1944.
They were later used in sporadic missions over the Western Front before the Luftwaffe used them in numbers in a last-ditch attempt to try to halt the Soviet advances across the Oder, Warthe and Neisse rivers during the last weeks of the war.

The Mistel's size and hazardous nature meant that only experienced pilots could fly it, but despite its complexity, it handled well and its control systems were remarkably sophisticated and responsive.

This fascinating and exhaustive study is accompanied by hundreds of rare photographs as well as maps, colour artwork and detailed technical drawings.

Mistel - The Piggy-Back Aircraft of the Luftwaffe

This book describes the Mistel piggy-back aircraft combinations of the Luftwaffe. Development and operations of the German Mistel aircraft were kept under the tightest security, in an era fraught with the chaotic turmoil of a losing war.

Aside from the limited space available - which precludes a detailed account of this unusual variant of the air war - it should also be mentioned that the quality of the photographic material often leaves something to be desired. This concession, which should be considered the exception rather than the rule, is necessary in the interest of providing a good general overview.