Jagdgeschwader 2 : 'Richthofen' (Osprey Aviation Elite 1) [Paperback]

John Weal (Author), Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2000 | Series: Aviation Elite Units (Book 1)

Tracing its roots to Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen's 'Flying Circus' of WWI, the Jagdgeschwader 'Richthofen' is arguably the most famous fighter unit of all time. Designated JG 1 during the Great War, then disbanded following defeat, the Jagdgeschwader reformed as JG 132. By September 1939 the unit had become JG 2, seeing much action during the Blitzkrieg and Battle of Britain. This first in a new series focusing on elite fighter and bomber units, charts the career of JG 2 from its first aerial kills in 1939 to the destruction of its own Fw 190s in the face of the Allied advance in 1945.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Looking at elite fighter and bomber units in action, these books draw on profile artworks, black and white photographs, fully detailed appendices and breathtaking first hand accounts.

About the Author

Arguably the finest profile artist in the business, Joan Weal’s love of German aircraft makes his work a treat for students of the subject. He has written several Aces volumes, and two books on the JU 87 in the companion series Combat Aircraft.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; 1 edition (October 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841760463
• ISBN-13: 978-1841760469
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT OVERVIEW OF ONE OF THE LUFTWAFFE'S PREMIER FIGHTER WINGS, October 15, 2009

By 

MONTGOMERY (WASHINGTON, DC - U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jagdgeschwader 2 : 'Richthofen' (Osprey Aviation Elite 1) (Paperback)

A few minutes ago, I finished reading this book and given its scope, found it to be a first-class treatment of Jagdgeschwader 2 'Richthofen'.

Contrary to what the previous reviewer said about the author, I have read several of John Weal's other aviation books from Osprey and in each of them, Mr. Weal has shown that he has a comprehensive grasp of the Luftwaffe organizational networks and operations. For instance, in the earlier part of this book, Mr. Weal offered a fascinating summary of the development of the prewar Luftwaffe fighter command structure, which was first based upon various geographical zones within Germany itself. Later, on the eve of war, this structure was simplified and based on a small number of designated Luftflotten or "air fleets" -- not much different from the "groups" that the Royal Air Force had created for the defense of Britain.

Mr. Weal also profiled some of JG 2's most distinguished fighter pilots. Men like Helmut Wick, Walter Oesau (the 3rd fighter pilot in history to score 100 victories in aerial combat during 1941), Egon Mayer (who pioneered the head-on technique for tackling USAAF bomber formations over Europe and later became the first Luftwaffe fighter pilot on the Channel Front to score 100 victories), Kurt Bühligen, and Erich Rudorffer (who became a specialist in scoring multiple victories -- at 91, he is today the world's oldest and highest scoring ace, having achieved 222 victories in the war).

This book is ideal for anyone who is looking for an overview of one of the Luftwaffe's top fighter units of the Second World War.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No success stories of Siegfried Lemke in Italy 1944, August 12, 2008

By 

Hercule Poirot (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jagdgeschwader 2 : 'Richthofen' (Osprey Aviation Elite 1) (Paperback)

The author had only one sentence about JG-2 figher ace Siegfried Lemke being successful in Italy 1944 when I/JG-2 was assigned to that theater of operations. The author never gave any stories of Lemke's scoring 16 aerial victories before his unit was returned to France. The author is suppose to be an expert on the Luftwafee; however, in this book and several other books, he has fail miserably in detailing the aces and their victories. He just seems to concentrate on the big picture of the Germans losing the war. I am surprise that the Osprey company keep publishng his books.

9 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but...., April 24, 2001

By 

M. Fonseca "carmarthen" (Thunder) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jagdgeschwader 2 : 'Richthofen' (Osprey Aviation Elite 1) (Paperback)

This is a good book, but written in very dry reading ( typical of this series ). Of course the purpose of the book is to give a very general description of JG2. But it would have been much better if Weal could write a book in the same style as Don Caldwell's "JG 26 TOP GUNS OF THE LUFTWAFFE"...