Customer Reviews

Junkers Ju87 Stuka (Crowood Aviation)

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Peter C. Smith is the author several out of print and currently available books on the Stuka. This book is thorough and well researched, detailing many minor details and little known facts about this well known aircraft. The photos are all b&w and not as valuable as many other books on the market for model builders. There is a lot of "meat" in this book and must be read to be appreciated, however there is usually one or two photographs on every page that illustrates the corresponding text.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Much more than a nuts & bolts history of the development of the JU-87 Stuka, Peter Smith sets about to present an other version of this dive bomber's successes compared to the typical English & US histories.

Although technical and developmental details are present, along with many fine photos (all black & white, would have preferred a few color), the real heart of this book are the stories behind the Stuka. The pilots, the sorties are recountered here. Also of great interest to a land warfare buff are the stories of air/land battles, the coordination behind the blitzkreig, how the army & airforce learned to work together to beat foes that outnumbered them & had better equipment. Smith also uses facts to back up his position that the Stuka as a bomber, suffered losses less than Lancasters, B-17s, Bristol Blenhiems when those aircraft were used in daylight raids without escort.

In the end, it really doesnt matter if the Stuka was a war winner. The Germans were outnumbered, outproduced, outfought, so no matter what was produced, the end result would be the same. While the Stuka was not a war winner, this book does provide more balance to the fact that it was a good weapon system, especially considering it was on the cutting edge of technology when designed in 1933/34. It survived to fight through the last days of WWII, a claim few others can make. I definately recommend this book.