Wednesday 15 November 2017

new Classic/Crecy tome - V2: the A-4 rocket from Peenemuende to Redstone





My copy has arrived!  Not strictly speaking a Luftwaffe book but a quick look at the latest Classic/Crecy title.

My first impressions on this latest in the Classic Chevron series - the Crecy/Classic V2 book. According to publisher Crecy/Classic this is most detailed volume yet published on the Vergeltungswaffe 2 (revenge weapon 2 - the word 'Waffen' is the plural form of course, the letter 'n' being a common plural in German) and at nearly 300 large format, glossy pages it would be hard to disagree. I have quickly added this to my library - which includes Dungan, Holsken and other classic references - and a very impressive book it is indeed. It is for example nearly twice the size of the Greg Kennedy V2 book published by Schiffer one of the best recent tomes on the V2. Authored by Murray Barber (co-author of 'Hitler's Rocket Soldiers' published by Robert Forsyth's Tattered Flag imprint ) the text is as detailed and informative as you would expect from an expert who has been teaching and lecturing in the field for many years. While I'm happy to say I'm very pleased with this book, the very dense text and small font makes reading a little tricky in all but very good light. The most impressive aspect is the quality of the period photos included, many of them full page and rich in detail. Some overlap with Barber's previous work but justified in this much larger format and the quality is self-evident. Also included are an array of maps, cutaway diagrams and side profiles etc, and coming in at just under 300 pages the author has certainly devoted plenty of print to the subject matter. Recommended unhesitatingly to anyone with even the slightest interest in this area of wartime aviation history..