Luftwaffe Aircraft Recognition Guide from WW II for British Aircraft - RARE
$ 68.12
Description
"SPECIAL EDITION - BRITISH WARPLANES WITH USA DELIVERIES" A Luftwaffe field guide for facilitating the identification of allied aircraft in 1941. This is a very unique piece of WW II aviation history. It is a German Recognition Manual for many of the aircraft flown in the British Royal Air Force early in the war - the guide was apparently printed in 1941.The book has a short introduction on aircraft identification, a pull out chart with specs on numerous aircraft and then photos and illustrations of around 60 different RAF planes, including some rather rare types. In the case of some aircraft, there are also schematic drawings that show the position of fuel tanks and armament, providing the pilot important information to aid in shooting down one of these enemy craft (I have included examples of some of these). The original guide has been bound - this the case of this volume, the binding it not in great shape. During the life of this volume, one of its owners decided to write with pen (very small and tidy print) the English name of the aircraft or the squadron it could be found in on certain pages. From the inscription, it appears that the book was passed on as a birthday gift from on aviation enthusiast to the next. There were apparently two books (both of which I have for sale) that were presented as gifts. In the one inscription (from the volume on Soviet aircraft), the gift giver, Klaus Henke, states the following (in German - translated with Google) “ Take this book as a sign and expression of my deepest connection and sincere friendship. Take care of it as well as I do, because it comes from the estate of one of my uncles, who - like us - was dedicated to aviation and had to lose his life in an insane war for it! With a broken neck and a leg, your friend.” Based on this inscription I am led to believe that his uncle, whose recognition guide this was originally, was in the Luftwaffe and died in the war.
