This is the illustrated story of the World War Two Me410 twin-engine fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which the Luftwaffe High Command commissioned as the successor to the Bf110 "heavy fighter" and the ultimate version of the experimental Me210. In all, 1,160 aircraft were built and the final years of the war the Me410 valiantly defended Germany against the incessant raids of Allied bombers. This work features: scale plans; photographs and drawings from technical manuals; walk-around color photographs; b/w archive photographs; rarely documented aspect of World War Two aviation history covering a lesser know but significant Luftwaffe aircraft; and superb color illustrations of camouflage and markings, detailed color photographs of surviving aircraft and period wartime b/w photographs. It is an essential reading for aviation enthusiasts and scale air modelers. REVIEWS .. a most complete look at one of the Luftwaffe's more interesting aircraft. A book that continues the excellent of MMP products and one that I can highly recommend to you. Model Madness

For the first time, this richly illustrated book offers a comprehensive, detailed examination of the legendary Messerschmitt Bf 110, Me 210, and Me 410 series. By 1935 the Bf 109 had made Messerschmitt the leading manufacturer of fighter aircraft in Germany. The twin-engined Bf 110 followed on its heels in 1936, a type the Luftwaffe took on in large numbers as a long-range fighter, heavy-fighter, fighter-bomber, night-fighter and reconnaissance platform. As its successor, Messerschmitt developed the better performing Me 210, which flew for the first time in 1939. But this airframe soon began manifesting serious design flaws, and accidents with the Me 210 quickly started piling up due to the types questionable flight handling characteristics. The Luftwaffe refused to accept any more aircraft as a result, and at a stroke the types overzealous full scale production ground to a halt. More powerful engines and a number of design changes saw this aircraft produced from 1943 to 1944 under the designation of Me 410, and as such the type gave an excellent accounting of itself in service with the Luftwaffe.

Unquestionably the best American fighter of World War 2, the North American P-51 Mustang served in large numbers with the USAAF's Eighth Air Force from late 1943 until VE Day, and was the mount of most aces in-theatre. Charged with the responsibility of escorting huge formations of B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers on daylight raids deep into Germany, the P-51 pilots of the various fighter groups within the 'Mighty Eighth' went head to head with the cream of the Luftwaffe's fighter squadrons for control of the skies over the Third Reich. Aircraft of the Aces 1, 19 and 24 are also available in a single volume as 'Aces of the Mighty Eighth'.

The Me210 and Me410 were originally planned as further developments of the twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf110 as the Luftwaffe sought a high-speed heavy fighter and gun platform. First flown in September 1939, the early version, Me210, proved extremely troublesome, suffering from in-flight instability and landing-gear problems. There were frequent accidents and production was terminated in April 1942 after 352 aircraft had been complete. A total of some 370 further examples were left incomplete on the production line. First flown in 1942, the sleek Daimler-Benz-powered Me410, however, was much more successful and was manufactured in large numbers as a two-seat tactical aircraft fighter for ground-attacks and reconnaissance operations. More than 100 different variants and sub-variants had been produced by the end of 1944, using virtually every weapon available to the Luftwaffe. This book will enable readers to distinguish between the multitudes of sub-types and identify the various modifications, weapons systems, and conversion packs that were used.

Intended as a progressive development of the twin-engined Bf 110 Zerstörer ('destroyer' or heavy fighter), the Me 210 first took to the air in September 1939. However, due to a lack of sufficient flight-testing before being declared service-ready, the Me 210 suffered from a less than satisfactory reputation in respect to its flight characteristics and weak undercarriage. After enhancements were made to the fuselage and wings, and the power of the plane was increased, the Me 210 became the Me 410 in late 1942. By this stage of the war much was expected of the two types, which were forced to fly in very dangerous skies over North Africa and in the defence of the German homeland. Both aircraft were deployed as heavy fighters, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance platforms and interceptors, seeing service with a number of different units. The Me 410 was fitted with 30 mm cannon, 21 cm underwing mortars and the colossal 5 cm BK cannon that was intended to pack a punch against the USAAF's four-engined bombers which threatened the Reich in large numbers from 1943 onwards. In this title, supported by contemporary photography and full-colour artwork, Robert Forsyth tells the complex story of the Me 210 and 410, detailing their development and assessing their capabilities as combat aircraft.

Gathered in two volumes, presented here are the legendary Luftwaffe aircraft: the Messerschmitt 109 and 110, the Focke Wulf 190 and the jets that appeared near the end of the conflict. More than 600 color profiles detail a wide variety of insignia and camouflage paints. Together, these two books represent a highly detailed compilation (new photographs, new profiles) improving upon the previous editions published in the Planes and Pilots series.

In this comprehensive pictorial record of the Do 17, the bomber’s role throughout the period of the Battle of Britain is displayed in the author’s unique collection of British and German photographs. During Britain’s desperate struggle for survival that in the summer of 1940, the Dornier Do 17 played a prominent part in raids designed at neutralizing the RAF’s ability to resist and the British people’s will to fight back. Having been built to outrun contemporary fighters when introduced into the Luftwaffe in 1937, it had become the Luftwaffe’s main light bomber, and for the attack against Britain, three bomber wings, KG 2, KG3 and KG77, were equipped with the Do 17. But by 1940, the Do 17 was nearing obsolescence and, with its weak defensive armament, it fell prey to Fighter Command’s Hurricanes and Spitfires. Its vulnerability was starkly revealed on 18 August 1940, when eight Dorniers were shot down and nine damaged in attacks on RAF Kenley, and on 15 September – Battle of Britain Day – when twenty were shot down and a further thirteen damaged. On that day, Sergeant Ray Holmes rammed his Hurricane into a Do 17 that was reportedly aiming for Buckingham Palace. Part of the bomber’s wreckage fell to earth near Victoria Station. In this comprehensive pictorial record of the Do 17, the bomber’s role throughout the period of the Battle of Britain is displayed in the author’s unique collection of British and German photographs. These photographs, coupled with first-hand stories from those who flew and those who fought against the Do 17, bring those desperate days and dark nights back to life in the manner which only contemporary images and accounts can achieve.