Ken Merrick's "Luftwaffe Camouflage & Markings" book

[Ruy Horta]

The paper is similar to that of previous Ian Allan/Classic publications, it is good enough. Perhaps a little less classy as some other publications, but if you shop you can find all these books very reasonably priced, so reasonably that profit margin must be small indeed.

Point I'd like to make is that the quality of this publication is good, although you will find better and you will find people who'll criticize this latest work because of the paper chosen. In that regard it is the same as with the included photos, for most these are wonderful and/or functional, for some it will be a matter of criticism.

Perhaps we are too spoiled?

I'll save my criticism until I've read the books, for it is the content that has kept me looking forward to this publication for quite a number or years.

Just my 2c.

[Jukka Juutinen]

Well, I don´t care if photos are previously seen provided they are:
-well printed on good paper
-they have substantial and correct captions

A good example of proper captioning is Joshua Stoff´s "Pictorial History of WW Two American Aircraft Production" in which the captions provide substantial info instead of "Ju-88A-4 PU+KE".

[Pierre Alfaro]

Hi all,
I have a question about this excellent book: what are the "yellow, white and pink tactical markings introduced during the Battle of Britain" (see p.150, just above the winter camouflaged Emil)?

[John Vasco]

A couple of corrections which I know Ken would not mind me posting. On page 148, S9+LK of Balthasar Aretz is a Bf 110 E, not 'D'. Also, on page 146, bottom photo, S9+PH, with the standard rear fuselage, is a Bf 110 C-6.

[Franek Grabowski]

Ahem, minor detail, nonetheless I think we should aware Ken of all such thingies, so he can consider putting them on an errata.

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Fellow Luftwaffe Researchers,

I forwarded onto Ken all of the above comments. He was thankful to receive them. The following are his e-mail replies to them received by me on April 28th as well as a preview of what will be in the upcoming Volume Two:

"I am going to try and get a reasonable answer to you while I have a
short breathing space. The edited hard copy of Volume Two text and
captions went off by courier Tuesday afternoon.

Now, thank you very much for the collage of comments on the book, and
specifically your very supportive comments.

The comments about printing quality were interesting. I personally
thought it was quite good (but then I had been having nightmares about
Ian Allan's brand new, all singing and dancing printing press and my
book being part of the guinea pig run).

The words about the Swiss machine are a good example of the problems
with colour photography. 83 contains brown, and the colour film/
printing process used for the published photos shifted that emphasis. I
relied on Ken Bokelmann's hands on research with the parts in storage,
which clearly showed the 82/83 scheme, and his subsequent letters to
me. (Now there is a loss that will be hard to make up, great bloke.)

The comments about photographs is one that you have remarked on in my
favour. The simple answer is that despite the huge reference resources
put at my disposal, certain photographs are the only ones that
illustrate a specific point. And just as importantly, many of the
previously published photographs have incorrect information attached to
them - something that has influenced not just comments and ideas, but
also model kit information in some instances. Nick also picked up on
this point nicely.

As for profiles being absent - for general books on aircraft types,
such as the Bf 109 of Fw 190, etc., high quality art work is fine, but,
as stated in my introduction, to use my interpretation of a single
aircraft as the basis for briefing even the finest of illustrators, in
a book where the subject is focused on camouflage and all its attendant
problems, was, to my mind, counter productive. Often one can only see
an aircraft from an angle, so how accurate can anyone define the
camouflage obscured by other parts of the aircraft (or people)? What
about the wing top surfaces? or lower surfaces? What was on the other
side of the aircraft? How also can I define for the artist the correct
amount of thinned out spray around mottling - and remember this is all
to be based on a black and white photograph. It's nice to have a general
impression, but not enough definition would be possible for this book's
main focus.

The paper quality discussion is outside my field but I would
appreciate you passing on to Ruy that his comments were the practical
ones and I appreciate them.

Questions about tactical markings are dealt with extensively in Volume
two, about 40 pages. The text of this next volume also is larger and
covers - Five-character military codes; Four-character military codes;
Fighter and ground attack unit markings; Tactical and special purpose
markings; Night fighters; Ground attack aircraft; Bombers, Maritime
aircraft; Reconnaissance aircraft; Civil registrations;
Überführungskennzeichnen and Stammkennzeichnung; Civil, commercial and
military transport aircraft; Training; liaison and light aircraft;
Externally carried stores; Maintenance and safety markings,
Werknummern; Balkenkreuz and Hakenkreuz. Plus of course, Herr Kiroff's
extensive technical discourse on paint structures and chemistry, along
with the final camouflage colours and some extra secondary colours.

Hopefully anyone who has both volumes will have a reasonably
comprehensive breakdown of camouflage and markings across every
possible aspect of the Luftwaffe (and also some civil aircraft aspects
as civil and military aircraft are entwined in the history of the
Luftwaffe).

I note that some commentators have said that they are waiting to
receive the second volume before starting to digest what is in the work,
possibly a sensible idea, though each volume does stand alone. However,
it was inevitable that some areas cross both volumes, such as the
colour chips and supporting comments. To have tried to cram all that
information into one volume would have distorted the sequences to the
point of total bafflement for many readers (and myself).

There have also been problems with sequencing of colour chips used for
secondary applications (not related to camouflage) on Card 3. Some were
ready, but others were delayed because of locating difficult to find
chemicals or minerals needed for formulae. Jürgen Kiroff did a superb
job, but even he could not perform miracles to a set time schedule -
and delays were already causing fair comment. A short section at the
beginning of volume two will bring readers up to date on colours that
seem to have little supporting information, like the three primers
shown on Card 3, the first is for metal, the second for fabric and the
third for wood. The FAS sequence of six colours is explained in full in
volume two, but some of the primer lacquers (with RAL numbers) will be
clarified in the Addendum to volume two. Not much to say about them
other than the basic descriptions."

Regards,
Richard