Hitler's Jet Plane...off the shelf and quickly back on

[Dick Powers]

Today I found “Hitler's Jet Plane: The Me 262 Story”, (Greenhill Books) written by Mano Zeigler at a local bookstore.

The title "Hitler's Jet Plane" should have been a warning.

Picking it up, I noticed copyright 1978. No revisions; apparently the original reprinted.
Mundane photographs.
No drawings.
No appendices.
No bibliography.

I put it back.

[Jukka Juutinen]

Does it have anything similar to Wolfgang Späte´s "Top Secret Bird"? I find Späte´s book excellent.

[Dick Powers]

Jukka,
Since there are several very good books on the 262, all published after Zeigler’s book, I didn’t even browse the text.

I agree that Spaete’s book is excellent. Previous to Classic Publications two volume 163 history, your choices were Zeigler’s “Rocket Fighter”, published in the 60s and Spaete’s “Top Secret Bird” dating ( I believe) from the 80s. This ignores “Warplanes of the Third Reich” and Putnam’s “German Aircraft of the Second World War”.

Zeigler’s book was partly based on his experiences as a member of the 163 test and evaluation squadron and is a fairly good book, especially considering its age.

I agree that Spaete’s “Top Secret Bird” is excellent. It gives a lot in insight into the efforts required to get the 163 operational. Little things; ground handling, armament...and on and on.

I didn’t peruse “Hitler’s Jet Plane” enough to get an impression. Perhaps another lunch-time walk to the bookstore.