Book Review of
Top Drawings No. 108
The German Night Fighter Heinkel He.219 Uhu
Author Marek Rys
Kagero Publication
ISBN: 978-83-66673-10-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $24.95
ISBN: 978-83-66673-10-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2020
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear.
Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the strategic night bombing offensive of the Royal Air Force; however, only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service.
Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow was the leading night fighter ace on the He 219. Modrow was credited with 33 of his 34 night air victories on the type.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Night fighter
National origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Heinkel
Designer: Robert Lusser
First flight: 6 November 1942
Introduction to service: 1943
Status: Retired
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Produced : 1941–1944
Number built: ~300
Variants: Hütter Hü 211
The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear.
Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the strategic night bombing offensive of the Royal Air Force; however, only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service.
Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow was the leading night fighter ace on the He 219. Modrow was credited with 33 of his 34 night air victories on the type.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Night fighter
National origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Heinkel
Designer: Robert Lusser
First flight: 6 November 1942
Introduction to service: 1943
Status: Retired
Primary user: Luftwaffe
Produced : 1941–1944
Number built: ~300
Variants: Hütter Hü 211
THE BOOK:
Kagero Publications is based in Lublin, Poland.
The book is soft-cover of 20 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. I comes in a self-sealing, clear cello envelope.
The book is multilingual. It is in Polish and English.
The front cover has a red background at the top with a dark green background at the bottom. On the red top there is a black and white photo of the front of a He-219. At the bottom there is a white line drawing of the bottom of a He-219 over top of two color side profiles of the aircraft.
These both are featured inside the book as a 5-view of the upper one and a side view of the lower one.
The top one is in a spotted camouflage of pale gray with medium gray spots, over a overall black under side. It carries a small black VI on the side of it’s nose. More about this one later.
The one below is completely covered, top and bottom, in pale gray with medium gray spots. It has a black shield with a white diving eagle that is holding a red lightning bolt aimed at England.
Page 1 of the book gives the history of the He-219 in Polish and English, over the copyright date for the book as 2020, Kagero’s street address, telephone and FAX numbers in Lublin, Poland.
This is followed with 15 line-drawing type profiles.
First is a 7-view, which includes illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations in the fuselage of a He-219, all in 1/72nd scale.
Next is another 7-view, which also includes illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations in the fuselage of a He-219A-5R1, all also in 1/72nd scale.
A He-129A-7 is next as another 7-view, including the bulk head drawings, in 1/72nd scale.
Finally there is a last 7-view of a He-219D-A1 and a 4-view of a He-219-010 in 1/72nd scale.
In the center of the book there are 4 color side profiles and a 3-view.
The 1st side profile is overall light gray base with medium gray spotted camouflage. It has a black shield with a diving white eagle holding a red lightning bolt aimed at England on the side of its nose. Fuselage code is small red G9 + large red B, large black B. Black serial no. on the rudder is stenciled 190070.
It is a He-219A-0 of Stab 1./NJG 1, crewed by Hptm. Manfred Meurer and his radio-operator Ofw. Gerhard Schelbe, Venlo, January 21 1944.
The 2nd side profile is in the same camouflage pattern. It carries large black fuselage code DV + DI. It has a long narrow bar along the upper edge of the fuselage sides and vertically down the rudder that is divided into sections of white and red.
It is a He-219A-0 of Erprobungsstelle Rechlin, March 1944.
The 4-view is in the same spotted scheme as the first twe, but with the bottom of its right wing solid black. It has the black shield with the white diving eagle holding the red lightning bolt aimed at England on the sides of its nose. It carries the fuselage code of small red G9 + large red F large black K. It has black stenciled serial no. 190012 on its rudder.
It is a He-219A-0 of 2/NJG -1, flown by Htpm. Ernst-Wilhem Modrow, Velno, March 1944.
The 3rd side view is in the same 2 grays spotted camouflage above an all-black bottom that extends half way up the sides of the fuselage. It carries the fuselage code of + large letter T outlined in white large medium gray H. It has white serial no. 290123 on its rudder sides.
It is a He-219A-2 that was with 1/NJG 1, Westerland/Sylt, May 1945.
The 4th side view is in the same overall 2-gray spotted camouflage. It carries the fuselage code small red D5 + large red L large black L. It has stenciled black serial no. 310188 on its rudder.
It is a He-219A-7 of 3/NJG-1, Grove, Denmark, May 1945.
The 5th side view is in the overall 2-gray spotted camouflage. It carries the fuselage code small red G9 + large red F large black B.
It is the He-219V-9 of Stab I/NJG-1, crewed by Major Werner Streib and his radio operator Uffz. Helmut Fischer, Venlo, June 11, 1943.
The 6th (and last) side view is overall jet black. It carries large gray fuselage code VG + LW.
It is the He-219V-1, Rostock, November 1943.
Inserted into the book are 3 large blue print line drawing, in 16” x 23” format, printed on both sides.
The first one is to 1/48th scale. It shows an 8-view of a He-219A-5/R1 on its two sides, along with illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations within the fuselage.
The second one is to 1/32nd scale. It shows a 5-view, including illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations within the fuselage, also of a He-219A-5/R1.
The third one continues with a 1/32nd scale additional 4 views of the He-219A-5/R1.
This is a neat book about this aircraft. It will be of great interest to modelers who plan on building a model of the He-219 and to aviation historians as well.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Kagero book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Kagero Publications is based in Lublin, Poland.
The book is soft-cover of 20 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. I comes in a self-sealing, clear cello envelope.
The book is multilingual. It is in Polish and English.
The front cover has a red background at the top with a dark green background at the bottom. On the red top there is a black and white photo of the front of a He-219. At the bottom there is a white line drawing of the bottom of a He-219 over top of two color side profiles of the aircraft.
These both are featured inside the book as a 5-view of the upper one and a side view of the lower one.
The top one is in a spotted camouflage of pale gray with medium gray spots, over a overall black under side. It carries a small black VI on the side of it’s nose. More about this one later.
The one below is completely covered, top and bottom, in pale gray with medium gray spots. It has a black shield with a white diving eagle that is holding a red lightning bolt aimed at England.
Page 1 of the book gives the history of the He-219 in Polish and English, over the copyright date for the book as 2020, Kagero’s street address, telephone and FAX numbers in Lublin, Poland.
This is followed with 15 line-drawing type profiles.
First is a 7-view, which includes illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations in the fuselage of a He-219, all in 1/72nd scale.
Next is another 7-view, which also includes illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations in the fuselage of a He-219A-5R1, all also in 1/72nd scale.
A He-129A-7 is next as another 7-view, including the bulk head drawings, in 1/72nd scale.
Finally there is a last 7-view of a He-219D-A1 and a 4-view of a He-219-010 in 1/72nd scale.
In the center of the book there are 4 color side profiles and a 3-view.
The 1st side profile is overall light gray base with medium gray spotted camouflage. It has a black shield with a diving white eagle holding a red lightning bolt aimed at England on the side of its nose. Fuselage code is small red G9 + large red B, large black B. Black serial no. on the rudder is stenciled 190070.
It is a He-219A-0 of Stab 1./NJG 1, crewed by Hptm. Manfred Meurer and his radio-operator Ofw. Gerhard Schelbe, Venlo, January 21 1944.
The 2nd side profile is in the same camouflage pattern. It carries large black fuselage code DV + DI. It has a long narrow bar along the upper edge of the fuselage sides and vertically down the rudder that is divided into sections of white and red.
It is a He-219A-0 of Erprobungsstelle Rechlin, March 1944.
The 4-view is in the same spotted scheme as the first twe, but with the bottom of its right wing solid black. It has the black shield with the white diving eagle holding the red lightning bolt aimed at England on the sides of its nose. It carries the fuselage code of small red G9 + large red F large black K. It has black stenciled serial no. 190012 on its rudder.
It is a He-219A-0 of 2/NJG -1, flown by Htpm. Ernst-Wilhem Modrow, Velno, March 1944.
The 3rd side view is in the same 2 grays spotted camouflage above an all-black bottom that extends half way up the sides of the fuselage. It carries the fuselage code of + large letter T outlined in white large medium gray H. It has white serial no. 290123 on its rudder sides.
It is a He-219A-2 that was with 1/NJG 1, Westerland/Sylt, May 1945.
The 4th side view is in the same overall 2-gray spotted camouflage. It carries the fuselage code small red D5 + large red L large black L. It has stenciled black serial no. 310188 on its rudder.
It is a He-219A-7 of 3/NJG-1, Grove, Denmark, May 1945.
The 5th side view is in the overall 2-gray spotted camouflage. It carries the fuselage code small red G9 + large red F large black B.
It is the He-219V-9 of Stab I/NJG-1, crewed by Major Werner Streib and his radio operator Uffz. Helmut Fischer, Venlo, June 11, 1943.
The 6th (and last) side view is overall jet black. It carries large gray fuselage code VG + LW.
It is the He-219V-1, Rostock, November 1943.
Inserted into the book are 3 large blue print line drawing, in 16” x 23” format, printed on both sides.
The first one is to 1/48th scale. It shows an 8-view of a He-219A-5/R1 on its two sides, along with illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations within the fuselage.
The second one is to 1/32nd scale. It shows a 5-view, including illustrations of the fuselage bulkheads and their locations within the fuselage, also of a He-219A-5/R1.
The third one continues with a 1/32nd scale additional 4 views of the He-219A-5/R1.
This is a neat book about this aircraft. It will be of great interest to modelers who plan on building a model of the He-219 and to aviation historians as well.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Kagero book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.