Upon demand Chandos is doing a small reprint of this much requested book. We will get some but supplies will be limited.
If you want one please pre-order so you are assured of a copy.
Drawing on many years of research including interviews and correspondence with former aircrews, private accounts, unit records and reports, aviation historian Chris Goss presents the history of Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG 40), the Luftwaffe’s principal maritime anti-shipping unit and multi-role strike wing. KG 40 was formed in 1940 and operated successfully in the campaigns in Norway, the seas around Great Britain, over the Bay of Biscay, the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, including missions over North Africa,and for a short time the Soviet Union. At various times the unit was equipped with the He 111,Fw 200, Ju 88, Do 217 and He 177. During the first half of the war, its four-engined, long-range Fw 200 Condors operated far out into the Atlantic, attacking merchant shipping and accounting for thousands of tons damaged or sunk. The unit also operated the Do 217 and He 177 bomber types, the latter armed with the latest, state-of-the-art guided bombs against maritime targets in Great Britain and the Mediterranean. Its Ju 88 C-6 ‘heavy’ fighters patrolled the waters of the Biscay from 1942-1944, protecting U-boats and Axis shipping and taking a heavy toll of Allied aircraft.
This is the first time the complete operational record of this renowned bomber unit has been told, Gruppe by Gruppe, in the English language. The Geschwader’s story is enhanced through many personal accounts, archival research, some 700 photographs depicting the various aircraft types, their crews, the anti-shipping ‘aces’, the weapons and their Allied opponents, as well as many colour aircraft profiles.
KG40 was also based in The Netherlands, at Soesterberg and Gilze Rijen from 1941 till 1943 and the unit was also responsibe for shooting down G-AGBB, a civil KLM DC3 flown by KLM crew on its way to Lisbon. Captain Tepas and his Dutch crew along will all passengers aboard were killed.
Contents:
312 page hardcover. Highly detailed text based on primary sources
560+ photos
2 colour maps
29 colour profiles (11 Fw 200, 1 Bf 110, 4 Do 217, 3 He 111, 3 He 177, 7 Ju 88)
Index
Appendices (contents below)
A. Kampfgeschwader 40 – Genesis 1940-1944
B. Known Kampfgeschwader 40 Executive Officers
C. Kampfgeschwader 40 aircrew known to have been awarded or previously received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
D. V./Kampfgeschwader 40 air combat claims
E. V./Kampfgeschwader 40 Experten
F. KG 40/FKG 50 Erkennungsmarke
G. Aircraft types flown by Kampfgeschwader 40
H. Table of Ranks
I: Loss Lists
