News

JaPo wishes to all its readers creative and exploratory year 2024.

The author is working on Czech text of this publication. Once it is finished, it will be available to download from product's page.

We are pleased to announce that the new title “Messerschmitt Bf 109s & Other Aircraft of I./EKG(J)” is on sale.

At the same time, the title “Messerschmitt Me 262s of KG & KG(J) units” returns to the offer.

From titles focused on the history of Kampfgeschwader (Jagd) units, we have compiled a set of “Kampfgeschwader (Jagd) units over the Czech Territory”, which can be ordered as a whole for a discounted price.

Currently in preparation for print in 2021:

• The new title “Messerschmitt Bf 109s & other aircraft of I./EKG(J)”
• Reprint of the “Messerschmitt Me 262s of KG & KG(J) units”

Together with the “Messerschmitt Bf 109s of KG(J) 6” all three titles dealing with Kampfgeschwader (Jagd) would be available.

We have a pleasure to announce the issue of the “Messerschmitt Bf 109s of KG(J) 6”. The title is available now and you can purchase it through our usual distributors or…

You can try our retail shop we have just launched. It is intended for individual orders of smaller amounts of titles. Browsing product's pages you can also add the titles into your shopping basket using basket icon.

We added a correction for Messerschmitt Me 262 production & Arado Ar 234’s final operations publication. You can find it in title details clicking on icon below book cover picture.

Coming soon

B-24 Liberator
in RAF Coastal Command Service
with Focus on
Aircraft of No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF

Consolidated B-24 Liberator is one of airplanes which deserves special attention of aviation historians. B-24s took part in combat actions in all theatres of operations of WWII under quite different service conditions and performed everytime their tasks honourably. They flew over occupied Europe, heavy defended Germany and Japan, over Mediterranean, jungles of Burma and India, over wide areas of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and among peaks of Himalaya.

With the number of aircraft produced - most numerous of all American and British airplanes and with the prolific combat career during WWII the B-24 belongs to the legends of the conflict and is predestined for being a thema of various titles.

Number of airplanes produced, different producers (Consolidated San Diego, Consolidated Fort Worth, Ford Willow Run, North American Dallas and Douglas Tulsa) and various operational conditions anticipated development of versions and variants which is the thema the author Pavel Türk has focused on. His extensive study provides systematic analysis of airframe differencies, armament and equipment of all variants according to producers, production batches and different users - USAAF, US Navy and Royal Air Force. The respectable range of the work however requires split into several parts which will be linked each other.

The first volume prepared for issue should be in fact the last one when we would go according to standard way because it deals with the special part of B-24’s operational service namely by maritime service by RAF. We proceed this way by two reasons. The RAF service and antisubmarine protection of convoy routes have started the B-24’s way to glory and there was the 70th Anniversary of B-24’s service commencemend by No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF in 2013. The title will deal by B-24s service by RAF Coastal Command but the main part will cover combat career of all B-24s assigned to the No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron. In summary, JaPo is preparing to publish new title

B-24 Liberator
in RAF Coastal Command Service
&
Aircraft of No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF

written by Pavel Türk and Miloslav Pajer

on 300 pages with 550 photos, color profiles of 52 aircraft, hardback cover. Publishing is expected in 2014. Due to extensive range of the title we recommend not to spend all money on Christmas 2013.

This more or less historical volume is supposed to be followed by technical guides written by Pavel Türk. This part is preliminary called

B-24 Liberator
Technical Guide

and will cover analysis of airframe differencies, armament and equipment of all variants used by USAAF, US Navy and Royal Air Force.

We are convinced that the complete work would be „must to have“ for all fans of the B-24, for all who are interested in service of Czechoslovak pilots during WWII and certainly for modellers.

We would like to inform you that the „Messerschmitt Me 262 production & Arado Ar 234’s final operations“ left the printing shop and is presently distributed to our partners.

The new publication extends our previous study „Messerschmitt Me 262s of KG & KG(J) units“ by new information about Messerschmitt Me 262 and generally about German jets over Czech area. All typical features of the line, i.e. historical part with detailed study of separate aircraft are kept. The content covers:

• description of Me 262 production in Protektorat including two main producers, FWE (FlugzeugwerkeEger) and LBB (Leichtbau Budweis), number of a/c produced, versions, operational use
• development of reconnaissance variant Me 262A-1a/U3 at Messerschmitt mother factory, reconstruction of MK 108 cannon installation in reconnaissance Me 262s
• final operation of Ar 234Bs and Cs in Czech area performed especially by 1.(F)/100 and III./EKG 1, analysis of possible presence of Me 163 and He 162 in Protektorat
• reconstruction of 15 aircraft – Me 262s of FWE and LBB origin (including a/c repaired) and Ar 234C-3 operating over Protektorat
• the fighter protection of Me 262’s air bases in the form of ammendment to the „Messerschmitt Me 262s of KG & KG(J) units“ is prepared with comparison of planned and actual Luftwaffe’s effort in this field. The detailed analysis of a Bf 109K-4 of III./JG 27 taking part in the protection is included.

The text is accompanied by nearly 220 photos, number of data tables and original documents as it is usual in our publications.

The new title „Messerschmitt Me 262 production & Arado Ar 234’s final operations“ from our „Luftwaffe over Czech Territory 1945“ line is in final stage of preparation.

The books could be delivered in 3 versions according to request:

• book w/o decal sheet
• book with 1/72 sheet
• book with 1/48 sheet

Another project relating to Me 262s connected with Czech area is under preparation. In contrary to the current title describing a/c of units operating from Czech air bases we will focuse on Me 262s produced or assembled at plants located in Czech area, i.e. Me 262s from FWE at Cheb (Eger) and from LBB at České Budějovice (Budweis).

It is for the first time we are dealing with the Me 262 in more details, other standard features of our titles remain, i.e. the title will be issued later and the publication will be larger than originally planned and expected.

What you will find inside the new book:

• Brief history of Luftwaffe’s effort to increase number of jet fighters by retraining bomber pilots for fighter tasks. Therefore IX.Fliegerkorps(J) was based under Dietrich Peltz command and several KG units were transformed into KG(J), but only KG(J) 54 reached regular operational status and was sent into action. It was transferred to Prague in April 1945 and together with JG 7 and fragments of KG(J) 6 saw final battles over Bohemia, Germany and at Prague.
• The KG 51’s operations with Me 262 were quite different story. This regular bomber unit flew operationally from the late of 1944. At the end of April 1945 several aircraft moved to Prague, joined other Me 262 units there and took part in final actions.
• Description of 11 aircraft of KG(J) 6, KG(J) 54 and KG 51 which were flying over Czech area in final days of WWII including of two Me 262Bs.
  It is quite unusual in historical research of WWII aircraft to have an opportunity to touch real peace of history described. It is the case of Me 262A, „Black X“ of KG 51 which was fighting from Prague in May 1945, then left to Fassberg to surrender and to be finally preserved at Australian War Memorial at Canberra. It allowed us to provide extensive documentation of research realized in the 80’s as well as up to date conditions.
• Although not directly connected with actions over Czech territory the description of Me 262B productions is included.

Text is accompanied by nearly 300 photographs, tens of original documents and tables.

Part III will focus in detail on a number of topics that are seemingly only loosely related to the main theme. However, we believe they are equally important, as aircraft were completed with camouflage and markings during the manufacturing process, and the relevant procedures were an integral part of series production. Consequently, the knowledge of the organisation of the Fw 190D production is essential to understanding the aircraft's widely differing camouflage styles and irregularities that could easily be listed as “nonsensical”. Based upon such knowledge we will attempt the reconstruction of camouflage patterns applied by individual manufacturers, highlighting the principal differences – this will be the key section of the coming monograph. Furthermore, technical differences between various batches of Fw 190Ds as a result of the widely dispersed production process will be described to the extent possible.

We will also focus on topics often passed over by other publications on aircraft camouflaging, for example:

• “Stammkennzeichen” and other confirmed codes on Fw 190Ds will be dealt with;
• We will attempt to identify Werknummer styles of various manufacturers down to the level of individual workshops;
• The Jumo 213 engine production and its manufacturers will be introduced;
• The system of the three-letter identification codes of Fw 190D and Jumo 213 manufacturers will be explained.

The results of our latest research will be included in addition to these principal topics, and as a result the information included in earlier books will be corrected and further specified.

Fw 190D-9, W.Nr. 400271 of III./JG 2 proves the importance of acquiring the “right” picture. Until recently, this particular aircraft was generally identified as “Black 1” as supported by available photographs. However, a newly discovered picture of this Fw 190D-9 proves this long-standing assumption wrong and amply demonstrates how a particular unit’s specific practice (and / or ignorance thereof) can affect the interpretation of a photograph. III./JG 2 definitely applied an unusual style of the digit “4”, and the fact that the style was typical of the unit is further confirmed by the same style of numeral on Fw 190D-9s, W.Nr. 600434, “Yellow 4” and W.Nr. 600xxx, “Black 14”, both of III./JG 2.

The white number “59” on the tail fin of Fw 190 V65, W.Nr. 350165, “CS + IA” is another example of confirming one of our earlier hypotheses, and the photograph of the aircraft’s port side provides definite evidence.

Previously unpublished photographs of other Fw 190Ds will provide new information. For instance, a series of pictures from Hustedt airfield shows several abandoned Fw 190Ds of JG 26, all of which appeared on a British list of captured aircraft. It will be most interesting to compare the list with reality.

Moreover, one of these photographs confirms our earlier reconstruction of the tactical marking of W.Nr. 500647, i.e. “Brown 4”. We based our drawing on the style of the digit “4” as it appeared on other aircraft, and this new picture has confirmed our proposition.

We were fortunate enough to having discovered new documents on the production and assignment of Fw 190D-13s. In addition to written documents, photographs have become available as well and as a result of this the aircraft’s accurate reconstruction became possible, allowing for the introduction and full description of every known aircraft.
Further information on variations in camouflaging and markings of this model may be added as our research progresses.

Thanks to the good offices of some of our friends around the world new documents on the Fw 190D-11 were made available to us, and the limited production of this model, including its technical description, can now be addressed in greater detail than ever before.

Other particular aircraft will be presented in chronological order (i.e. according to their respective manufacturers), and their descriptions will be provided in the now-familiar JaPo style developed in our previous books.

In conclusion, our work on the Fw 190D saga is on-going, but stating an exact date of its completion would be a clear sign of ignorance vis-a-vis our readers. In other words, the present announcement is nothing but an assurance that the topic is still alive. Having said that, we strongly believe that in our future Part III we will cast light on some unsolved questions related to the camouflage and markings of the Fw 190D and be able to show several interesting “Doras” in colour.

The Part I is dedicated especially to invasion (Operation “Danube”) in 1968 and creation of Air Force of Central Group of Forces (CGV) in CSSR. The Part II will be focused at air-bases of Soviet Air Force at Czechoslovakia – Milovice-Mladá, Mimoň-Hradčany, Olomouc-Neředín and Zvolen-Sliač.

Contemporary we would like to ask for support especially in the form of photos of Soviet aircraft taken in Czechoslovakia. Your help enables to extend this line by additional parts.

The Aviation and Military Book Centre
in
Hall 1, Stand 24–27
The International Centre
St. Quentin Gate
Telford

• new photos of Fw 190D-9
• new photos of Fw 190D-11
• new photos of Fw 190D-13
• photos of Fw 190D-9 modified to Fw 190D-15
• detailed paint formula of RLM 76 and 81 colors
• …and a small surprise.