Heinkel He 219

An Illustrated History of Germany's Premier Nightfighter
Roland Remp
Schiffer Publishing, ©2000
ISBN 0-7643-1229-4
Hardbound, 160 Pages

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

There have been many books written on the Heinkel He 219 over the years, and with the Tamiya 1/48 and DML/Dragon 1/72 kits offering modelers highly detailed and accurate models, there has been more and more interest in this dedicated night fighter.   This new title from Schiffer is actually a reprint & translation of the original German book "Der Nachtjäger Heinkel He 219" and is probably the most complete airframe history available in one book on the He 219.  The book doesn't have much in the way of operational history but the coverage of the design, development and testing is outstanding.

With the RAF doing all of its strategic bombing at night the need for a dedicated night fighter quickly became apparent.  Heinkel's design was up against existing Messerschmitt and Junkers designs and even after the He 219 was built and entered service it still served alongside Bf 110 and Ju 88 nightfighters.  Heinkel's design, though, was designed from the beginning to fight at night, resulting in its interesting appearance.  If you're interested in how this plane came to be, you'll definitely want to pick this title up.

This book is available from Roll Models.