Gotha Bats

Reichdreams Dossier N.20
By Justo Miranda, Paula Mercado, and John Baxter
Reichdreams Research Services, 2003
Softbound, 56 Pages
Available from Reichdreams Research Services

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

A new series to cross my workbench, the Reichdreams Dossier series has all the looks of a great set of publications. Some careful work has definitely gone into this publication, and I am sure that the other ones in this series feature the same level of detail. This book deals with the Gotha Bats, or more specifically the Gotha P.60 family. This interesting design apparently evolved from Gotha's association with Horten's flying wing design. After making some design improvements, the resultant P.60 was suggested to the RLM as a two-seat heavy fighter. The design never went past project status before the war ended.

This book takes a very detailed look at the Gotha design and hypothesizes on what would have resulted had it gone into production. The text breaks down the various design innovations, such as the prone position of the crew, the drag rudders, and the armament. Complementing the text are many very detailed scale drawings, including general arrangement, details, and interior structure. The quality of these drawings is outstanding and could easily be used to scratchbuild any one of the P.60 variants depicted.

While Luft '46 material may not be to everyone's interest, this book provides outstanding research in both text and drawings. If you are interested in Luft '46 I highly recommend this book on the Gotha P.60, and I look forward to Reichdreams' next title in this series.

My thanks to Reichdreams for the review sample. Be sure to visit their website for the other interesting titles in this series.