German Monoplane Fighters of WWI
By Matt Bittner
When one thinks of German monoplane fighters of WWI, one tends to think of early-war Fokker Eindeckers and some may also think of the later-war Fokker E.V/D.VIII. However, there were a lot more than just those types Germany flew.
German Monoplane Fighters of WWI from Jack Herris starts with a design that unfortunately did not see combat, the Daimler L11. It flew in late October 1918 and had the war continued it would definitely had made its mark. There are a lot of these types of monoplanes within this excellent tome. Germany kept experimenting with aviation right until the very end and their later designs were some of the best that flew.
While this book doesn't concentrate on any one aircraft, there are naturally sections that have more to them than others. Yes, you will find more information on the Fokker E.V/D.VIII than the Konder D.I but that's because the Fokker was operational; however, you won't find a comprehensive history on the Fokker because this is more of an overview book, providing information on all German monoplanes.
Not only is there a wealth of text within the pages, but there are also excellent color profiles done by Bob Pearson. Plus the back of the book contains 1/48 drawings on most of the monoplanes.
So, if you're looking for an excellent, overall history of German monoplanes that flew during World War I, this is your book. If you're looking for detailed coverage of a specific type, you'll want another publication. However, don't let that stop you from picking this one up, as nowhere else will you find all German WWI monoplanes collected in one volume.
Many, many thanks to Aeronaut Books for providing me this review copy.