An illustrated study of the famous Heinkel He 219 - the Luftwaffe''s only pupose-built nightfighter - and its role in the bitterly contested nocturnal defence of the Reich. Originally conceived as a high-performance reconnaissance aircraft, the Heinkel He 219 went on to become the Luftwaffe''s only purpose-built nightfighter. Despite its many sterling qualities (including ejector seats for its two crew members), the type''s production was bedevilled by political manoeuvring and consequently it was only used in strength by one unit - the Luftwaffe''s elite Nachtjagdgeschwader 1. In this volume, respected historian Martin Streetly examines the development of the He 219, from its origins through to its implementation against the RAF''s ever-more destructive night offensive. First-hand accounts from Nachtjagdverband crew shed light on the He 219''s successes and failures in battle, while archive photos and newly commissioned artwork demonstrate the unique design and technology of this near-legendary aircraft.

Autorentext
Martin Streetly is a full-time author who specialises in the history, technology and application of defence electronics. His career in military and aviation publishing spans 36 years. Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international standing and has also enjoyed a successful career in computer animation. He is an aviation history enthusiast and has contributed to numerous Osprey titles such as B-52 Stratofortress Units in Combat 19922025
and RAF Lightning Units of the Cold War. He lives in Perthshire, Scotland.

Janusz Swiatlon lives in Krakow, Poland. A veteran of service with the Polish Army's 6th Pomorska Dywizja Powietrzno-Desantowa (an airborne unit) in the 1980s, he is both an enthusiast of aviation historian and a military modeller. As an illustrator, he has created numerous colour aircraft profiles published in magazines and books by AF Editores, Kagero, Chevron, Stratus and other publishing houses, including Osprey.

Klappentext
An illustrated study of the famous Heinkel He 219 - the Luftwaffe's only pupose-built nightfighter - and its role in the bitterly contested nocturnal defence of the Reich.

Originally conceived as a high-performance reconnaissance aircraft, the Heinkel He 219 went on to become the Luftwaffe's only purpose-built nightfighter. Despite its many sterling qualities (including ejector seats for its two crew members), the type's production was bedevilled by political manoeuvring and consequently it was only used in strength by one unit - the Luftwaffe's elite Nachtjagdgeschwader 1.

In this volume, respected historian Martin Streetly examines the development of the He 219, from its origins through to its implementation against the RAF's ever-more destructive night offensive. First-hand accounts from Nachtjagdverband crew shed light on the He 219's successes and failures in battle, while archive photos and newly commissioned artwork demonstrate the unique design and technology of this near-legendary aircraft.

Inhalt

(Subject to confirmation)

1. A concept is born
2. Service use
3. Equipment and variants
4. Success or failure?
   Appendices
   Index