Midland Publishing

Messerschmitt Me 210/Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) (An Illustrated Production History)

by  Peter Petrick and Werner Stocker

Reviewed By  Phil Pignataro, IPMS# 17254

MSRP: $54.95 ISBN: 1-85780-271-3 Website: www.specialtypress.com In the early 1930's, many military planners throughout the world had a multi-purpose, heavy fighter in mind for their air forces. In Germany, this idea manifested itself as the Bf 110 which was supposed to perform long-range fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance missions. After early successes with this aircraft, the RLM increased requirements for this class of fighter. Messerschmitt proposed a replacement for the Bf 110, the Me 210. This machine had a troubled history and its numerous faults led to production termination in 1942. Messerschmitt persisted with the concept, however, and the Me 410 was the final result. Petrick and Stocker relate the story of these two aircraft with all their political intrigues and checkered performance problems in this hard covered, 9" X 12" book of 176 pages. The book's chapter breakdown is as follows: The Development History of the Me 210/410: a detailed historical account of the development of both machines. They show how various Luftwaffe personalities along with Herr Messerschmitt himself influenced these aircraft. Werknummer list: a thirty-six page list of each aircraft's serial number, factory code, date of construction, variant, and other notes. Messerschmitt Me 210/410 Gallery: fifty-four pages of black and white photos along with some color profile drawings of all the variants of both the 210 and 410. There are also a couple of wartime color photos. Many shots are close-ups of various parts of the aircraft. Design Evolution: photos and drawings showing the details of the different variants of these aircraft. The drawings and pictures look as if they came from original technical manuals. Messerschmitt AG development proposals for the Me 410 produced by the Oberammergau Projektburo: drawings of many different armament, engine, wing, and canopy proposals. This book has lots of information, historical and technical, about both aircraft. The numerous close-up photos and technical drawings would be a tremendous help to the modeler looking to add detail to the basic kit. The book definitely lives up to it subtitle of "an illustrated" history. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in Luftwaffe subjects and the Me 210/410 in particular. At almost $55, it is not inexpensive, but you do get a thorough treatment of the subject. If your local hobby shop or bookstore doesn't have this book, you can order it from Specialty Press at 1-800-895-4585 or by visiting www.specialtypress.com. My thanks go to Marie Norton of Specialty Press and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this book.

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