Development of German Warplanes in WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes and Seaplanes (Great War Aviation Centennial Series) Paperback – July 15, 2012

"Development of German Warplanes in WW I", by Jack Herris, provides an in-depth overview of German aircraft developed and used in the first world war. As noted in the product description, the book includes a plethora of contemporary black and white photographs, color profiles that showed how the paint scheme of the aircraft would have looked (as you can't see "color" from black and white photos), chapters describing all of the different mission-types of aircraft the Germans flew, and tables that show how many aircraft were serving at the front (bi-monthly) from the beginning of the war until the end. There is also detailed information on aircraft engine production, the production schedule for the proposed "Amerika" aircraft program, and plenty of charts and tables giving detailed data.While the author discusses how the aircraft types were used and generally how they fared in combat, this book isn't intended as a combat primer for them, it's more to show and explain the rationale of the different types of aircraft development, especially in relation to what their enemies were doing, and provide a visual history via pictures and profiles of many of the aircraft used during the war. As such, it's an outstanding book and is a must-have if you're a fan of World War I aviation.My favorite part of the book, however, is the introduction, where in just a few pages, the author lays out the situation for the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) vis-à-vis the Allies in terms of material, production capability, and procurement philosophy. He neatly shows that it was the material, numerical, and productive inferiority of the Central Powers that forced the Germans on the strategic defensive in the air and led them to attempt to gain technical superiority for their aircraft, in part through aircraft specialization, to try and compensate for this inferiority.So, if you have an interest in World War I aviation, particularly from the development and procurement side, or if you're a modeler or want to see detailed pictures of what these century-old aircraft looked like, you should buy this book. Five stars.

I've always been very interested in WWI combat aircraft and I gravitate towards the German types because I think they are the most interesting in their development and I love their aesthetics. For instance, far from being the best fighter of the war, the later Albatross types were sleek, modernistic and menacing .This book is fun. The illustrations are very well done; lots of great photos and histories of the planes and men who flew them; their campaigns and technical specifications that aren't overwhelming to a layman. I pick it up often just to peruse these aircraft that range from the beautiful to the "what could they have been thinking!!". A great and minor investment for any WWI aircraft fan.

A very detailed account of the evolution of the German air service in World War I. The best part of the book was the detailed charts that gave the front line inventories of every type of German aircraft at two-month intervals.

Nice art work but expensive for the content.

an excellent book with many pictures and plenty color profiles.mr herris has done an excellent job on the history of these german WW1 airplanes.i also bought vol 2 and 3 of this collection.Great work .

Although not really new material ( Mr Herris's work appears monthly in Model Aircraft magazine) it is nice to have it collected and expanded upon in a single spot.

It was a gift that was well recieved!

If, like me, you've always been interested in WW1 aviation, buy this book. If you're new to studying the subject, consider this book a must-have. It explains why the Germans built the types they did, which were much more specialized than allied types doing the same work. The many charts included in the books are excellent resources, and the photographs and color profiles add value. Highly recommended.

As a Wings of War/Glory gamer I wanted to find out more about the aircraft of WW1 so that I could design scenarios to play. I found the designations of aircraft types at times quite confusing so was looking for a general book to explain them to me and to cover aircraft development that I could factor into a WW1 air campaign. This book was perfect for the German side of things with consice explanations of each type and great information on when planes went into service. Exactly what I had wanted. I am now hoping they will do another book on Allied aircraft or several, perhaps one on British, one on french and one on lesser allied and axis aircraft. I would happily buy them all.

This is the perfect way to learn about WW1 planes, all of them listed and sorted, If you are interested in WW1 military aviation this is your book, also search for other books in the same series.

Comprehensive and useful general study of the whole field. If only buying one book on the subject, this is it. I would have paid more for hard back because I'm keeping this one.

The book arrived on time. A useful addition to my aviation book shelf.

the best