Forsyth, Robert Mistel. German Composite Aircraft and Operations 1942-1945

This is a revised and reworked edition of the authors long out of print 2001 study of the origins, development and operations of Germanys composite aircraft during the Second World War. Known as the "Mistel" concept, the designs were originally intended for use in peacetime as a means of extending the range of aircraft, but in 1942 a small team of pilots and engineers adapted the idea for military usage. Comprising Bf 109 or Fw 190 fighters as upper components mounted on top of "war-weary" Ju 88 airframes fitted with massive hollow-charge warheads replacing their cockpit sections, these extraordinary machines were deployed for the first time off Normandy in July 1944. They were later used in sporadic missions over the Western Front before the Luftwaffe used them in numbers in a last-ditch attempt to try to halt the Soviet advances across the Oder, Warthe and Neisse rivers during the last weeks of the war. The "Mistels" size and hazardous nature meant that only experienced pilots could fly it, but despite its complexity, it handled well and its control systems were remarkably sophisticated and responsive. This fascinating and exhaustive study is accompanied by hundreds of rare photographs as well as maps, colour artwork and detailed technical drawings.

These extraordinary machines, which mounted Bf 109 or Fw 190 fighters as upper components on "war-weary" Ju 88 airframes equipped with massive shaped-charge warheads that replaced their cockpit sections, were first deployed in the Normandy battles in July 1944 and were later used in sporadic missions over the Western Front before the Luftwaffe used them in large numbers to halt the Soviet advance over the Oder, Warta and Neisse rivers in the final weeks of the war. The size and sensitivity of the 'Mistel' flying bombs meant that only experienced pilots could fly them, but despite the complexity, the composite aircraft handled well and its control systems were remarkably sophisticated and responsive. This fascinating and comprehensive study is accompanied by hundreds of rare photographs as well as maps, colour diagrams and detailed technical drawings.