Mezek a Turbina: Messerschmitts in Czechoslovakia (White Series) Paperback – September 19, 2014

An insightful book concerning the Czechoslovakian aircraft industry after World War 2 and how they quickly attempted to get back on their feet after seven years of Nazi occupation. I found it very interesting! With parts and plans left behind by the German retreat, the Czech aviation industry attempted to re-establish itself by home producing their own versions of the famous German Me-109 and Me-262 jet fighter. It could be said this met with mixed success as the Me-109 (known as the Avia S-99 and S-199 in Czechoslovakia) were forced to utilize the engines and propellers from Heinkel He-111 bombers instead of the original Daimler Benz units. The Me-262 would have fared better, but the Russian "allies" at the time decided they wanted Avia to focus on building parts and aircraft for the Mikoyan and Yakolev firms instead. Only a handful of 262s were ever made by Avia. The book was full of rare photos, many never seen before, and very nice color profiles. Three-view diagrams are also provided in scale. The text obviously was translated from Czech but with careful reading you won't trip over it too much. I had no problems understanding what the author was trying to convey. I would recommend it to serious students of aviation history.

A good book on an interesting but previously poorly covered subject. Model airplane builders interested in these topics will learn a lot about these aircraft their appearance, history and details.

Really interesting stuff I never knew.Well worth the read.

Fascinating history!

This book was full of surprises to me. First I didn't know that before World War II Czechoslovakia had an active aviation industry, and then that after taking over the country the Germans kept that industry in place. In fact, they employed some 120,000 workers and during the war years produced about 4,000 aircraft for the Luftwaffe. Among the many types of planes being built were the Me 109's (G and K versions) and the Me 262 (A and B versions). In fact some authorities state that all of the B versions of the Me 262 (two seater trainers) were Czech built.When the war ended, there was, of course, no Czech air force. So these two fighters became the core of the Czech fighter force. When the supply of surplus planes ran out, these two aircraft were put back into production as the Mezek (Mule) and the Turbina (Turbines). The planes were subsequently modified, used by the Czech Air Force and offered for sale on the open market. The biggest customer for the Mezek was Israel who was engaged in a war and was prohibited from purchasing new aircraft from Britain, France etc. So they flew Mezek's along with whatever other aircraft they could get.This book is profusely illustrated as is common with this publisher. I found it very interesting and informative about a sector of the aviation world that I knew nothing about.

An excellent book. A concise history & technical description of both aircraft types, excellent 3 view drawings & some very nice colour profiles of both Czech & Israeli aircraft make this an ideal reference work. As a plastic modeller, this book contained plenty of information for me to build some models.

Excellent book for anyone even remotely interested in early post war Czech military aviation and modelling this oddly forgotten period in the few years following the of the war in Europe. Plenty of well researched photographs and lots of detailed text.

The complete story of 109 & 262 built in Czechoslovakia and used by the Czech AF after WW2. Lots of pictures and 3-view drawings, perfect for the modeller?

Indispensabile per gli appassionati del caccia messerschmitt questa opera sulle produzioni postbelliche in repubblica ceca ottima parte iconografiche belli i profili a colori

Etude très complète illustrée de nombreuses photos inédites. Cet ouvrage est beaucoup plus complet qu'un livre publié précédemment.A recommander certainement.