Because I don't pay attention to what is coming from various publishers, this one was a real surprise when it showed up at the door recently. I've always had a fascination about the Me-264 and when it became available in kit form a few years back, I quickly grabbed one and now it languishes on my shelves, unbuilt.

When one considers that only three planes were started and only one completed and flown, it is amazing the amount of material that has come to light on this aircraft. To be honest, it was a plane with much hype and little to back it up. Touted as being able to fly to New York, drop bombs or leaflets and return, the truth is that it never had the range. While it would have been quite useful as a Condor replacement, there were a plethora of problems.

First of all, Willy Messerschmitt was one of those people who pissed people off and he so infuriated Generalfieldmarshal Milch, the man who made all the decisions about who built what, that he lost control of his own company. Still he was left in charge of company research and touted the 264 at every opportunity.

The prototype was built and took to the air in relatively good order. It was heavy on the controls and had landing gear problems that plagued the aircraft throughout its flying career. Aside from that, it was not a bad flyer and was constantly upgraded until destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944.

It is a story of false starts, hopes and concern about where to build it and where to get materials and manpower to do so. These were never resolved and while the second and third prototype were slowly being constructed, they never made it to completion. The intrigue itself is wound with the flying development of the prototype as well as any book of its type I've read. It is a fascinating read of what could have been and the realities of trying to market a plane for which no one really has a use.

Highly Recommended as much for the insight into operations of the Luftwaffe high command as the story of a fascinating aircraft.

October 2006

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